The Legend
Ng Si Ki Annette, Group 3: Fiction, St. Mary's Canossian College
his is a legend passed on for millions of years: A long time ago, Mushu the dragon, and the Great
Wall we now see, saved the country, saved everyone’s life, from a fatal disaster – Beep!’
Mulan Hua turned off the telefivesenses (the future ‘television’ which provides
entertainment for all five senses), ‘Oh, stop it! This legend is the most hilarious thing I’ve ever
heard of! That’s why I agree pulling down it to make room for that Building 202! I’ll definitely
visit this state-of-the-art complex, the landmark of China!’
‘
Mulan, you ought to respect our DRAGON,’ reminded Nana, ‘Remember, there is expectation in your
name, Mulan, just like in the past, the warrior Mulan – ’
Mulan, annoyed, slipped into her room. She hopped onto her bed and took forty winks.
A deep voice woke her up. She slowly opened her eyes; the blurred object in front of her started to
focus. A long slimy object slithered. Was it a red and yellow alligator? No! She rubbed her eyes and looked
again… No kidding! It was a dragon!
‘
Wake up, Mulan, there is a whole country waiting for you…’
Curious and intrigued, Mulan looked closer… She found the dragon very familiar, and then, she
realized that it was in fact Mushu, the Great Wall Dragon which she had seen on TV.
‘
Mulan, there is a devastating disaster ahead, and you are chosen to save my people.’
‘
Me? But... But why me?’
‘
Your name is special, Mulan, so are you, yourself. You will find the way soon. I will awake at right
time.’
Mulan tried every way to stop Mushu; nevertheless, he vanished in a cloud of smoke, and all left was
mist.
Mulan awoke to find a scale of Mushu, on which a message was written:
‘
May the hero fulfil the wish
Ultimately, find the treasure
Lead the country and gain the tiara
Achieve the goal and be the saviour
Nothing is impossible in the quest’
She recited it aloud for a few times and found out that it was actually an acrostic poem; the first word
of each line forms her name, Mulan. She tried hard to persuade herself that the whole dream was just a
coincidence, though deep down in her mind she knew it wasn’t.
‘
Bang! Bang!’ Rounds of gun shots drew her attention. Mulan hurried out to see what had happened.
‘
It has come…,’ murmured Nana.
‘
What has come?’ asked Mulan, waiting for the cat to be let out of the bag.
‘
The Xiongnu have come, armed with the most powerful nuclear weapons… You, the sons and
daughters of Mushu, planned to pull down the Great Wall, must have made him fly into a rage. This must be a
punishment… Forgive us, our sins, Mushu…’
This struck Mulan. She knew it clearly that she was chosen to be the saviour, but found it hard to
believe that she could accomplish such a mission entrusted to her. Different possibilities flummoxed her ….
“
Should I escape?”
“
No, what if Mushu gets cross with me?”
“
Or should I take a nap again to meet Mushu?”
“
No way!! Mushu’s in a bad mood. That’s why all those invaders have been dispatched ….”
“
Or it is better to spill everything out to Nana and seek a second opinion?”
The last option appeared most sensible.
Nana listened to the story attentively; there was not a single trace of astonishment on her face, amongst
those wrinkles as a note of the long years she had gone through.
‘
Go, Mulan, go, the Hua family and Mushu will bless you. Mushu will guide you. I can see a hint in the
poem, there hidden a treasure somewhere in the Great Wall … that will awaken Mushu.’
Nana didn’t tell how she found that hint, and Mulan promised to give it her best shot. For the first time
ever, she felt her heart burning with passion, pounding rapidly. She knew she had to do it for herself, for Nana
and Mushu, for the Hua family, and for the whole country.
* * *
‘
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