Chang groaned, “There goes my plan trampled in the dust.” He saw the man jerk in surprise, eyes
following the sound. With a spark of hope Chang saw his chance. Digging his heels into the sides of his horse,
they surged forward, and Chang reached, praying…, his fingers snagged the package as the terrified horse
blasted by the thief.
“
Yes!” Chang shouted for joy as he flew.
As soon as Ming saw the giant man look upwards, he ducked around the corner of the watchtower. And
in awe he watched Chang make his lucky grab and execute his daring escape.
In the split second that the man looked up, he thought he saw the shape of a little boy standing on the
tower. But that was impossible… He yelled as he felt the red package slide out from under his arm and the
streak of brown that was the horse and its rider. With a shout he gave chase, banishing thoughts about that
vision on the tower.
Ming grinned to himself, “Fantastic.” He was about to make his way down from the tower when he was
startled by a voice from on the Wall below him.
“
Ming!”
“
Chang!” Ming called in surprise.
“
I doubled back and came up the ramp. His horse is too fast – he would have caught up with me. He’s
coming after me. What do we do?”
Ming could hear the rapid hoofbeats of the man’s huge black horse. “Throw it!” He called down, “He
doesn’t want you, he wants the package!”
So Chang did, the bundle flew through the air and landed solidly in Ming’s arms. “Got it!” He yelled
down.
“
Good.” Chang replied, charging through the tower passage and turning down the ramp on the other
side. Ming edged around a corner as the thief galloped past in pursuit of Chang, who was now standing in the
gateway of the Pass.
“
Where is it?” The huge man snarled, catching up.
“
Gone,” Chang answered coldly.
Ming was in a panic. That man would slash Chang to ribbons any second now – he had to do
something. Gritting his teeth, he reached out toward the brick lying innocently on the rim of the tower. But that
would destroy everything: the tower, the thief, his brother. He had to find another way.
Ming stripped off the red cloth wrapping, and hoisted the contents of the package – a weighty block of
stone and metal – up over his head and into the air. “Thief!” he stepped out into the open and shouted down at
the man. “I am a demon from the underworld! How dare you steal a boy’s belongings and threaten to kill him!
You shall rot forever in the deepest regions of hell! Don’t you know the story of this tower? Long ago, I placed
this brick” - He tapped the brick on the tower ledge with his toe – “right here, and warned everyone that if it was
moved, the entire tower would collapse! And now, seeing your evil deeds, I will bring down the structure on top
of you and bury you in rubble if you don’t leave this place right now and never come back!”
Chang was horrified: Now the man will catch Ming and take the package, and all will be lost…
Where Chang saw his little brother, the man saw a small humanoid creature high up on the tower,
silhouetted against the sun, holding aloft a shimmering block of deep green something, a shade most unnatural,
and when the sun’s rays hit it the block glowed brilliantly, casting a veil of green over the little creature, dying
its skin that eerie color, but with a golden fringe of light. It did indeed look like a demon. With a sudden burst of
speed, the thief on horseback tore through the Pass and disappeared into the distance.
Chang watched, open-mouthed, as Ming hopped down from the tower. “I cannot believe that actually
worked.” He grinned radiantly at his brother.
“
You –” Chang hugged his brother tightly. “You didn’t follow my instructions.” He tried to sound stern,
but laughter, of a combination of relief and wonder, was bubbling up inside him.
“
Oh, but I did.” Ming blinked innocently, cradling the priceless block of jade, for that was what it was,
in his hands. The solid gold foot of the dragon on top gleamed in the sun. “You told me to use the brick, and I
did.”
“
In a smarter and safer way than I planned, too,” Chang said, and hugged his brother again. “Now let’s
get the imperial seal back to the palace before anyone notices. Quickly!”
The two brothers hopped onto the brown horse and sped off. Far away, the Great Wall stood, ancient and all-
knowing, the brick of the tower lying undisturbed for another thousand years.
* * *