Lin and the Red Stranger by Ken Catran

Author:Ken Catran [Ken Catran]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781775532071
Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand
Published: 2012-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

LIN HUDDLED TIGHT in her shelter, not daring to move. She was very frightened and very cold. Even if the others were looking for her, they would have no idea where she was. Perhaps at night she could creep out — but how to find her way home in the dark?

Her teeth chattered and her knees knocked. The Red Stranger had saved her, just like Kwan-ti would have. Could Kwan-ti have sent him? But surely no respectable god would have anything to do with a Foreign Devil. Anyway, he was gone now and perhaps those other men would find her again …

‘Hsssst?’ came a voice.

It was uttered in Big Nose tones so she did not answer. She huddled more tightly and tried not to pant so loudly. She was in terrible danger.

‘Hssst … Chinese girl?’

A hand and brown coat-cuff appeared outside her canvas shelter. It held a curious little curved stick of pink and white stripes. Then a face appeared: blue-eyed and long hair falling to shoulder length.

‘Hey, Chinese, come out now. All safe.’

She did not understand the words but it was the Red Stranger. He had appeared when she found the nugget, and he had saved her from those men. Even so, she was scared and her legs would not move at first. And what was that pink and white stick? He held it closer and she sniffed at it curiously. It smelled faintly sweet.

‘Come on, will ya?’

The Red Stranger would not hurt her, she knew that. So, slowly, her nostrils flared like those of a wary animal, she crept out from under the canvas. The Red Stranger made no attempt to grab her. He stepped back and even smiled. He still held out the strange-coloured stick.

‘Tis good peppermint. Take some and be eased.’

She did not understand a word and only stared at him. He broke a bit off the end, slipped it into his mouth and crunched hard. He licked white fragments from his lips and swallowed, grinning now at her scared look.

He broke off another bit and held it out. Lin slipped it into her own mouth and bit hard. She blinked because a wonderful sweet taste flooded her tongue. She swallowed, choked and coughed. A strange sound came from the Red Stranger.

Laughter! The first kind Big Nose laughter she had heard.

His hand gently thumped her back as she coughed. Then he pushed the rest of the stick into her fingers, took her other hand and pulled, pointing. She resisted with another tingle of panic.

‘Come on, tis the guiding Saint Christopher I am, not a Gombeen.’

His tone was gentle, the sweet taste still in her mouth. So she let him take her past the wooden buildings and back down the side-street. There were some stares, even shouts, that he answered shortly, like a dog snapping. Nobody touched her but she still shook, the candy stick tight in her hand.

He took her up to the ridge and, letting go of her hand, pointed. She nodded, knowing where she was now.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.