Drinking Under Moonlight

Chapter 3: First encounter

The trees swayed under the weight of heavy downpour, their leaves rustling with the strong wind. Water cascaded down the rocky land, forming temporary streams that rushed downhill with fervor. The forest floor became a mosaic mess of mud and puddle. A small leg of a child landed into the muddy puddle.

The child shielded his face with his arm across his face. The relentless onslaught made each of his steps difficult. He appeared to have lost in the woods. The branches of trees twisted and contorted and thrashed about wildly leaving a cut on the child's arm. If not for the rain, the child's face would have been stained with tears.

He looked like a six to eight years old boy, the occasional flashes of lighting tore through the sky, illuminating the forest in brief, stark brightness. Shadows of surroundings danced and stretched, casting eerie shapes on the landscape. The loud sobs could be heard along the swirling winds of despair. The child could barely see through his tears and torrent of heavy downpour.

He slipped on the moss covered ground and fell on his butt. He let out a loud cry. For some time he had apprehension of ghosts following him. So, he tried to get up in a hurry but fell again. Suddenly A primal roar of thunder broke free from the heavens and echoed through the mountains. Its deafening rumble startled him and the eerie flash revealed a sinister silhouette of an enormous snake demon! Leaving behind a pair of bright eyes and glistening scales under the lightning.

The powerless child shrieked and crawled backwards yet the insidious eyes came closer and closer. The snake demon pounced at him, revealing its sharp canines, and the child cried for help. He slightly bent to the side and raised his hands to protect his face while shutting his eyes tightly.

A shadow out of nowhere blocked the attack. The child was tired and dizzy as a result of the tumultuous night.

In the awful weather, he was carried by the man, who wrapped him in his arms and supported him by his chest. After an unknown amount of time, they reached an adobe where the child was given sets of dry clothes.

The child was made to rest on a wooden bed. A small furnace was set up for him to warm up. He woke up at the break of dawn, still confused by the headache he found himself at an unknown place. His eyes widened with curiosity and apprehension, he supported himself by his arms and sat up on the bed, scanning the room. A man enters the room carrying warm edibles.

At the sight of a stranger, the child cowered back a little. As if still not recovered from the last fright he screamed and hid himself in the blanket,"WHO ARE YOU?? WHERE IS THE SNAKE?!" Seeing the child freak out, the man stopped at some distance neither far nor near to the bed and replied in a low voice to not exacerbate the situation, "It's gone" He was firm in his speech.

The child poked his head out of the blanket and asked confusedly,"its gone..?" The man hm-ed. The astonished boy could not believe he queried meekly, "how...? It was so big...?"

The man assured him "I chased it away." He walked closer and sat upright beside his bed. Their eyes met, the middle aged man, looking rather strict, smiled lightly as he passed a cup of warm water.

The small boy agape, despite being thirsty, he hesitated before he accepted the cup, "Thank you...mister." After having the warm water and congee the child's eyes shone with gratitude. He comprehended that the mister saved his life, the genuine care and compassion that permeated the stranger's gestures, finally let his guards down.

The man in white looked at the kid and dared not ask questions as he eats, lest he scares him.The child looked frail, his physique was thin, still he looked rather adorable. He had a few superficial scratches on his arm which were secured by medicine to prevent infection.

The man softly asked him his name. The kid replied faintly, "Nian Zhi. My mother calls me Zhi-er." He continued, "Thank you for saving my life"

The man acknowledged,"I ought to do it. What were you doing deep inside the woods?"

"To collect the legendary herb, Moonlit Lotus"

The mister's brows furrowed.