Emily's House by Natalie Wright

Author:Natalie Wright [Wright, Natalie]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Boadicea Press
Published: 2011-11-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 31: Why I Hate Bamboo

I found Madame Wong in a perfect headstand in her spot under the large maple tree in her garden. I sat in patient mediation in front of her, waiting for her to start my lesson for the day. I listened to the burbling sound of the brook that tumbled past her small meadow and I drifted off into a deeply relaxed state. It was such a shock to the system when Madame Wong finally spoke, her high-pitched croak interrupting the perfect stillness I was becoming accustomed to.

“Miss Emily ready to become warrior now?”

“A warrior? I don’t know if I’m ready for it but I’ll try.”

“Only do or not do. Which is it?”

“Okay then, I choose do.”

“Ah, good choice. Come,” she said as she gracefully exited her headstand and walked across the garden. I followed respectfully behind her a few paces as we walked through intense fog and mist to the babbling brook.

“Miss Emily has learned focus, yes?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“NO, NO, NO! No suppose. Focus or no focus—which is it?”

“Okay, yes, for God’s sake, I can focus! Jeez, no need to scream at me.”

“Don’t suppose. Don’t guess. Know the answer and say it. A true warrior is sure of herself. Right or wrong does not matter.”

“Well see that’s the point now, isn’t it? I’m not a ‘true warrior’. And about the only thing I’m sure of is that I’m not sure of myself.”

I looked down into her eyes and she just stared at me evenly. Stalemate.

“You know focus. Now time to learn awareness.”

I rolled my eyes, a knee-jerk reaction to the thought of spending more time sitting for days on end breathing. I was ready for action, not more doing nothing.

“Oh, you’ll have action young one,” she said with a smile.

“Okay, what action? How do I learn ‘awareness’?”

“By doing laundry,” she said and out of the nothingness appeared a huge pile of clothes just like the ones Madame Wong was wearing—black linen pants with wide legs and a drawstring waist with a long-sleeved dark blue linen shirt with cloth buttons up the front and a mandarin collar. There also was a large, metal washbasin and a bar of soap and a washboard.

“I become a warrior by doing your laundry?”

“You become aware—alert and ready—by doing laundry.”

“How long do I do this laundry?”

“Until all the clothes are washed and hung to dry,” she said as she pointed to a clothesline hung between two large oak trees.

“Then what?”

“Then you cut the fire wood,” she said pointing to a pile of logs and a hatchet that I hadn’t noticed before on the edge of the meadow. “Chop wood, learn awareness and alertness,” she said then vanished into the misty air.

I wanted to rebel. I wanted to sit down on the ground and refuse to do anything. I wanted to be back at my house, even if Muriel was there.

Then I realized I’d better stop thinking about that or Muriel the Mean would pop up again and this time she

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