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- Herausgeber: BookRix
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
The Black Dragon
"She had imagined many things about Li Ban but she shuddered at his death. He had tried to outrun the Black Dragon and failed.
Each year young men ran before the great wave that sweeps up the Quintang River on the full moon. It was foolish and daring. Li Ban had tripped then fallen. For a second, her courtiers had told her, he lay there in his fine clothes face down in the mud then the brown waters churned over him. His body was not recovered.
The court counsellors were quick to read this sign. “It was not meant to be, this marriage – he was full of bad luck. “
But one of her handmaidens, Precious Jade, had said he was handsome and elegant.”
The Blue Dragon
"Her hero from her book was a rich and magical youth who wandered the world collecting tales wherever he could and retelling them. She shut herself up in her room for long periods to read about him and his adventures.
In his stories he told, not just of beautiful princesses, but of jealous princesses, naïve princesses, frisky princesses, demanding princesses, cursed princesses, brainy princesses, warrior princesses, healing princesses, coquettish princesses, enlightened princesses, even sleeping princesses, but he never, ever, mentioned her type of princess, a hidden princess, waiting to be discovered, waiting to be loved, lost in the tentacles of time.
Then one day she read a mysterious story he had written himself.
“If a person wants some thing, or another, they have only to ask” said the character in that tale. “The way,” he continued, “that the universe works, a person can send out a signal into the ether and it will most often be answered.”
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016
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The Black Dragon Ghost
and other Dragon tales
Copyright c Alastair Macleod 2005 The right of Alastair Macleod to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted. In any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the permission of the publishers. Front cover illustration “Flying dragon” by Xu Yun, Szechuan province, China. Purchased in 2005. Digital photography by Robert Lamont, assistance with layout drafts Chris Park BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 MunichThe Black Dragon Ghost
Princess Wu lay languidly back in the cushions. Another day. She would eventually rise and dress – in white again. She was officially in mourning for Li Ban, a young man her father had arranged for her to marry.
She had never met Li Ban. News of his death had therefore not affected her deeply as the loss of a loved one does, instead, there was annoyance. Her tedious life had been about to change and then it hadn’t; she felt as if she had been offered a sweet then denied it. Worse, she would have to be in mourning for two months before any other suitors could approach the court.
She had imagined many things about Li Ban but she shuddered at his death. He had tried to outrun the Black Dragon and failed. Each year young men ran before the great wave that sweeps up the Quintang River* on the full moon. It was foolish and daring. Li Ban had tripped then fallen. For a second, her courtiers had told her, he lay there in his fine clothes face down in the mud then the brown waters churned over him. His body was not recovered. The court counsellors were quick to read this sign. “It was not meant to be, this marriage – he was full of bad luck. “ But one of her handmaidens, Precious Jade, had said he was handsome and elegant.Princess Wu clapped her small hands. She must dress. Today was the court funeral.
When Li Ban fell he knew he was lost but he had the foresight to take a deep breath. In a moment the water surrounded him, lifted him, propelling him forward, up, then down again. He felt himself travelling at immense speed. He broke the surface and took a breath before he was pulled under by the current.
Just as he neared bursting point he was flung up to bob on the smooth swiftly flowing surface. He was still being carried inland. The countryside was unfamiliar. Upriver he knew was Zhejiang, a rich land of rice paddies. The current slowed. The tide was spent; he no longer was being carried forward. He drifted in on an eddy to the bank and just managed to haul himself into the reeds. He fell asleep.
When he awoke it was dawn. He heard voices. Two peasants were walking past.
“I hear Li Ban is dead,” said one.
“Yes,” said the other. “Drowned by the Black Dragon. The funeral is in three days time.”
So, thought Li Ban, he was officially dead. A strange position to be in, yet liberating. He had run before the Black Dragon because he was so fed up with court ritual, duties, rules. He wanted some adventure, excitement, and here he was, officially dead. He thought of Princess Wu. How would she take it? They had never met but courtiers had spoken of her beauty. He would like to see her for himself.
He stripped off his outer clothes and made his way back down river. Using an old friend he obtained the clothes of a sage and on the third day sent a note to Princess Wu that, Te Hue, a famous sage wished to pass on a vision meant for her.
