Chinese Dragons

The Chinese Dragon

    The Chinese Dragon (龍 long) is a very large part of chinese mythology. Chinese dragons are believed to control the waters. They used to be considered so powerful and wealthy that only the imperial family could use their image. They are benevolent, wise, powerful, and just creatures, so if you would like to learn more about them, read on!

    There are many different opinions on what the Chinese Dragon looks like, but most include these features: No wings, a deer’s antlers, a cow’s ears, a demon’s eyes, and a tiger’s feet. During the Qing Dynasty the dragons were considered yellow or gold, in the Ming Dynasty they were thought to be red. The Chinese Dragon is long and snake-like, usually with four feet and a large mouth with big teeth. Even though they have no wings, they can fly because of the lumps on their heads.

    The dragons are believed to control the waters. They control when the rain starts,  when it stops and they protect the rivers and oceans. If a dragon is made angry, they will make a rainstorm, flood, or some other water disaster. After a storm or flood the people give sacrifices as apologies to make the dragons forgive them.

The dragons are a symbol of power and wealth. They are believed to be able to disguise as a silkworm, become the size of the entire universe, form clouds, turn into water, change color, glow in the dark, and many other things to. Long ago their image could only be used by members of the imperial family. If someone not powerful enough wore a dragon it would overpower them. The Chinese said they evolved from dragons. Wealthy people are referred to as dragons and poor or less important people are referred to as worms or other small creatures. The imperial family is said to be closely related to a dragon named Long. Emperors were believed to be born with dragon shaped birthmarks.

    Chinese Dragons are often shown in drawing chasing after or holding flaming spheres, these are Dragon’s Pearls. They are thought to be worth an emperor’s entire fortune. The pearls represent wisdom, prosperity, spiritual energy, power, immortality, thunder, or the moon.

    The dragon king looks like a human with a dragon’s head wearing a king’s headdress. The dragon king’s birthday is the thirteenth night of the sixth moon, in the fifth and sixth moons people make sacrifices to him for his birthday. There are four dragon gods, each ruling over one body of water. The Azure Dragon rules over the East China Sea, the red dragon rules over the South China Sea, the white dragon rules over Qinghai Lake, and the black dragon rules over Lake Baikal. People living near the water bodies that the dragon gods rule over have temples to worship them.

Chinese dragons are very diverse and an important part of Chinese history. They are extremely interesting and there are many really good stories about them. I hope you learned something from this about chinese dragons!

SOURCES:

"Dragon King." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Chinese Dragon." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web.

Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Book Club in a Bag. New York: Little, Brown, 2011. Print.

Friends, Part 2: Brenna

Friends

Part 2: Brenna

Mira was cold. It was seven thirty on a crisp October morning. As she walked down Morton road Mira thought about her school. It was a good school, but the commute was so long. It was two buses and about half an hour of walking to get from her house to her school.

Mira stopped at the bus stop and leaned against the edge of the shelter. She never sat down in the shelters because they were so dirty.

A few minutes later the bus to Clifford Park came and she got on. Mira sat at the back of the bus and leaned against the window. The bus rattled her head and she closed her eyes. She had grown to enjoy the rattling of the bus. She wasn't tired, she just wanted to think.

Over Mira's time at Braddlestrum she had made many friends and gotten to know most of the people in the school. Everyone there was totally unique in their own amazing ways.

There was a boy named Oliver who she sometimes hung out with. He loved to draw and also he played Minecraft a lot.

There was also Maya, she liked to read and also did a lot of acting. She played the cello really well, too.

Another person Mira did a lot with was Rosa. She loved baseball and she was very athletic. She also listened to a lot of music.

This year Mira had also been hanging out with Brenna a lot. Brenna loved to write and read and just seemed like such an interesting person. She was seeing Brenna that afternoon and staying for dinner.

Today at school Mira was going to work on her story she was writing with Brenna. They were writing a story together about two girls who go on an adventure together to rescue their dog that escaped. It was pretty good so far.

"Next stop, 31st Street," announced the speakers on the roof of the bus. Mira opened her eyes as the bus rattled by the gym. She was almost there, only a couple more stops. They passed some short trees, a coffee shop, a grocery store, and a lot of other buildings before she got close to her stop and pulled the yellow chord that signaled that she wanted to get off.

They pulled up to Arrow Street and Mira stepped off the rattling bus onto the busy city street. There were people all over and cars honking: her parents and brother found the city overwhelming, but Mira enjoyed it.

She walked quickly across the road and stood at the bus stop for the Fern 26 bus. The bus drew up a few minutes later. Mira stepped on and scanned her card. She then found a seat at the back of the bus and closed her eyes.

***

After school that day Mira was sitting at Brenna's desk. Brenna was beside her with a pencil in her hand. "It needs to include a pink turtle," declared Brenna. She loved turtles and pink.

"But how could we fit that into the story? It has nothing to do with turtles!" Mira answered

"We can always find a way to fit it in,"

"I think we shouldn't put weird stuff in,"

"Why not?"

"It will make it seem like a little kid wrote it. I want this story to be good,"

"Mira, we can make it good with a turtle. Maybe it's a magic turtle that shows them where the dog is!"

"I still don't really want to do that,"

"That's OK, it was just an idea. Let's do something else for a while,"

"OK,". Mira got up and looked around Brenna's room, it was so clean. Brenna got up and pulled her laptop out from under the bed. The two girls lay on Brenna's bed and waited while the laptop slowly turned on. Brenna typed her password, which happened to be 1234, and they turned on a movie.

***

Neither of the girls mentioned their story again for a week. After they had been not writing the story for a week, Mira decided they should work on it more. She walked up to Brenna at school the next day and asked "Do you want to come to my house so we can work on the story more today?"

"I guess," replied Brenna. But when Brenna arrived at Mira's house that afternoon she simply said "I forgot the story, sorry,".

The next day Mira asked again, but she asked to go to Brenna's house. Brenna keeps the story at her house and so she couldn't forget it if they were there. But when Mira tried to work on the story with Brenna, Brenna kind of stood back. She didn't give any input and just watched Mira doing it.

Mira didn't know what to do, she wanted to finish the story, but not by herself, and she wanted Brenna to do it with her, but Brenna didn't want to.

The next day Mira was thinking about Brenna's pink turtle idea. It wasn't that bad, and it was really funny. She suddenly decided how she would get Brenna back into the story, she would suggest they use the pink turtle idea, and apologize. Apologizing was hard for Mira, it always had been. She drew together all her courage and started walking around the building to find Brenna. She found her in the little room full of couches by herself. "Brenna?" Brenna looked up at Mira. "I was wondering if you still wanted to put pink turtles in the story, it wasn't a bad idea and I'm sorry I said no,"

"Really? You want pink turtles? Of course I want to put them in the story! Come back to my house and we can work on it today," she replied enthusiastically

"OK!" Replied Mira. Her story was fixed!

As Brave as Annie

As Brave as Annie

Eleven year old Annabelle loved acting. It made her feel like she was soaring over vast oceans and towering mountains. Soaring carelessly. Her only issue was fear. Annabelle was terrified during her performances. She would often just stand back stage shivering. Tonight was Annabelle’s opening night performance of Annie, and Annabelle was playing the part of Annie. She was terrified. She had so many singing solos (Which she was even more terrified of than the acting) and she was in almost every scene.

She sat on the floor of the dressing room an hour before the production was to start, silently staring at the floor. Brielle sat beside her. Brielle was sixteen and was playing the part of Miss Hannigan. Brielle seemed to never be really worried and Annabelle thought she was amazing.

Annabelle was suddenly startled by Brielle’s gentle voice asking “Ready for the show?”

Annabelle looked up and saw Brielle smiling at her. She couldn’t smile back, “No,”

Brielle took Annabelle’s hand “You’re going to be so good. I’ve heard you up there, I can’t act like that!”

Annabelle nodded, then she added quietly “Thank you,”. Brielle started to talk with the other older kids and Annabelle left to go play with some of the younger kids in order to get her mind off the play.

Within about twenty seconds of being in the costume room she had three little kids clinging to her legs; Sydney (A little seven year old girl who always wore pigtails), Miles (An eight year old boy who loves dogs and has long curly hair), and Kayla (A five year old blonde girl with freckles and the cutest little raspy voice ever). Annabelle heard her name called from the opposite corner of the room, it was Rosie-Jewel, the youngest kid in the play (She was just barely five years old and was playing Molly). “I’m coming!” she called out, then Annabelle tried to walk with three kids clinging to her legs, (which isn’t very easy) slowly inching towards Rosie-Jewel. As she continued trying to walk the children clinging to her legs jumped off, then her legs were free and she walked at a normal pace over to Rosie. Rosie ran and jumped onto Annabelle, hugging her like a sloth baby clinging to it’s mother.

“Are you excited for the performance?” asked Annabelle

Rosie shouted her reply, “Yes!”.

Kayla started running in circles around the room saying “Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!”over and over. Annabelle laughed and started singing the Sandy song. All the little kids joined in on their parts.  “Sandy, Sandy who’ll always be there!” they all ended together.

Then Miles pushed Annabelle and she made a dramatic fall so she was lying on her back on the costume room floor. Miles, Sydney, Rosie-Jewel, and Kayla all piled on top of her and started shrieking and laughing. “Be quiet, I’m trying to practice my lines!” someone shouted from the corner of the room. The kid’s squeals got a little less loud and Annabelle’s mind went back to the play she was about to perform, and her stomach went back to doing somersaults.

A couple minutes later an announcement sounded saying “Ten minutes to places”. Annabelle decided she would just go sit down behind the curtain to wait because she had nothing to do. She sat for a few minutes and then Avery came down. Avery was fourteen and shy. She was playing Pepper. Avery sat in the corner across from Annabelle and then Brielle came down. “Still worried?” she whispered

“Yes” Annabelle answered faintly

“But you’re going to be so good!” Brielle said for about the sixth time that day. Annabelle looked at the floor, it was hard to believe that she would be good in the play. Brielle sat down right in front Annabelle. “Annabelle,” Brielle continued gently “Nobody cares if you make a mistake, they usually don’t even notice, and if they do notice they never care because mistakes kind of make the play seem more real. Just sing Maybe with all your heart, and all the other songs, too. There’s nothing you need to be afraid of,”. They both stood up and Brielle embraced Annabelle in a warm hug.

Then one of the stage hands told them two minutes until places and Annabelle looked into Brielle’s eyes, Brielle repeated for the seventh time “You are going to be so good,”, Annabelle nodded and headed on to the stage.

On the way Avery patted her back and whispered “Break a leg!”. Annabelle silently sat down on the windowsill that had been placed on the stage. Rosie-Jewel lay down on the bed closest to the window. Sydney, Kayla, Miles, Sadie, and Avery lay down on the other beds and Annabelle’s stomach lurched so hard that she thought she might throw up, but she didn’t. The music for Maybe started to play and the curtains opened. “Maybe far away, or maybe real near by” Annabelle sang. She drifted into the song and she was no longer the worried Annabelle Emily Searfon, now she was the orphan Annie, longing for her parents and living in a orphanage. She sang with all her heart, just as Brienne had told her to. Molly started to whine and call out her name, Pepper got up, they fought with pillows, and she sang with Molly. The scene continued until the end.

When the scene was over she was Annabelle again, leaning against a wall breathing slowly to calm herself. Brielle walked up to her “That was so good!”. Annabelle grinned, she realized she had done well, and she was proud. Now the rest of the play would be easy.

When it got to the scene where she sang Dumb Dog, she came in late on the first line of the song. She couldn’t catch up with the beat. She felt awful, but she continued to the end anyway. After that song she sat backstage and she felt like crying, she had ruined the play. But Brielle told her that it had still sounded good and gave Annabelle another huge hug. The next scene she sang Sandy and got everything right in it.

Annabelle felt that Brielle had congratulated her so much that it was her turn to tell her how amazing she was (She was an amazing actor and singer). So when Miss Hannigan’s song Little Girls was over Annabelle walked up to her to tell her how amazing it had been, but for some reason what came out of her mouth was “Yay, that was awesome!”. Disappointed at her ability to compliment people and embarrassed, Annabelle ran to the other side of the stage and away from Brielle.

Annabelle managed a better compliment after Brielle sang Sign. After the play everyone was hugging everyone else in a huge clump and Annabelle was right in the middle. They had done one night, now for three more!

Recent Magazine Issues

I run a magazine. Here are the two most recent issues:

http://emilyartist.ca/homeschoolmag6.pdf 
Oceans Themed

http://emilyartist.ca/homeschoolmag6a.pdf
December Holidays Themed

Books I Have Read

In the past term I think I read these books.

Awake and Dreaming by Kit Pearson

A Perfect Gentle Night by Kit Pearson

I am Malala by Patricia McCormick

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

First Light by Rabecca Stead

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling, and John Tiffany

Swing Sideways by Nanci Turner Steveson

The Daring Game by Kit Pearson

Minecraft School

I made a school in minecraft. It is similar to Hogwarts from Harry potter. It has huge towers, dormitories, classrooms, a huge dining hall, a courtyard, bathrooms, a library, a music room, and lots of other stuff, too.

My Minecraft School. The thing on the river is for boats with students arriving at the school.

Typed out script

I am working on typing out the script I wrote for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. The typed out version is a little more edited and not so messy. Here is what I have typed out so far:

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON

ACT 1 SCENE 1: A FAMILY DINNER

(Minli, Ma, and Ba are sitting around a small table having dinner.)

Minli: Ba, tell me the story of fruitless mountain again, tell me again why nothing grows on it.

Ba: Ah, you've heard this story so many times.

Minli: Tell me again, Ba, please?

Ba: Alright. (He sets down his chopsticks) Once, when there were no rivers on the earth, the Jade Dragon was in charge of the clouds. She decided when and where the clouds would rain apon the land and when they would stop.

(Jade Dragon flies in and swoops around.)

Ba: She was very proud of her power and the reverence the people of the earth paid her. Jade Dragon had four dragon children; Pearl,

(Jade Dragon stops swooping. Pearl flies in and stands next to Jade Dragon.)

Ba: Yellow,

(Yellow flies in and stands next to Jade Dragon.)

Ba: Long,

(Long flies in adn stands with his family.)

Ba: and Black.

(Black flies in and stands with his family.)

Ba: They helped Jade Dragon with her work, and whenever they flew in the sky she was overwhelmed with love and pride.

(Pearl, Yellow, Long, and Black fly in circles around Jade Dragon. Jade Dragon smiles.)

Ba: However, one day, as Jade Dragon ended the rain and moved the clouds far from the land, she overheard some villigar's conversation.

( The dragons stand off to the side. Cheng and Fengge enter the scene.)

Cheng: Ah, thank goodness the rain is gone.

Fengge: Yes, I'm so tired of the rain. I'm glad the clouds are gone and the sun is finally shining.

(The Villigars walk out of the scene.)

Ba: Those words filled Jade Dragon with anger.

Jade Dragon: (Stepping forewards) Tired of rain! Glad the clouds are gone! How dare the villigars dishonor me this way!

Ba: Jade Dragon was so offended that she decided to never let it rain for the people again.

Jade Dragon: The people can enjoy the sun forever.

Ba:Of course that meant dispair for the people on earth.

(Cheng and Fengge enter.)

Ba: As the sun beat overhead and the rain never came, drought and famine spread over the land.

Fengge: How are we supposed to live without water?

Cheng: I don't know. It feels as if the rain will never come.

Fengge: I sure hope it does.

Cheng: Me too.

Fennge and Cheng: Please Jade Dragon, make it rain!

(Jade Dragon turns her back on the villigars.)

Ba: But the suffering did not go unnoticed by Jade Dragon's children. They were horrified by the anguish and misery on earth.

(Pearl walks up to Jade Dragon, Black, Long, and Yellow trailing behind her.)

Pearl: Please, Mother. Please make it rain on earth, the people are suffering.

Yellow, Long, and Black: Please?

Jade Dragon: We will never make it rain for the people again!

Ba: Pearl, Yellow, Long, and Black met in secret.

(The Dragon Children huddle in the front corner away from Jade Dragon.)

Black: We must do something for the people, if they don't get water soon, they will die.

Yellow: Yes, but what can we do? We cannot make it rain. We cannot dishonor our mother with disobedience.

Long: I will sacrifice myself for the people of the earth. I will lie on the ground and transform myself in to water for them to drink.

Yellow: I will do the same.

Pearl and Black: As will we.

(The Dragon Children lie down in four different places.)

Ba: So Jade Dragon's children went down to the earth and turned themselves into water, saving the people of the earth. They became the four great rivers of the land, stopping the draught and death of all those on earth.

(Jade Dragon flies in.)

Ba: But when Jade Dragon saw what her children had done, she cursed herself for her pride. No longer would her Dragon Children fly in the air with her or call her mother.

Jade Dragon: Oh, what have I done?

Ba: Her heart broke in grief and sadness; she fell from the sky and became the Jade River in hopes that one day she could be reunited with her children.

(Jade Dragon falls to the ground.)

Ba: Fruitless mountain is the broken heart of the Jade Dragon. Nothing grows or lives on the mountain; the land around it is hard and the water of the river is dark because Jade Dragon's spirit is still in there. Until Jade Dragon is no longer lonely and is reunited with at least on of her children, fruitless mountain will remain bare.

(All Dragons leave the stage.)

Minli: Why doesn't someone bring the water from the four great rivers to the mountain? Wouldn't that make Jade Dragon happy?

Ba: When Jade dragon's children turned themselves into water they were at peace and thier spirits were released. Thier spirits are no longer in the water. So Jade Dragon cannot find them in the rivers. Over a hundred years ago, a man tried to reunite them by bringing stone from the mountain to the four rivers.

Ma: That man was not taking the stone for a dragon spirit, my grandmother told me he was an artist. He took the rock to carve into inking stones.

Minli: Did he ever come back?

Ma: (Sighs) No, it probably didn't make good ink. He probably found something finer elsewhere. I bet the bronze on his horse's sadlle was more than we'll ever have. (Sighs)

Minli: So how will fruitless mountain ever grow green again?

Ba: Ah, that is a question you will have to ask the Old Man of the Moon.

Minli: Oh, tell that story next! Whenever I ask something important, people say “That is a question you wll have to ask the Old Man of the Moon”. One day, I will ask him.

Ma: The Old Man of the Moon! Another story! Our house is bare and our rice hardly fills our bowls, but we have plenty of stories. What a poor fortune we have. (Sighs)

Ba: Maybe I should tell you that story tomorrow.

ACT 1 SCENE 2: THE GOLDFISH

(Minli is standing in her house staring into a basin of water.)

Minli: Ma is right, what a poor fortune we have. Everyday Ba and Ma work and work, but we still have nothing. I wish I could change our fortune.

(Goldfish Man enters the street outside Minli's house. Villigars enter and watch the Goldfish Man.)

Goldfish Man: Goldfish! Goldfish! Bring fortune to your home! Goldfish!

(Minli walks out of her house and up to the Goldfish Man.)

Minli: How does a goldfish bring forttune into your home?

Goldfish Man: Don't you know? Goldfish means plenty of gold. Having a bowl of goldfish means your house will be full of gold and jade.

(Minli runs into her house, grabs a coin, and runs back to the Goldfish Man.)

Minli: (Pointing at a goldfish) I'll buy that one.

Villigar 1: Don't believe his impossible talk. A goldfish won't bring fortune. Save your money.

(Minli gives the Goldfish Man the coin and he hands her a goldfish.)

Goldfish Man: May it bring you great fortune.

(The Goldfish Man walks away Minli returns to her house and sets the fish on the table. Ma and Ba walk in the door.)

Minli: Ma! Ba! I got a goldfish!

Ma: How could you spend your money on that?

(Ma sets down bowls on the table.)

Ma: On something so useless! And we will have to feed it! There is barely enough rice for us as it is!

Minli: I will share my rice with it. The goldfish man said that it will bring fortune to our house.

Ma: Fortune! You spent half the money in our house!

Ba: Now, Wife. It was Minli's money. It was hers to do with as she wished. Money must be used sometime. What use is money in a bowl?

Ma: It's more useful than a goldfish in a bowl.

Ba: Who knows, maybe it will bring fortune to our house.

Ma: Another impossible dream. It will take more than a goldfish to bring fortune to our house.

(Minli sits down at the table.)

Minli: Like what? What do we need to bring fortune here?

Ba: (Sitting down) Ah, that is a question you wll have to ask the Old Man of the Moon.

Minli: The Old Man of the Moon again. Ba, you said you would tell me the story of the Old Man of the Moon again today.

Ma: (Sitting down) More stories! Haven't we had enough of those?

Ba: Now, Wife, stories cost us nothing.

Ma: and gain us nothing as well.

Minli: Please, Ba?

(Ma shakes her head and sighs.)

Ba: Once there was a magistrate who was quite powerful and proud.

(Magistrate Tiger walks onstage.)

Ba: He was so proud that he demanded constant respect from his people. Whenever he made a trip out of the city, no matter wahst time of day or night, people were to leave thier homes, get on thier knees, and make deep bows as he passed, or else face the brutal punishment of his soldiers.

(Villigars run out of thier homes and kneel.)

Ba: The Magistrate was fierce in his anger as well as his pride. It was said he even expected the monkeys to come down from the trees to bow to him. People called him Magistrate Tiger. Magistrate Tiger's most coveted wish was to be of royal blood. As soon as his son was born,

(Magistrate Tiger's son comes to join his father.)

Ba: He began to make trips and inquiries to gain influence, in hopes that he could marry his son to a member of the imperial family. One night the magistrate travelled through the mountains.

(The Old Man of the Moon walks on and sits down with his book. Magistrate Tiger walks up to him.)

Ba: He saw an old man sitting alone in the moonlight. The old man ignored him and simply continued reading the large book in his lap. The old man was fingering a bag of red string beside him. The old man's indiference infuriated the magistrate.

Magistrate Tiger: (Stomps) Do you not bow to your magistrate?

(The Old Man of the Moon does nothing.)

Magistrate Tiger: What are you reading that is so important? (Looking in the big book) Why, it's just nonesense written in there!

Old Man of the Moon: Nonesense! You fool. This is the book of fortune.It holds all the knowledge of the world-the past, preasent, and future.

Magistrate Tiger: I cannot read it!

Old Man of the Moon: Of course not. But I, The Old Man of the Moon, guardian of the book of fortune, can read it, and with it, I can answer any question in the world.

Magistrate Tiger: You can answer any question in the world? (Scoffing) very well, who will my son marry when he is of age?

(The Old Man of the Moon flips through his book and stops at a page.)

Old Man of the Moon: Hmm. Yes, here it is... your son's future wife is now the two-year-old daughter of a grocer in the next village.

Magistrate Tiger: The daughter of a grocer!

Old Man of the Moon: Yes, right now she is wrapped in a blue blanket embroidered with white rabbits, sitting on the lap of her blind grandmother in front of her house.

Magistrate Tiger: No! I won't allow it!

Old Man of the Moon: It's true. they are destined to be husband and wife. I, myself tied the red chord that binds them.

Magistrate: What red chord?

Old Man of the Moon: Do you know nothing? I tie together everyone who meets with these red threads.

(Old Man of the Moon holds up his bag of red threads.)

Old Man of the Moon: When you were born, I tied your ankle to your wife's ankle with a red thread, as you both became older the line became shorter until you finally met. All the people you met in your life have been brought to you by the red chords I tied. I must have forgotten to tie the end of one of the threads, which is why you are meeting me now. I won't do that again.

Magistrate Tiger: I don't believe you.

Old Man of the Moon: Believe it or don't believe it. We have reached the end of our thread and I will now leave.

(Old Man of the Moon stands up and puts his book on his back. He exits.)

Magistrate Tiger: Crazy old man, what a waste of my time!

Ba: The Magistrate continued along the road.

(Magistrate Tiger keeps walking. Grandmother appears holding baby in blue ad white blanket.)

Ba: But as he walked through the next village he saw an old blind woman holding a baby girl in front of a house. The girl was wrapped in a blue blanket embroidered with white rabbits, just as the Old Man of the Moon had said.

(Servant 1 walks up and stands next to the Magistrate.)

Magistrate Tiger: I will not let my son marry a grocer's daughter! That's it, I must kill her. Servant, I order you to go stab that girl with a knife, that will take care of her.

Ba: Many years later Magistrate Tiger had his dream fulfilled.

(Grandmother and baby exit. Partygoers and Magistrate's Wife enter.)

Ba: He was finally able to obtain a match for his son with one of the emporer's many grandaughters, and his son would innherrit the rule of a remote city.

Magistrate Tiger: Oh son, I'm so happy. I totally outwitted that Old Man of the Moon!

Ba: The son was not like his father, and after the ceremony he sent a trusted servant to find the grocer's family and make ammends.

(Servant exits.)

Ba: The Magistrate's son found his new wife to beautiful, the only oddity about her bieng that she always wore a delicate flower on her forehead.

Magistrate's Son: Dear wife, why do you always wear that flower? Even to sleep, you never remove it.

Magistrate's Wife: It's to hide my scar. (touches the flower) When I was a child no older than two, a strange man stabbed me with a knife. I survived, but I still have this scar.

(Servant rushes in.)

Servant 1: Master, I made teh inquiries you asked for. In a flood many years ago the grocer's family parished-except for the daughter. The king of the city (The emporer's ninth son) then adopted the daughter and raised her as his own... and that daughter is your wife!

Minli: So the Old Man of the Moon was right!

(All story characters exit.)

Ba: Of course he was. The Old Man of the Moon kows everything and can answer any question you ask.

Minli: I should ask him how to bring fortune to our house! He would know, I'll ask him. Where do I find him?

Ba: They say he lives on top of Never Ending Mountain, but no one I have ever spoken to knows where that is.

Minli: Maybe we can find out.

Ma: Oh Minli! Bring fortune to our house! Making Fruitless Mountain bloom! Your always wishing to do impossible things! Stop believing stories and stop wasting your time!

Ba: Stories are not a waste of time.

Ma: Stories are what wasted money on this goldfish.

(Minli stares down at her rice.)

Ba: Eat all your rice, daughter.

(Ba drops a few grains of rice from his bowl into the fishbowl.)

ACT 1 SCENE 3: DIRECTIONS

(Minli is sitting by the Jade River with her fishbowl.)

Minli: I am sorry I can't keep you. I hope you will be alright in the river.

(Minli empties the fishbowl into the river and sighs. Goldfish swims around in circles.)

Minli: Ma will never stop sighing unless our fortune changes, but how will it ever change? I guess that's just another question for the Old Man of the Moon. Too bad no one knows how to get to Never-Ending Mountain to ask him anything.

Goldfish: (Looking at Minli) I know where it is.

Minli: Did you say something?

Goldfish: Yes, I know how you can get to Never-Ending Mountain and ask the Old Man of the Moon a question.

Minli: You're a talking fish? How can you talk?

Goldfish: Most fish talk, if you are willing to listen. One, of course must want to listen.

Minli: I do! How do you know the way to Never-Ending Moutain?

Goldfish: I've swum all the oceans and rivers, except one, and on my way to the last one, the Goldfish Man caught me. I dispaired in his cart, for I have seen and learned so much of the world, including the way to Never-Ending-Mountain. Since you have set me free, I will tell you.

Minli: You've swum all the oceans and rivers? Which river haven't you seen? Why have you travelled so much? Where is Never-Ending-Mountain? When did-

Goldfish: This river is the one river I have not swum, and I have waited a long time to see it, so I would like to start as soon as possible. You can ask the Old Man of the Moon your other questions. Let me tell you the way to him so I can be off.

(Minli nods.)

Goldfish: Take a small bit of this stone and rub it up and down a needle 99 times. Put water in a bowl and let a piece of bamboo float in it. Place the needle you rubbed the stone on and set it on the piece of bamboo. Follow the point of the needle.

Minli: Thank you! Good luck!

(Minli picks up the stone from the Goldfish. Minli runs off with the empty fishbowl.)

ACT 1 SCENE 4: RUNNING AWAY

(Minli walks onstage and sets two bowls on the table. She sits down at the table with a pen and paper and starts to write.)

Minli: (Writing) Dear Ma and Ba, I am going to Never-Ending-Mountain to ask the Old Man of the Moon how I can change our fortune. I might be away for many days, but don't worry, I will be fine. When I come back, we will be able to fill our house with gold and jade. Love, your obedient daughter, Minli.

(Minli leaves the note on the table and sets a blanket on the floor. On the blanket Minli puts the stone from Goldfish, a needle, chopsticks, her white rabbit rice bowl, a piece of dried bamboo, a hollow gourd full of water, a small knife, a fishnet, some uncooked rice, a large pot, and a coin. Minli wraps the blanket into a bag and hangs it over her shoulder. Minli walks out the door. Minli walks to the opposite corner of the stage and unwraps the blanket. Minli takes out the knife, the needle, the rice bowl, the bamboo piece, the stone from the Goldfish and the gourd of water. Minli rubs the stone along the needle many times. Minli puts water in the rice bowl and sets the piece of bamboo in it. Minli picks up the needle.)

Minli: OK, lead the way.

(Minli sets the needle in the bowl and smiles. Minli picks up the bowl.)

Minli: Thank you, now I'll follow where you want me to go.

(Minli starts to walk across the stage.)

Minli: Goodbye, Jade Dragon! When I come back I will know how to make you happy again!

(Minli keeps walking.)

Minli: I want to make sure I walk far enough that if Ma and Ba begin to look for me, they can't find me.

ACT 2 SCENE 1: THE NOTE

(Ma and Ba walk towards thier house.)

Ma: Why is Minli sitting in the darkness?

Ba: (shaking his head) Maybe she is upset about giving up her goldfish.

Ma: Can our fortune be any poorer? (sighs) We cannot even feed a goldfish for our daughter.

(Ma and Ba enter the house and read Minli's note.)

Ma: Aah! I spoke too soon. Our fortune is now the worst, for our only daughter is gone!

Ba: Quiet, quiet, wife. If we move quickly we can catch up with her and bring her back home.

(Ba starts to pack a cloth.)

Ba: She has almost half a day to travel ahead, it might take us some time to find her.

Ma: It's all the stories you told her, she believed them and now she's out looking for fairy tales.

Ba: Let us go.

(Ma and Ba leave the house. The Villigars crowd around to see what's going on.)

Villigar 1: What is happening?

Ba: Minli has left to find the Old Man of the Moon to change our fortune.

Villigar 1: The Old Man of the Moon?

Villigar 2: Changing your fortune? You'd better go find her or else she will never return.

Villigar 3: Foolish Minli, she is trying to do the impossible!

Ma: Did any of you see her leave?

(All villigars point in random directions.)

Little Boy: Minli left towards Fruitless Mountain, I saw her with her pack. She went that way (points to Fruitless Mountain.)

(Ma and Ba walk up to Fruitless Mountain.)

Ba: Where did she go from here?

Ma: Here! There are footprints going towards the woods. Maybe they are Minli's.

Ba: (pointing to the ground) But what is that?

Ma: Maybe Minli was dragging a walking stick, the footprints could be hers.

Ba: Perhaps they are, let's follow them.

(Ma and Ba walk off stage. Ma and Ba walk back on stage and start to walk across the stage.)

Ba: We should rest.

Ma: We must keep going, we have to find Minli.

Ba: But you are tired, I am too. We can rest and afterwards be will be able to continue faster.

Ma: I am not tired. If you are tired, you can rest, but I will continue to look for our daughter.

Ba: We should stay together.

Ma: If you wish to stay with me, then you will have to keep going.

Ba: If Minli stopped to rest we may catch up with her soon.

Ma: When we find her she must know she is never to do this agian. Never!

Ba: Now, wife. Minli did not leave to cause us harm.

Ma: No, she left to find a fairy tale. Never-Ending-Mountain and the Old Man of the Moon! Of all the foolish things.

Ba: Stories are not foolish.

Ma: Says you! Because you are the one who filled her with them. Making her believe she could change our miserable fortune with an impossible story! Ridiculus!

Ba: Yes, it is impossible, but it is not ridiculus.

(Sound of breaking branches comes from up ahead.)

Ma: Minli!

(Ma and Ba run off in the direction.)

Ma: It's the Goldfish Man. Will we ever find Minli?

ACT 2 SCENE 2: THE DRAGON

(Minli is walking with her empty jug of water through the forest.)

Minli: That's water trickling! Now I can fill my jug!

(Minli runs down to the stream and tastes the water.)

Minli: Salt water! This water is salty! How is this stream salty? I am far from the ocean. This is very strange. I will follow it to see why it's salty.

Dragon: (Moans)

Minli: Who's there?

Dragon: Help! Can you help me?

Minli: I'm coming!

(Minli puts down her things and runs towards the Dragon.)

Dragon: Are you still there? Please help me!

Minli: I'm coming!

(Minli runs up to the Dragon.)

Minli: A dragon!

Dragon: Can you help me? I am trapped.

Minli: What happened to you?

Dragon: The monkeys tied me up while I was sleeping. I have been here for days.

(Minli takes her knife out of her pack and starts to cut the rope off of the Dragon.)

Minli: Why did the monkeys tie you up?

Dragon: Because I want to go further into the forest into the peach grove, and the monkeys will not let anyone through. I have been trying to make them let me pass peacefully for days, but they are so unreasonable. Finally I told them if they did not let me through I would just force my way through. They know I am big and strong enough to go through without thier persmission. So when I went to sleep, they tied me up.

Minli: Why won't the monkeys let anyone pass?

Dragon: Because they are greedy things. They have just discovered the peach trees that make up the next part of the forest. The monkeys do not want to let anyone through because they don't want to share the peaches. Even when I promised not to touch any fruit, they would not let me through. They do not even want to share the sight of those peaches.

Minli: Why do you have to go through the forest, can't you just fly over?

Dragon: I cannot fly. I do not know why. All other dragons can fly, but I cannot. I wish I knew why.

Minli: Don't cry. I am going to the Never Ending Mountain to see the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how to change our family's fortune. You can come too and ask him how to fly.

Dragon: You know where Never Ending Mountain is? I thought to see the Old Man of the Moon was impossible. You must be very wise to know how to find him.

Minli: Not really, I got the directions from a goldfish.

(Minli finishes cutting the rope off the dragon.)

Minli: I'm Minli, what's your name?

Dragon: Name? I don't think I have a name.

Minli: Everyone has a name. When you were born, did someone give you a name?

Dragon: When I was born I remember two voices speaking.

(Chen walks in with dragon painting. Aprentice follows.)

Aprentice: Master! This is magnificent – the dragon is almost alive!

Chen: Add more water to the inkstone and speak quietly. You will wake the dragon.

Aprentice: I am sorry master, it is only that this painting is most amazing, even for such a skilled artist as you. This dragon painting will bring great honor to the village when we present it to the Magistrate.

Chen: Wasted on the Magistrate. A concieted, self important man, who, when only the emperial family is allowed to use the image of a dragon, commisions one. Now that his son has married the king's daughter, Magistrate Tiger will do anything to flaunt his power and overstretch his authority. But this painting will buy his favour and free the village from his unfair taxes.

Aprentice: What, master?

Chen: Nothing, only that I have painted the dragon on the ground, not flying in the sky like other dragons. Perhaps the Magistrate will see how his wieght weighs him down.

Aprentice: I doubt the Magistrate will understand that meaning, Master.

Chen: True, but the dragon should still please him. I will prepare for his visit. The painting is finished. Clean the brushes and take great care of my special inkstone. It is one of a kind, the only inkstone that was able to be made from a rock my master cut from a mountain far from here. He never told anyone which mountain, so we can never make another.

Aprentice: Yes, master. But the dragon, is it finished? You have not painted the eyes.

Chen: As a painting, it is finished, young aprentice, I still have much to teach you.

Dragon: I heard the voices and footsteps fade away. I felt the warm light of the sun running over my skin, but my arms and legs were frozen. I could hear the wind rustling leaves in the trees and the birds hopping on the ground, but I saw nothing.

(Magistrate Tiger, Aprentice, Chen, Servant 1, and Townspeople enter.)

Chen: As you requested, your Magnificence.

Magistrate: Painter Chen, this is indeed great work.

Chen: Thank you, Magistrate. I am glad it pleases you. Then our agreement will be fulfilled?

Magistrate: Yes, the village will be free from taxation for the next year.

(Townspeople cheer.)

Magistrate: And I will take the painting.

Dragon: Even though I did not know exactly what was going on, I knew I did not want to belong to Magistrate Tiger. His voice had an undertone of cruelty and greed, even while he was expressing his pleasure. I tried to protest but my lips uttered no sound. Then I was rolled up and all sound and feeling dissapeared.

(Servant 1 rolls up the painting. Servant 1 and Magistrate Tiger walk off stage in one direction, everyone else walks off another way.)

Dragon: I do not know how long I was rolled up. All I could do was wait. But finally I was unrolled and I felt a cold gust of air all over me.

(Servant 1 is standing with the rolled up painting. Magistrate is sitting in a large chair against the wall. Servant 1 unrolls the painting.)

Servant 1: This painting is a masterpiece! As only fitting for your greatness.

(Enter Servant 2.)

Magistrate Tiger: Yes, have it hung behind my chair.

Servant 1: Yes, Magistrate. (Looks at the painting) How strange.

Magistrate: What's strange?

Servant 1: Well, there are no eyes on the dragon, the painter must have forgotten.

Magistrate: No eyes! Painter Chen dared give me an unfinished painting! I will double tax his village for the next ten years!

Servant 2: Magistrate, (Steps forewards) it is only a minor flaw. If we just dotted in the eyes the dragon would be finished.

Magistrate: Hmm, yes. Bring me a paintbrush and ink.

(Servant 1 leaves and comes back with a paintbrush and ink. The servants set the painting in front of Magistrate Tiger. Servant 1 hands him the paintbrush. Magistrate Tiger reaches to paint eyes onto the dragon.)

Dragon: I felt the cold ink touch my eye, and suddenly, I could see. I saw the Magistrate's face leering over me as he reached over to dot in the other eye.

(Magistrate Tiger paints the other eye.)

Dragon: I felt strength come into my arms, legs, hands, and feet, and my neck and head stretched for the first time. All the loud yells I had wanted to make now came rushing out of my mouth.

(roar from offstage.)

Magistrate Tiger: It has come alive! Dragon! It has come alive! Dragon!

(All story characters leave stage.)

Dragon: I jumped from where I was and jumped over everyone, knocking over desks, chairs, and columns. I saw the blue sky and green leaves through a window, went towards it, and simply crashed through a wall to get through. The building was falling down and all the people were yelling. I ran as fast as I could into the forest and left them far away. So I think my name is Dragon, since that's what everyone called me.

Minli: Dragon. Well, I guess it's a good enough name. It will be easy for me to remember.

(Dragon nods.)

Minli: So you were born from a painting! That is why you are so different from the other dragons my father told me about.

Dragon: Your father knew other dragons? I have never seen another dragon. I always thought if I could fly, I would finally meet another like me.

Minli: Um, well. I don't think my father knew any dragons. He just told me stories about them. Most people think dragons are just in stories. You are the only dragon I've ever met.

Dragon: Oh, and I am not even a real dragon.

Minli: You are the only dragon I've ever met in real life, and you feel real to me. So , I think you're a real dragon, or, at least real enough. Anyway, if we're going to Never Ending Mountain together, let's at least be real friends.

Dragon: Yes.

(They exit.)

ACT 2 SCENE 3: LAO LAO