The Rites of Spring
Wong Hi
was dancing and dancing on the marble floor, my feet sore and in pain. It was all because of a sacrifice, a
cruel rite.
all C
till I’m d
u Man Peanut, Group 2: Fiction, Pui Kiu College
I was born with coal black hair that shimmers in the sunlight, fair skin and was called the 5th beauty of
hina. People said that such beauty was a gift, but I define it as a curse, a curse that will never leave me
ead. Zhou-Jin-Huang, our king, was a blind faith who will do anything to go to heaven and become a
God, he did cruel sacrifices like burning people alive, piercing the fetus of a pregnant woman before the child
could be delivered and even killing a man without any anesthetic and then forcing the man to swallow his own
thumping heart.
I
Every year, the prettiest girl in the entire nation is forced to dance till death for the goddess of spring,
Mago. This year, I was the tribute for this cruel event because every person told the king about me in order to
save their own daughter’s life. Tears were flowing like a river on my mother’s cheeks when the edict arrived,
even my father, who always keeps a stern face and has strict rules for everyone, wept in his room silently and
secretly. My sister, Song Shao Mei, was crying too, after all, I was her sister.
That day, when the carriage arrived, my mom begged the censors to let me stay and that she will do
anything for it, my sister and father, joined in too.
“
Shao Mei, do not be mischievous anymore, you know that I will not be able to take care of you anymore.
Mom, stop crying and take good care of the family. Dad, please do quit your job as the general, you MUST take
care of the family now. I love you all.” I told them. I gave them a big hug and I think those censors were about
to cry too. The drum stroked twice, it was the village’s farewell sign. I took a last glance at my family and went
into the carriage.
The carriage was decorated in red fabric with a comfortable chair to sit in. It was not a bad ride but a few
drops of my stupid tears were falling from my eyes. I thought of my family, my home, my freedom, my life, and
in a day, all these precious things will disappear in my life thinking of that, the teardrops rolled down my face.
We arrived at the Forbidden City, the palace where the emperor lived. I stepped out of the crimson carriage and
gazed at the huge, glorious, building covered in red, gold and emerald bricks and two protective stone lions in
front of the three huge doors. For a minute, I was dazzled and impressed; the next minute, I hated this place, it
was the place where all our taxes go and they used it to build the king’s home!
I went in the palace and was led into a room. The room had mattresses made of silk and a table of marble;
pink muslin was hanging from the ceilings.
The odalisque said to me, “This is your room, and I’ll be right back to get you dressed up to meet his
majesty.” Then she walked out of the room. I couldn’t believe that this was going to be my room for a day! But
in a bad way, this will be the last room I will ever live in. The girl came back with the necessities and told me to
sit on the stool in front of the table with a mirror. I did what I was told and she got my hair styled, my body
dressed in a pink traditional dress. She showed me the way to the officer’s room before meeting the king.
Officer Sheng was a nice and kind man who was the most trusted man in the entire court. He spoke wisely
and told me to follow him to the court room. We went pass the garden when I saw the sweet osmanthus
blooming, then it reminded me of my name Gui Xiang.
The king sat on his throne and smiled when he saw me, “Greetings, Miss Song, the daughter of my general,
congratulations to you for becoming the offering to the mighty goddess Mago,” he said as if it was a thing to be
happy for. By the time we finished our meeting, it was night time already and I’m about to face my death soon.
The Odalisque led me to the pink room and helped me prepare to sleep, blew out the candles and went away. I
tossed and I turned the whole night, how could I possibly sleep when the time I wake up will be my last
morning? I finally fell asleep but had a bad dream, I dreamed that there was a girl dancing till her feet came off
and blood splashed on the Great Wall of China, and the girl turned around and I realized that dancing girl was
me! I woke up and sat on my bed instantly, beads of sweat were dripping down my forehead, I woke up and got
myself a cup of warm tea and tried to go to sleep.
I woke up several times and finally morning came. I had a simple breakfast and dressed up to meet the
king. He handed me a colorful dress with lots of laces, a pair of matching shoes and told me to dress up. I was
dressed up with my cheeks powdered and lips painted. I went into the carriage again and was on my way to the
Great Wall of China.