The Blue Pearl

Chapter 2 The Mirror

When Billy woke up the next morning, he could not remember how he got home.
He remembered only that he had a cup of tea, and he did not get his money back. He wanted to get away from the temple.

No, he not only wanted to get away from the temple, but he also needed to get away from his company, his car, his city, and his life.
Then his memory stopped.

The next thing was that he woke up in his own bed. There was no bad taste in his mouth, nor was there a headache. So he did not have a hangover. Hence he did not drink.

As a matter of fact, he felt energized. He yawned and stretched himself. He felt like a cat.

Billy went over to the window and opened it. A mixture of dust, noise, foul smell, pollution almost suffocated him right there. He coughed and shut the window immediately.

It was not that bad yesterday. Billy felt restless and irritated. It was as if he was really sensitive all of that sudden. He could see the small, detailed cracks on the wall. He could hear both the small humming from the refrigerator in the kitchen and the radio in the apartment below him.

He took a shower. The water was too hot. He turned it all the way to cold, and felt refreshing. But he never liked cold shower before. After he finished it, he went to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

When he opened the refrigerator, the smell inside turned off his appetite completely. He held his breath, and checked inside. Nothing was bad in there. Everything was close to fresh.

It was the air. Billy found that he could not handle the air anymore. He looked on the wall, the time was 9:30 AM. He did not feel like going into the office. And he decided not to call in either. His main and only project currently was to get the building permit for his client. It was supposed to be easy, but the girl gave out the voucher to the wrong person.

Why do I even keep her around? Billy thought. Oh, yeah, her salary was cheap, and she was honest. Naïve was a better word to describe her, but she had a good heart.

Let her sit in that little office all day today, thinking about her future. That will be her punishment for losing the 50,000 Yuan to that stupid monk.

Billy decided to blame her for his irrational behavior yesterday. He went over to the computer desk, and tuned on his laptop. The loud whirling noise gave him a headache immediately. He turned it off right away.

Was I sick? Billy went to the mirror and checked his own complexion. He looked OK. No fever, no red eyes, the tongue looked pink. What was going on here?

The door bell rang suddenly. Billy almost jumped. The sound was like a train whistle. He rushed to the door and opened it. Whoever the person was, Billy was going to kick his butt down the hallway.

“Where the heck are you yesterday? Why did you turn off your cell phone?” The whirlwind that was Billy’s friend Wu Wei rushed into the apartment.

He almost knocked Billy over.

“What are you talking about? I went to … Ehh, a business trip.” Billy really did not want to talk to Wu Wei about his encounter with the monks.

“Business trip?” Wu Wei turned to face Billy, “Did you give the hospital that money?”

Oh, that! Billy remembered now that Wu Wei was the contact person for that permit.

“Well, it is complicated,” Billy said nervously, cursing himself for giving up on that money now.

“Tell me,” Wu Wei pressed, “Did you or did you not give the money to the hospital?”

There was no way to avoid this. Billy lowered his head, “No, I did not. I …”

“Thank the heavens!” Wu Wei dropped onto the sofa, “There is a god watching over us, I am telling you, my friend.”

“What?” Billy was totally confused. But somehow, there was something clicked in his mind. But it was too deep and too faint for him to notice that now.

“What are you talking about?” He asked his friend.

“That man, the government official was given the ‘Two Fixes’ yesterday!” Wu Wei said calmly.

That was bad news. The guy was given the notice by the persecutor’s office to go to a “Fixed” location (usually the persecutor’s office) at a "Fixed" time to confess all he knew on his crimes.

Resistance was futile. Billy added in his mind. The guy was finished, and at this point, it was a matter of how many people would go down with him. By now, that guy's office would be swarmed with agents from the Public Security Agency, and all of his financial records, personnel records, phone records were scanned through and through.

They did not need to have that money voucher. They would know that a messenger was dispatched to get that voucher, and they would know that a voucher was issued. The logic conclusion would be the voucher was intended for that hospital.

Billy would be on the hook. So would everyone Billy in contact with.
But now, the voucher was in the monks’ hands. Billy would get hassled a few times, probably, but he was not on the hook.

“Where is the voucher now?” Wu Wei asked.

“I gave it to the Nan Yan Temple.” Billy shrugged.

“Brilliant! Nan Yan Temple, Nan Yen Hospital, close enough! The messenger was sent to your office by a mistake. We can say it was a mistake on your secretary’s part! You will not even be on the list!” Wu Wei was excited.

Brilliant was it? Billy thought. Wu Wei had no idea how flipped that sentence was. Maybe I should give the girl a promotion now. Humm, she would go from secretary to office manager, maybe? The salary will stay the same of course.

Wu Wei took out two envelopes from his shirt pocket, and threw one to Billy.

“What is it?” Billy asked him.

“25,000 Yuan. My ran away from home money.” Wu Wei said causally.

Of course. If Billy was on the hook, then Wu Wei was the connection. But now it was all different.

“Go away for a couple month, Billy. Maybe go back to the States to visit your parents. Let this thing blew over.” Wu Wei said gently. But the message was clear.

“Ok.” Billy said, “Sorry about the mess. Are you going to be OK?”

Wu Wei suddenly looked uneasy. It was he who should have said sorry to Billy, for dragging him into it.

He threw the other envelop to Billy as well, “ I will be fine. My dad outranks them in the Agency. As long as I am not directly involved, nobody can touch me. Come to think of it, you probably should not leave China right now. It will look suspicious. Maybe you can go take a vacation or something.”

“Anyway, I am off,” Wu Wei stood, pushed back Billy’s refusal for the second envelope, “If you need more money or something, leave a message at the Red Robin Inn. Don’t call anybody, your phone may be tapped. When this is over, I will leave a message at your home’s answering machine.”

Then Wu Wei was gone.

Billy looked at the two envelops in his hands. He signed. 25,000 Yuan each.

50,000 Yuan was back. A full circle.

Suddenly, Billy had the urge to visit the temple again. He had the suspicion that the monks knew about this somehow. It was all connected.

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When Billy turned into the tree-lined road towards the temple, he could hear the bell in the distance chiming for noon service.

Amazingly, he was back to the same spot at the same time, 24 hours apart. Unlike yesterday, though, the door was locked and the parking lot was empty.

Billy parked his old Buick and went to knock on a side door.

It took a long time for someone to answer the door. Billy bowed to the baldheaded young monk and said, “ I request an audience with Master Han.”

The monk bowed back, “Master Han is no longer in the temple.”

Billy was surprised, “But I saw him just yesterday.”

The monk folded his hands, “A flick of finger can be 60 life cycles.”

What the heck did that mean? Billy asked, “Can I see Master Woo, please? Unless he went off flicking fingers with Master Han.”

The monk was stumped. That sentence was just as weird.

“You are … right, sir. Master Woo went away with Master Han.”

“When are they going to be back?” Billy asked again.

“We do not know.” The monk answered. Then he bowed and was ready to close the door.

Billy suddenly yelled, “Then who is going to pay for Master Han’s new robe?”

“What?” The monk opened the door again.

Billy sounded frustrated, “Master Han said he wanted new robes, and I traveled 8 hours to get here, and now he was off to somewhere else. How am I to get home? How do I get paid? Oh heaven, have pity on this simple man!”

The young monk looked at the sudden hysterical man, and felt dizzy.

“Maybe you could wait in our guest lounge when I fetch our brother in charge.” He offered immediately.

The agony was gone as fast as it came. “Thank you my friend.” Billy bowed to him with a calm smile and stepped into the door.

The monk lowered his eyes, closed the door, and ran away as fast as he could.

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Billy did not wait as the monk suggested. He was hungry. He had not eaten anything this day, and it was noon already. He was not hungry until he got into the temple.

Somehow, inside here, Billy found the air was fresh. It was not that it was odorless. As a matter of fact, the air was laden with the scent of burning sticks. But somehow it was to Billy’s like. He could breath deep without choke, and he could tolerate all the odors in the air. Then his appetite was back.

He wandered around the temple, listening to the chorus humming of the noon prayers, and followed his nose.

Billy was lucky. The monks followed the strict teaching of the scriptures and they only ate once a day at noon, before the service. When Billy found the kitchen, they were in the process of tidying up the remain of the lunch.

Long wooden benches in the big hall. Each was left with rows of big earthy bowls and long chopsticks. Billy could not see what the monks had for lunch because each bowl was completely empty.

The strict teaching forbade the monks to leave any scrap from the lunch. It was a sign of pride and disrespect.

Billy bowed to the monk that was clearing the benches.

“May I beg the master for a meal of lunch?” Billy asked.

The monk bowed back, “The rice and vegetables are on that bench by the wall. Clean bowls and chopsticks are in that pail. Please help yourself , sir.”

Billy went to the bench. He filled a bowl with rice and another with some fried curd beans and steamed cucumbers. The only condiment was salt.

The lunch was simple and crude, but Billy loved it. He felt a sense of peace came with the quiet innocent life that was to live in the temple.

After lunch, he helped to put the bowls into the sink, and left some money in the donation box by the door.

Then he walked through temple with a satisfied full belly. The temple was big, and empty. Obviously, this was not a day opening to the public. Most of the halls were empty and dark, with only candles and a few burning sticks in front of the Buddha statures.

Billy visited the empty ones, and skipped the ones with monks doing services.

“Mr. Lin?” A voiced called from behind.

Billy turned, and saw a middle-aged monk. Billy knew him. The monk was the brother in charge of all worldly matters.

“Master Sun.” Billy bowed.

“Please follow me.” Master Sun said. Billy was kind of relieved. He had no plan of any kind besides coming into the temple. It was just an intuition.

Master Sun led Billy through the main part of the temple and went into the back. He stopped at the little courtyard that Billy had visited the previous day.

The peach blossom was coloring everything pink. It was peaceful just as Billy remembered. He loved nothing more to lie underneath that tree on this sunny afternoon and digesting his lunch in peace.

Master Sun led him into the room. The room was spotless. Obviously someone cleaned it after they left yesterday.

“Master Han said that if you ever came back, and he or Master Woo was not in, you can rest here.” Master Sun bowed and was ready to leave.

Billy stopped him, “Did they say when they would be back?”

Master Sun shook his head.

“What if it was tomorrow? Or next week? Can I stay here that long?” Billy pushed again.

Master Sun raised an eyebrow, “If you’d likes to stay that long, of course. Nothing is off limit here. You have already found the kitchen. The relief room (restroom really) was beside it. The bathhouse was behind it. We recently installed hot water facet there (He was really proud of that). And what did I forget? There is a library across the pond. We have services dawn, noon, dusk and midnight. We only have one meal a day though. But that will really help with your ulcers. (How the heck did he know that). Oh, yes, the sleep pads are behind that screen door, and there are fresh clothing there. Unfortunately, we only have robes.”

Master Sun looked at Billy with a satisfied smile.

Billy scratched his head, trying hard to find something to wipe off that pompous smile, “Do you have a barber here?”

Master Sun had a look of amazement on his face now. “Master Han mentioned that if you’d like to join the order, you have to wait for his return.”

Billy had nothing to say. He bowed to Master Sun. Master Sun bowed back and left.


Billy carried out his ambition immediately. He took of his shoes and the uncomfortable shirt and pants. He opened the screen door and took out a set of fresh robes. He put it on, but he had no idea how to fasten the belt. No matter. He tied it off as if it was a bath robe. Then he found a pair of new grass slippers underneath. He tried it on, it fit alright.

Billy went out into the courtyard and lied down underneath the tree.

The tree was like a huge pink umbrella, covering half of the yard. Billy smelt the sweet peach, fresh grass and he was finally relaxed.


Billy did not know if he dozed off or not. He thought he had drifted into a meditation state. He could hear the tree swishing in the wind, two little singsong birds chatting on the branches. It was a domestic dispute, he was sure, over the style of the nest they were going to build. The female bird would like a round bottom nest, the male bird thought a standard flat bottom one would just be fine. He was eager to get on the business of making eggs. Finally the quarrel was ended with the female bird pecked the male bird on the head and said, “Don’t come and whine to me if the wind toppled the nest and your eggs are lost! I am not going to go through that again!” the male bird scratched his head with his left wing and murmured, “Round bottom nest it is!” Then they flew off.

Billy listened to the all the lives of creatures big and small around the peach tree, and he was surprised that he could actually hear the footsteps of Spring.

The footsteps were real. Billy opened his eyes and saw a clean-shaven little monk about 11 or 12 years old, carrying a tea set coming towards him.

Billy sat up, “Hi, thank you! What is your name? You don’t have to wait on me.”

The little monk bowed to Billy. He put the set down besides Billy and poured two cups.

“Please, try it. Jasmine tea made from cold spring water soaked overnight. You will like it. My name is Little Dragon. And by the way, you are sitting at my spot.” Little Dragon gave Billy a toothy smile.

Billy liked him immediately.

He did not move. He just picked up a cup and sipped it.

It was ice-cold, fresh with a hint of jasmine flavor. Then he lied back and signed loudly, “Awww, that is the life.”

Little Dragon rolled his eyes. (one would wonder where did he learn that expression.)
“I will give you about 2 days, and then you would bore out of your mind. Solitude is not for the ordinary man.” He said with authority.

Billy scooped over to one side, leaving some room for the little monk, and asked, “How would you deal with solitude?”

“Work,” Little Dragon sat down, cross-legged and back straight, he took a sip of tea and closed his eyes, “I work 12 hours a day, and then learn my lessons 5 hours. Cutting grass, cleaning tables, filling all the water jugs around the temple, all kind of things. Then when my body is really tired, I can sit here, sipping a cup of tea, hold it in my mouth, and …”

He stopped in the middle of sentence, and sipped his tea.

Billy leaned into him, “And what … ?”

A mist of water bathed Billy’s face. “And I water all the bugs around the tree.” Little Dragon laughed his head off as he blew his mouthful of tea all over Billy’s face.

Billy laughed at himself and cleaned up his face with the robe.

He poured another cup for himself and drank it down, waiting for Little Dragon to finally finishing his giggles.

“Why do you want to be a monk, Little Dragon?” Billy asked.

“Why do you want to be a man?” Little Dragon shrugged.

Billy shook his head, “That is not the same thing. I was born a man, and you can be something besides a monk.”

“Are you sure that is not the same thing?” Little Dragon said slyly, “You are born a boy, not a man. And you can choose to be a woman, if you have an operation.”

Billy blew his tea all over Little Dragon’s face. However that was not intentionally. He coughed and could not breath.

Little Dragon looked at Billy’s struggle with a wryly smile. For some reason, none of the water was on his face.

Finally, when Billy caught his breath, he said, “Where did you learn that stuff? Did your master know about this?”

Little Dragon sipped his tea again, “Of course. You can have a sex change operation for 59,999 Yuan, don’t you ever read your spam e-mail?”

Billy knew what he was beaten. He chuckled and drank his tea.
Little Dragon seemed restless. He fidgeted, and looked at the door, as if he was expecting something.

Billy noticed. “Is something the matter?” he asked,” When will your masters be back?”

Little Dragon caught himself fidgeting. He set down the cup and folded his hands. He closed his eyes and started to meditate.

Billy did not mind his company, even though he sat there like a stature.

The sun was warm and the tea was cool.

Suddenly, Billy was showered with the peach flowers. He looked up. The flowers came down because the tree shook.

He looked around, expecting to see Little Dragon somehow sneaked from behind and shook the tree, but the little monk was still sitting there motionlessly.

The next tremor, Billy felt it. It was just a vibration, like a boom box set too high. But the next one after was even bigger. The clouds started to gather.

All the birds stopped singing. And there was an tense in the air.

Billy frowned, “An earthquake?” he asked.

Little Dragon opened his eyes. He looked up at the sky. Dark clouds started to gather around the sky. Little rumbling could be heard.

“No,” Little Dragon said calmly, “Not an EARTH quake.”

Suddenly, he jumped up. “Come on!” He said, and ran out of the yard.

Billy was completely surprised. He got up and ran after him. Little Dragon was right, 1 hour of relax, and he was already bored.

Little Dragon had disappeared, but Billy knew exactly where to go. He could see other monks running towards the same direction.

The thing that scared Billy was that the monks were armed. A couple of them armed with staffs, but some of them armed with shovels, and some of them armed with big pails.

“Shovels and pails?” Billy thought, “Someone lost his marbles!”

All the people were shouting, but Billy could not understand the words. Something about a mirror.

The destination was actually the bathhouse. Steam came out of it. Billy remembered Master Sun’s proud hot water facet. Did they have a broken pipe somewhere?

Billy ran close, and he could hear the loud banging noise inside. He stepped closer, and found the normally tranquil monks were carrying big staffs, (and pails and shovels) were yelling and running among the steam.

Billy frowned, someone should have shut off the valve first. Did they forget? As he got near, he saw Little Dragon squeezed out of the crowd.

The Little Dragon ran with head lowered, and almost toppled over Billy.

But seeing the man, his face brightened, “Come, quickly.” He said, and dragged Billy to the house.

“I am no plumber but someone should shut off the water.” Billy said.

“What?” Little Dragon did not hear him among the commotion. Billy repeated.

Little Dragon shook his head, “No, no, that was not it. Come and see.”

The little monk dragged Billy through the crowd.
What Billy saw in the house, among the steam was comical.

Several half-naked monks were trying to break a full person sized mirror on the wall. And they were doing it the hard way.

One particularly heavy-set monk (fat, Ok! He is fat!) with naked upper torso was tossing a huge copper pail at the mirror. He was yelling some prayer (Or curse! Because Billy did not understand a word of it) and then threw the pail at the mirror.

The pail hit the mirror with a loud clank, and bounced off. The mirror was pretty tough.

Then another monk yelled another prayer and hit the mirror with his long shovel. The shovel was funny looking though, one end was round and the other end was a crescent moon shaped blade.

The tough mirror would have none of that. It stood unmoving as the shovel bounced off and the monk was threw backwards.

Billy did not ask why they wanted to break the mirror, because he could see obviously that there are steam coming out behind the mirror.

“You guys know about the seven years of bad luck, right?” Billy asked Little Dragon.

“What?” Little Dragon was puzzled and alarmed.
“You know, break a mirror …” Billy was interrupted.

“What is he doing here?” A familiar sound asked in anger. Both Billy and Little Dragon looked around. It was Master Sun. He was sweating like he was dropped in the pond. In his hand a green broom.

He was asking Little Dragon, but he was pointing at Billy’s direction.

Billy looked behind him, trying to find another person that Master Sun was pointing at. But nobody was immediately behind him.

“He is the last resort.” Little Dragon said sternly, but he had to look up at Master Sun. So he looked funny rather than serious.

“I am the comic relief,” Billy cut in, he did not like to be refer to as “he” when he was in the room, “So let’s see ... how many monks did it take to break a mirror? ,,,”

“Master Han did not want him to leave that yard!” Master Sun’s face was red.

“Excuse me!” Billy yelled at him, “You said there was no place off-limit. Not the least to be a bathhouse! And pick on someone your own size! It was my decision to come here.”

The room suddenly fell silent.

Master Sun looked at Billy as if for the first time. So were all the other monks. That did not including the heavy-set monk and his companion who were still banging away at the mirror.

Billy was angry. He did not know where that comes from. It was like he was awaken from a nice dream. He had come here to find some kind of peace. The illusion was shattered when Master Sun yelled at Little Dragon. It was no different here. The strong bullied the meek.

“What you need to do, first all,” Billy walked towards the mirror and pushed the two smelly monks away, “was to shut off the water. Then go find a plumber! Ok?”

The two monks backed away when they saw Billy. They actually bowed to him, although Billy thought they just drooped their heads because they were tired.

“You don’t actually have to break the mirror,” Yan continued, “You just need to pick up the mirror, and set it aside. The mirror is usually hang on the wall instead of glue to it.”

“Master …” Master Sun yelled, but Little Dragon raised a hand to stop him. The little monk’s eyes were sparkling.

Billy touched the edge of the mirror and he was zapped immediately.

“Ouch!” Billy grunted, “you’d better turn of the electricity also. The leak in the wall must have shorted something out.”

He lifted the mirror then. The mirror was very warm in Billy’s hands, but it came off easily.

A collective “Wow” came from all the monks. Billy shook his head. People usually panicked in these situations. But these monks carried it to the extreme.

“Now,” Billy said, “you just have to break the wall at the place the steam comes out and you can find the leak.”

As Billy turned to look at the wall behind the mirror, he was puzzled.

The wall was clear. Not only there was no steam coming out of the wall, there was no nail, no hook, nothing to support the mirror.

Billy looked down. There was no nails of any kind that supports the mirror on the ground as well.

It is interesting. And embarrassing since he could not find the leak with the steam pointing to the way.

Then Billy looked at the mirror. All around the frame of the mirror, steam was coming out.

Billy turned around with the mirror in his hands. The steam followed the mirror. What is going on here?

He set it down on the ground the steam started to rise from the ground around the mirror.

And one more thing he had noticed. Even with all the steam in the room, the mirror was still clear. Billy could see his own puzzled face looking back at him.

Billy knelt and put a hand out to touch the mirror. All gasped. Master Sun yelled, “Master …”

But Little Dragon interrupt him again, with just a hand.

Billy touched the mirror.

It felt hard, flat, cool, just like a mirror.

Murmurs sounded.

Suddenly, the ground shook, and a loud crack of thunder could be heard outside.
Collectively, all the monks started a low humming of prayer.

Little Dragon knelt besides Billy.

“Master Dragon …” Master Sun called out of frustration.

Billy looked at the little monk besides him. The little one did not look so little now. Was it the steam, or was it some kind of trick of the mind. Billy could see the eyes of the little monk for the first time.

They looked … old.

“Forgive me, Master ...,” Little Dragon said, and he scratched Billy on his hand.

Almost immediately, he was snatched up by Master Sun. “No, you can’t” The bigger man picked up the little one by the collar of his robe and pulled him away, “You forgot what the master had said!”

But the damage was done. A single drop of blood from Billy’s hand dropped onto the mirror.

“Ouch!” Billy yelled, again. This was not his day. He looked up at Little Dragon, “What did you do that for?” But seeing the other man dragging the little monk away, he yelled again, “Stop! You are hurting him!” He hated to see the little one got hurt.

Master Sun froze. Little Dragon wiggled loose, and ran back to Billy. He stared at the mirror.

The red spot on the mirror was small but very much visible. But besides that, nothing happened.

Billy looked at the mirror with Little Dragon, but he could not see anything different.

It took him a long time. He looked around, everyone was staring at the mirror also. So he shrugged and looked at the mirror. But still, it was just an ordinary mirror.

Billy started to notice how wet his hair looked in the mirror and how his nose had little blackheads on it.

He wiped vigorous at a dirty spot on his forehead. All in all, he was bored.

Finally, he asked the little monk beside him, “What are we looking at?”

The little monk said, “Look at the steam.”

To Billy’s surprise, the steam was gone.
“Listen to the outside.” Little Dragon said again.

Billy listened. The rumbling of thunder was gone as well. He could hear the singing of birds again.

Suddenly, someone signed, “It is over. It is sealed again.”

A cheer went up. Billy looked around. All these half-naked monks with bald head, jumping up and down with their odd assortments of gardening tools.

“Oh well,” Little Dragon shrugged and said, “Could you put the mirror back on it?”

Billy shook his head, “Why don’t you ask one of these brothers. I don’t know how, I could not find any nail or something.”

Little Dragon said, “That was because it was sucked on by itself. Nobody could break the … It doesn’t matter. It could wait until Master Woo comes back.”

Billy padded him on the head, “However, I can help you to stand it up. Then everyone can use it to see how clean their shaven head is.”

Little Dragon pushed his hand away, “That was what you said the first …”

Billy wasn’t paying attention to what he said. To be honest, it was hard to hear him among the cheering of a bunch of monks in the little bathhouse.

He used his finger to wipe the blood away from the mirror.

Time stood still.

Billy found his finger stuck.

Then he felt movement. It was Little Dragon trying to grab him, but Master Sun got Little Dragon first. He pulled Little Dragon away.

Billy tried again and his finger was still stuck.

He looked back at Little Dragon. He calmed down. He knelt. He bowed to Billy.

Why did he do that in slow motion, Billy wondered.

It was a long bow. He had to kneel with both knees on the ground first. Then he extended his body so that all parts of the body touched the ground. His forehead represented his face. Finally he stretched his arms with palms up. It was the bow of total obedience. When his head raised up, Billy could see that Little Dragon had tears on his cheeks, but he was smiling.

“Sorry master,” he said, his voice was low and booming, “I cannot wait for the long years for your waking. Run! Rush! Hurry to your destiny!” He laughed with tears still streaming down.

For a moment, Billy thought he saw the little monk mouth widened to almost touch his ears. That was both disgusting and ugly. Billy slid over, tried to give the little guy a kick on the head.

But the next moment, he fell through the mirror.