When the wind blows west,
The World in one hails,
The glow guides thee with dreams,
Through the Wall you free,
The beloved flower we bless.
Ray thought for a long time. He spent his days figuring the riddle out in vain--- he lived his years in misery.
* * *
Two thousand years passed. The diamond hadn’t glowed once, the azalea glimmered as Ray became more
hopeful. Ray went to the Great Wall every single day. He climbed the most isolated and steepest passages as the
others were always flocked by tourists.
On an early morning, to his surprise, he saw a man in a shabby coat muttering to himself.
“
Poor guy,” Ray thought. He pretended that he did not notice him and started to speed up his pace.
“
Thump,” the large bag beside the man tripped him over. There was a piece of azalea petal inside the bag.
Spread all over was a drill, a shovel and a map of the Great Wall.
“
I am very sorry,” the man seemed to come out of his mind.
“
What are you doing here?” Ray asked. He discerned that the man was a foreigner with blue eyes.
“
I am a magician, you see,” the man continued, “I am not those who pull out a rabbit from a hat. I am not
the one who turns all the cards to Aces. I perform grand shows. I want to be known by the world to be a great
magician! I have been planning a massive show right here. I will walk through the Great Wall! I wanted to dig a
tunnel underneath the Wall but then I would be accused of destroying the World Heritage. I have invested all
my money in this show and I would be ruined if it screws up.”
The diamond in Ray’s pocket let out a soft glow.
Ray went home and found that the azalea on his windowsill had withered. He knew he had to accept the
truth that Jade had gone; she would lie forever under the Great Wall. Instead, the diamond might help the poor
man that had gone bankrupt.
The blue diamond became brighter as the days passed. When the great day of the magic show came, the
light became piercing to sight. People were cheering on both sides of the Wall; the noise was deafening. Dressed
in his most glamorous cloak, the magician’s eyes went wild. His cheeks gave a soft blush; he was trembling,
drips of moisture glistened on his forehead. Ray took a deep breath; he put Jade at the back of his mind. He took
out the diamond, “Make a wish,” he whispered.
Time froze as the magician vanished into the Wall. On the other side of the Wall, his assistants were
anxiously detecting his heartbeat, which was getting weaker and weaker. The whole world was silenced. The
audience gasped as the magician’s hand pushed out of the Wall; the world hailed as he inched out slowly behind
the veil. The magician ignored the crowd as he was pulling something out. Ray’s heart jumped out of his chest
as a second heart beat appeared on the detector…
The azalea bloomed.
* * *