"That's water trickling!" she said to herself as she turned toward the sound. "There's water here somewhere." Soon she noticed a small stream, running with clear sparkling water. She eagerly bent down to drink and fill her jug, but as soon as Minli tasted the water she spit it out!

"Salt water!" Minli exclaimed. "This water is salty!"

As she sat back, Minli began to wonder, "How is this stream salty? I am far from the ocean. This is very strange." And unable to contain her curiosity, Minli forgot about her thirst and began to follow it.

The stream widened and deepened, becoming more of a river than a stream. Just as Minli began to think that she should return to her journey, she began to hear deep moans that gently shook the earth.

"Who's there?" Minli shouted.

"Help!" a m.u.f.fled voice whimpered. "Can you help me?"

"I'm coming!" Minli called. She quickly put down her compa.s.s on the side of the water, and waded in. The water was warm, like bathwater, and clear as gla.s.s. Minli could see her feet and all the stones and leaves at the bottom of the stream. As she moved toward the voice the water rose higher and higher, to her knees and then almost to her neck.

"Are you still there?" the voice asked plaintively. "Please help me!"

"I'm coming!" Minli called again. She took a deep breath and dove toward the voice. The salt water stung her eyes so she closed them tightly until she broke through the surface. When she finally opened her eyes, Minli almost sank back under water with shock. Because there in front of her was... a DRAGON!

CHAPTER 9.

Underneath the moon shadows of the trees, Ma stumbled with weariness. Ba did not know how long they had been walking. With every step he peered at the ground, the light flickering as the lantern swayed in his hand. The forest was full of shapes and shadows and only barely could he see the faint footprints on the ground - it was like searching for a wrinkle in a flower petal. As Ma tripped, he steadied her with his arm.

"We should rest," Ba said.

Ma shook her head and pulled away angrily. "We must keep going. We have to find Minli."

"But you are tired," Ba said, "and I am too. We can rest and afterward we will be able to continue faster."

"I am not tired," Ma said fiercely. Her irritation seemed to give her energy. "If you are tired, you can rest. But I will continue to look for our daughter."

"We should stay together," Ba said quietly.

"If you wish to stay with me," Ma said, "then you will have to keep going."

Ba sighed and took out another candle for the lantern. The light from the lamp kept away the forest animals but it could do nothing for Ma's fury. Her resentment seemed to darken with the fading moon.

But as they walked, the morning bloomed in the distance, its light slowly filtered over Ma and Ba through the veil of tree branches so he could finally blow out the candle in his lantern. He looked at Ma and could see that her bitterness was only sharper in the softening sky.

"If Minli stopped to rest," Ba said, "we may catch up with her soon."

"When we find her," Ma said, "she must know that she is never to do this again. Never!"

"Now, Wife," Ba said, "Minli did not leave to cause us harm."

"No," Ma said, her words cracking the air around her, "she left to find a fairy tale. Never-Ending Mountain and the Old Man of the Moon! Of all the foolish things."

"Stories are not foolish," Ba said again, in his quiet way.

"Says you!" Ma said. "Because you are the one who filled her with them. Making her believe she could change our miserable fortune with an impossible story! Ridiculous!"

"Yes," Ba said sadly, "it is impossible. But it is not ridiculous."

Ma opened her mouth again, but stopped. For up ahead there was a noise of breaking branches. It was the sound of someone pushing their way through the forest. Ma and Ba looked at each other. "Minli!" Ma said.

Forgetting their fatigue and frustration, Ma and Ba began to run through the woods. Ma ignored the branches that scratched her and Ba let his hat fall to the ground as they rushed toward the unseen person. "Minli!" they called, "Minli!"

But as they burst upon the figure ahead, they stopped in shock. It was not Minli. Instead, Ma and Ba stared openmouthed at the goldfish man.

CHAPTER 10.

Minli gaped at the dragon in front of her. It was brilliant red, the color of a lucky lantern, with emerald-green whiskers, horns, and a dull stone-colored ball like the moon on his head. At least what Minli could see of him looked like that. Because he was also half-covered by ropes of twine that had been tied tightly around him so he couldn't move and by the silvery lake of water his tears had formed all around him.

Minli had always thought it would be thrilling but scary to meet a dragon. Her father's stories always made them sound so wise and powerful and grand. But here was a dragon before her, tied up and crying! Minli didn't feel awed by it at all. In fact, she felt rather sorry for it.

"Can you help me?" the dragon sniffled. "I am trapped."

Minli shook herself and started swimming toward the dragon. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"The monkeys tied me up while I was sleeping," the dragon said, "I have been here for days."

Minli swam over to the dragon and climbed onto his back to get out of the water. There, she opened her pack, took out the small, sharp knife she had brought with her, and started cutting the twine.

"Why did the monkeys tie you up?" Minli asked.

"Because I want to go farther into the forest to the peach grove," the dragon said, "and the monkeys will not let anyone through. I have been trying to make them let me pa.s.s peacefully for days, but they are so unreasonable. Finally I told them if they did not let me through, I would just force my way. They know I am big and strong enough to go through without their permission so when I went to sleep, they tied me up."

"Why won't the monkeys let anyone pa.s.s?" Minli asked.

"Because they are greedy things," the dragon said. "They have just discovered the peach trees that make up the next part of the forest. The monkeys do not want to let anyone through because they do not want to share the peaches. Even when I promised not to touch any of the fruit, they would not let me through. They do not even want to share the sight of those peaches."

"Why do you have to go through the forest?" Minli asked. "Can't you just fly over?"

More tears, the size of lychee nuts, rolled down the dragon's face.

"I cannot fly," he sobbed. "I do not know why. All other dragons can fly. But I cannot. I wish I knew why."

"Don't cry," Minli said, patting the dragon, feeling more sorry for it than ever. "I'm going to Never-Ending Mountain to see the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how to change my family's fortune. You can come too and ask him how to fly."

"You know where Never-Ending Mountain is?" the dragon asked. "I thought to see the Old Man of the Moon was impossible. You must be very wise to know how to find him."

"Not really," Minli said, "I got the directions from a goldfish."

CHAPTER 11.

It took a long time for Minli to cut all the twine root rope that bound the dragon. For some knots she had to swim under water and cut through the waving gra.s.ses. As she popped in and out of the water, cutting, she told the dragon all about her village, the goldfish, and how she had just started her journey.

"I'm Minli," she said to the dragon, "What's your name?"

"Name?" the dragon asked slowly. "I do not think I have a name."

"Everyone has a name," Minli said. "When you were born, didn't someone give you a name?"

"When I was born?" the dragon asked, thinking hard. "Yes," Minli said, again thinking that this dragon was very different from any dragon she had ever heard about. "What did they call you when you were born?"

THE STORY OF.

THE DRAGON.

When I was born, I remember two voices speaking.

"Master!" one voice said. "This is magnificent - the dragon is almost alive!"

"Add more water to the inkstone," another voice said. This voice was near my head, I felt the warm air of his breath. "And speak quietly. You will wake the dragon."

"I am sorry, Master," the first voice said in a more subdued tone. "It is only that this painting is most amazing, even for such a skilled artist as you. This dragon painting will bring great honor to the village when we present it to the magistrate."

"Wasted on the magistrate," the master said under his breath, so softly that only I could hear. "A conceited, self-important man, who, when only the imperial family is allowed to use the image of a dragon, commissions one. Now that his son has married the king's daughter, Magistrate Tiger will do anything to flaunt his power and overstretch his authority. But this painting will buy his favor and free the village from his unfair taxes."

"What, Master?" the apprentice said.

"Nothing," the master said, "only that I have painted this dragon on the ground, not flying in the sky like all other dragons. Perhaps the magistrate will see how his wealth weighs him down."

"I doubt the magistrate will understand that meaning, Master," the apprentice said.

"True," the master said, "but the dragon should still please him. I will prepare for his visit. The painting is finished. Clean the brushes and take great care with my special inkstone. It is one of a kind, the only ink-stone that was able to be made from a rock my master cut from a mountain far from here. He never told anyone which mountain, so we can never make another."

"Yes, Master," the apprentice said. "But the dragon..."

"Yes?" the master said.

"Is it finished?" the apprentice asked. "You have not painted the eyes."

"As a painting, it is finished," the master said. "Young apprentice, I still have much to teach you."

And I heard the voices and footsteps fade away. It was a strange feeling. I felt the warm light of the sun running over my skin, but my arms and legs were frozen. I could hear the wind rustling leaves in the trees and birds hopping on the ground but I saw nothing.

Time pa.s.sed; I only knew because the air grew colder. I heard footsteps coming toward me, many of them, so I knew it was a whole procession of people.

"As you requested, Your Magnificence," a voice said - I recognized it as the master's, "may I present this, which I humbly painted in tribute to the great magistrate's rule."

There was a silence as all gazed, I supposed, at me.

"Painter Chen," another voice said, in great awe, "this is indeed a great work."

"Thank you, Magistrate," the master said, "I am glad it pleases you. Then our agreement will be fulfilled?"

"Yes," said the voice, "the village will be free from taxation for the next year. And I will take the painting."

Even though I did not know exactly what was going on, I knew I did not want to belong to Magistrate Tiger. His voice had an undertone of cruelty and greed, even while he was expressing his pleasure. I tried to protest but my still lips uttered no sound. Then I was rolled up and all sound and feeling disappeared.

I do not know how long I was rolled up. It might have been a day or a month or a year. All I could do was wait. But finally I was unrolled and I felt a cold gust of air all over me. If I could have, I would have shivered.

"This painting is a masterpiece!" a voice said in surprise. Then it quickly turned oily and flattering. "As only fitting for your greatness."

"Yes," Magistrate Tiger said, "have it hung behind my chair."

"Yes, Magistrate," the voice said, and then hesitated and said, "How strange."

"What's strange?" the magistrate asked.

"Well," the voice said, "there are no eyes on this dragon. The painter must have forgotten."

"No eyes!" the magistrate boomed. "Painter Chen dared give me an unfinished painting! I will double tax his village for the next ten years!"

"Magistrate," a third voice said, one that seemed a little kinder, "it is only a minor flaw. If we just dotted in the eyes, the dragon would be finished."

"Hmm, yes," the magistrate said, obviously considering. "Bring me a paintbrush and ink."

I heard the servants shuffling and bringing the paintbrush and ink. I felt the magistrate's hot, dry breath on my nose as he came close to me and felt the cold ink touch my eye and, suddenly, I could see! I saw the magistrate's fat face leering over me as he reached over and dotted in my other eye.

As sight came into both my eyes, a warm feeling filled me - like drinking hot tea on a cold day. I felt strength come into my arms and hands and legs and feet and my neck and head stretched for the first time. All the loud yells I had wanted to make now came rushing out of my mouth and I gave a huge roar that made the magistrate fall over.

"It has come alive!" I heard him gasp and I heard the servants screaming, "Dragon! It has come alive! Dragon!"

I knew this was my chance to free myself from Magistrate Tiger. I jumped from where I was and rushed over everyone, knocking down desks and chairs and columns. I saw the blue sky and green leaves through a window, went toward it, and simply crashed through the wall to get through. As I left, the building was falling down and all the people were yelling. "Dragon!" they screamed. "Dragon!"

I knew I had to leave as soon as possible, so I ran as fast as I could into the forest and left them far, far away. I have lived in the forest since then.