Do you like stories with mystery and suspense? Strange and “wyrd” ones? Well, if you do, keep reading and enjoy Eggcentricsagas. If you are just joining Eggcentricsagas, you might want to start from the beginning: A La Mano: Part 1-The Treasure
After the bamboo raft had gently sailed on the river guided by the ferry man’s pole for a time, Lei’s fears subsided. He watched the tree-lined sandy shore glide by, occasionally populated with humans or punctuated by a sporadic village. Soon, however, the rocks grew up along the edge and, the forest thickened behind. The dark trees gave Lei a sense of foreboding; civilization was gone.
Da Li seemed to sense it too; he removed the purse of coins from his pocket and motioned to Lei to give him the satchel containing the flute. Da opened the bag, placed the money inside, and returned the sac to Lei. As the boat proceeded, they sat quietly and listened to the monkeys in the trees screech at each other.
They passed a small patch of sandy beach flanked by jutting rocks and marshy land with cattails; the forest loomed beyond. Loud, guttural croaking, a rustling of leaves, and the beating of wings made them glance upward. A great egret flew over their heads, its large wings flapping slowly and gracefully as it rose in the air. Lei looked behind to see where it had come from and saw another bamboo raft with two men headed straight for them. An unnatural pall seemed to surround the men; Lei blinked his eyes to remove the play of the light and then reopened them. The dark shroud was still there. He tugged at Da’s sleeve and alerted him of the evil presence.
Simultaneously, the ferryman had heard the slapping of oars and turned quickly. When he saw the men, he threw down his pole and picked up his bolt action rifle. Pointing the gun at the men, he ordered them to stop but, the men ignored him. Having experience with bandits, the sailor shot one of the men. The man cried out as the bullet tore through his chest; he fell backward into the water and sank like a stone to the bottom. The ferryman was unable to reload his gun as the other boat charged down on them. When it came alongside his raft, the ferryman tried swinging his weapon at the stranger but, the man parried with his oar and knocked him off balance. Then the pirate jabbed him in the stomach and smashed his head with his oar. Like his victim, the ferryman and his gun sank; both went down, never seen again.
The second bandit, dagger in hand, jumped on board and ordered them to sit still, or he would kill them. Tying his raft to theirs, he then lifted the blanket that covered the ferryman’s lunch and the bag of fare money. Using his foot, he nudged the bag and, a smile came to his face when he heard his plunder clanking together. He picked the sac up and tossed it onto the other boat. Turning to Da, he commanded him to hand over his money. Da shrugged and turned out his empty pockets. The thief scowled initially at the lack of loot until he spotted the satchel in Lei’s lap.
“What’s in the bag?” the pirate demanded.
Guarding his precious cargo, Lei held the sac tight to his body and remained mute.
“Don’t worry, boy, show him the flute,” Da said gently.
The pirate pointed his knife at Lei’s nose. “Yea, boy, show me the flute.”
Keeping the bag in his lap, Lei carefully pulled the flute from the sac to show the thief. Before Lei could stop him, the bandit grabbed the satchel and shook it. The sound of jangling coins reached their ears.
Upon discovery of more treasure, the man’s face was gleeful at first but then turned angry and hateful. He shouted at Da, “You’re a liar! What else do you have hidden?” Throwing the satchel onto the other raft, he then brandished his knife, making slicing movements in the air aimed at Da’s neck before kicking him hard in the chest. Having sent Da to his back, the villain leapt down onto him and dug his knee into Da’s sternum. Grabbing his hair and yanking his head backward, the bully brought the sharp blade perilously close to Da’s neck. He demanded in a vicious tone, “Give me one reason not to slit your throat.”
Lei was scared out of his wits, but the thought of losing his new friend was too much. Out of nowhere, an angry burst of energy with a certainty erupted from the pit of his stomach and, he gripped the bamboo flute tightly with both hands. The thief focused on Da, never saw the blow coming. With all his might, Lei brought the bamboo stick hard across the man’s upper face; he heard the man’s cheekbones crack and watched as blood spurted from the bandit’s nose. Shocked and disoriented, the pirate turned towards Lei and, as he did, Da kneed him in the groin. The man doubled over.
Da pushed the criminal backward and got up. He stood briefly over the bandit lying on his back with blood gushing from his nose, groaning in pain, and clutching his privates. Inhaling deeply, in one smooth motion, Da bent down and delivered a forceful blow with the palm of his hand to the man’s forehead as he exhaled sharply. Lei watched as the pirate’s eyes rolled back in his head before the man passed out.
Da turned to Lei. “Bring me that rope,” he said, pointing to the cord tied to the prow of the raft, “and help me tie him up.”
Shaken by all that had happened and fascinated with the puddle of blood collecting about the bandit’s head, Lei hesitated briefly.
“Quickly, boy! That punch won’t keep him out for long!”
Lei scurried over, retrieved the rope and, they bound the thief. Da handed the dagger to Lei. “You guard him and if he makes a move, threaten him with removal of his eye.” Lei’s eyes widened at this suggestion and, Da smiled at him. “Don’t worry; you won’t have to do it. Just make him believe that you will.”
Shaking, the boy took his post but did not have to intimidate. When the criminal came to, understanding his defeat, he remained meek and subdued as he snorted air through the congealed blood in his nostrils. Lei wondered what would happen next.
Next: The Mysterious World of Dr. Wu: Part 5-The Return of the Dragon
