‘
Hey! Mulan! Where are you going to? Can I join?’ It was Li Shang, Mulan’s best friend. His father
was a highly respected general. Shang was hailed as a hero, the heir of this high-ranking post in the army. With
such honour, he went unchallenged…. No one dared to offend him, except Mulan.
Mulan did not make a word about Mushu, but she was so determined that Shang could not resist
Mulan’s perseverance and accompanied her whenever she went, by hook or by crook.
When they arrived at the Great Wall, Shang started to regret and tried to get Mulan drop the idea.
‘
You’re just a 13-year-old girl, what can you do? Maybe that was just a dream, as simple as a dream. I,
as a hero, will never let such a girl take risk.’
‘
You, selfish, self-centred, coward! Stay here as long as you want!’ Although Shang insisted, Mulan
shrugged Shang off and climbed up the Great Wall alone.
‘
Listen, everyone! Mushu will awake and help us if we find the treasure! Come and help!’ shouted
Mulan, standing at the far end of the Great Wall. Her voice echoed in the mountains.
‘
That girl is mad as a hatter! She believes in that legend – no, the laughing stock of the whole country!’
‘
She’s completely out of her mind! MUSHU! Who cares about him?’ The crowd mocked at Mulan, some even
pointed at her or took their cell phone to record this ‘idiot’ and uploaded it to MeTube. No one helped.
Mulan asked again and again for assistance. At last, a voice broke in from the other far end of the Wall.
It was Shang, climbing up to catch up with Mulan. ‘Mulan, I’ll help! We’re now a 13-year-old boy and
a 13-year-old girl!’
‘
And a 70-year-old woman!’ Another voice appeared. It was Nana.
They started the search immediately…. their target was a tiara. They left no stone unturned, inspecting
every loose brick on the wall, or any holes the size of which could hide a tiara. Some other elderly people gave a
helping hand too. In no time, crowds of people assembled on the Wall, searching, digging, peeping ….
Tick-tock, tick-tock, minute by minute, hour by hour, the Xiongnu were drawing closer, but the crowd
never seemed to have lost patience. Yet Mulan’s “unshakable” faith was shaking; she started to grow suspicious,
thinking that maybe the poem didn’t mean to convey such a message, maybe she mistook it somehow .…
‘
Ah! I’ve figured it out!’ screamed Mulan, hopping with bliss.
‘
Figure what?’ Shang asked, eager for an answer.
‘
Don’t you find it weird? There doesn’t seem to be an exact clue of the location where the tiara is
hidden, and I started to repeat the last words of the poem as it is an acrostic one, and guess what? If we join the
last alphabet of each line together, it makes ‘heart’! The treasure is in our heart! Let’s pray together faithfully
from our hearts and Mushu will awake!’
The crowed was frozen to a complete silence, only the beating hearts and the prancing horses of the
Xiongnu could be heard… And the miracle happened!
It had magnificent scales - it looked spectacular! With a single deafening roar, the enemies were rocked
deaf; with a flap of its tail, the soldiers were swept to mid-air.
The Xiongnu surrendered. Everything was over.
* * *
‘
I shall reward you all, heroes, who helped,’ said Mushu, ‘Mulan, here’s your tiara. You are now the
leader of the country. You shall leave a mark in history.
‘
Li Shang, you contributed a lot and gave support too. Here is a sword, for the best General ever. You
have brought family honour.’
‘
Nana, the great-granddaughter of Mulan - the old Mulan, of course - you will become an ancestor and
will be paid tribute to for millions of years.’
And lastly, all my other warriors who have helped, you are all heroes, true men!’
‘
Nana! I can’t believe that you actually…’ Mulan exclaimed.
‘
Hush, dear, hush. Yes, I do know that I’m the great-granddaughter of Mulan. I guess it’s in the genes,
which brought you such a success,’ Nana replied, ‘I’m already ninety, and my mission is over. I must leave and
join the other ancestors of the Hua family… take care!’
And that was how things went. Despite Mulan’s sorrow for Nana, there were other things which
deserved to be celebrated!
* * *
‘(
telefivesenses) And so, Mulan became the idol of all other girls, and Shang became the most famous
General in history. As for Mushu, he hibernated once again, how lazy! The world was peaceful once again.
People believe now that you can become a hero if you go to the Great Wall. It is a blessing from
Mushu - as those who say, “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man”. This is the legend.’
* * *