The Bamboo Flute

© 2002 Lee Garrett
All rights reserved.

Just off of the dirt road, beyond the city gate, Wu sat with his head covered by a straw hat, a small monkey at his feet. The monkey chewed a wedge of orange. Next to the animal was a wooden bowl holding two small coins. Powdered with dust from passing horsemen, Wu spat to clear his throat. He held a bamboo flute, waiting for the imperial dragon guard to pass. They were escorting a lady of the imperial household, so Wu kept silent; he didn't dare offer his poor tunes to such exalted company.

"Hold," a high, thin voice cried imperiously from a caravan chair.

Wu froze, a rabbit under the eyes of a hawk. A young woman in rich silks descended from the chair. She approached. Wu threw himself on his face. His heart pounded hard within his ribs, a nightingale fighting for freedom within its cage. He scarcely dared breathe. Beaded slippers stopped before his down-turned face. Wildly colored, they bore the pattern of feng—the phoenix. Their owner spoke. "You! Sit up. I want to look at you."

Trembling, Wu complied. He sat back, desperately gripping his instrument. The imperial lady reached into her sash and pulled out a loop of wire that ran through the hollow center of a fistful of coins. She removed several and let them rain into the bowl. They hit sharply—rat-a-tat-tat—bouncing briefly before settling down.

"I see you play the flute. I have been learning it myself, only recently. I shall make a bargain with you. Let us each play a song, and whoever plays best can have what's in the bowl. Agreed?"

"But I am lame," Wu protested. "This is all I can do to feed my family. You are better. I admit it. Please, leave me the coins I have earned, noble lady, and give your bounty to one more worthy."

"I think you are just afraid of my wrath if I lose," the lady said. "You have my solemn vow: Play your best, and you'll have nothing to fear. I only wish to test myself against you." She smiled, dark eyes glittering with mischief. "If I win, I will even let you keep your bowl."

"You promise?"

"I do. Now, I will go first."

"Wait, Wu protested. "Who will judge the contest?"

"Why, the captain of my guard will do so." She turned her face to a huge armored man with a long black beard and broadswords sheathed across at his back. "You will be scrupulously fair, right Ch'iang?"

The big man grunted. "As you say, daughter of heaven."

"There," she said. "It is settled."

Wu dared protest no further. He dipped his head, consenting. The lady produced a lacquered flute with gold trim. She closed her eyes, put it to her lips, and began to play. Her melody knifed through many keys, wandering madly. The monkey winced. The birds in the trees grew still in shock before exploding into desperate flight. Even Ch'iang grimaced painfully, his eyes rolling back in his head. The horses whinnied, rearing.

The lady stopped.

"Stupid horses," she muttered. "They have no taste." Recalling her dignity, she brushed the tarnish off her mood and smiled brightly at Wu. "Go on. Beat that if you can!"

Wu shrugged fatalistically. He shared a meaningful glance with the ape and then took his turn. He puffed a series of short trills, setting a tempo, then wove a ghostly melody. He wove a second thread of sound around the first, somehow getting a deep resonance that let the notes hang in the wind with a special vibrancy. Ch'iang tried to look bored, but a small tear crept down his face at the unexpected beauty of the tune. Wu finally stopped and a thick satisfied silence settled in.

The imperial lady stamped a small foot impatiently, glaring at the captain. "Well?" she said. "I am waiting to be awarded the victory. What is wrong with you?"

Ch'iang gathered himself together. He raised a hand, and let it fall toward the lady, awarding her the match. "You have prevailed, Lady."

"Of course." She bent and scooped up the beggar's bowl, dumping the coins into her cupped hand.

"You said you would leave me my bowl," Wu said, "even if you won."

The lady paused, and smiled broadly. "You are right." She tossed him the empty bowl. "So there it is." Laughing, she turned, and walked back toward her chair.

The travelers continued to the city. The gates swallowed them whole. And still Wu sat stricken, though not surprised. Finally he sighed, reaching behind him for his last orange. He tore off a section of peel and split the fruit in half. He gave some to the monkey. The monkey reached out a paw and gladly accepted the offering. He shoved a piece into his mouth and chewed with ecstatic relish. With another sigh, Wu followed the ape's example.

When the fruit was gone, the monkey broke the silence.

"So, Wu, what should we do about this?"

Wu's thoughts whirled, and he said nothing. It was as if the monkey had stolen his voice. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. After another moment, he was able to speak.

"You ... spoke!" he said.

"Of course. I am the Monkey King. I thank you for sharing your lunch with me."

"It would have been rude not to."

"You have a good heart ... for a Man," the monkey king said. "I have seen you cheated, and I am of a mind to do something about it."

"What can be done? The lady is of the imperial court. She is the emperor's favorite. Let it go."

The monkey shrugged, but made no promises.

Luan awoke from the palace of her dreams to find dark eyes staring at her from a small wrinkled face. This annoyed her. A common monkey had somehow breached the imperial house. Someone must have left a window open.

"Shoo-shoo." She waved her hand at it, but the monkey seemed too stupid to realize it was not wanted.

She drew a deep breath to summon her handmaidens.

"Don't do that," the monkey said. "You don't want curious eyes in here."

"I don't?"

"No

"Oh, why am I talking to you?" Luan asked. "You're just an ape."

"That is true, but I am a magic ape. I am the Monkey King.

"What kind of magic?"

"I transform common elements into things of beauty. Wax into silver, lead into gold, crippled warbling into the finest music ever heard."

"You must do these things for me!"

"I would like to," the monkey said. "But first I will need the lead, the wax, and especially a bamboo flute."

"Why especially a bamboo flute?" the lady asked. "I have many flutes that are much finer in quality."

"They lack magic that I can awaken," the monkey explained. "The more common an element, the greater its magic, in compensation. A bamboo flute is most potent of all because it contains earth magic from growing in the earth, water magic from drinking the rain and river, fire magic from being shaped by fire, and wind magic from the life that has breathed into it, creating song. The power of a bamboo flute is mightiest of all for transformations."

"It just so happens," Luan said, "that I have such a flute ... given me by a beggar who enjoyed my playing." She slipped from the bed, covering herself with a robe of peacock colors. "I want to use it to make myself eternally young and beautiful. It has been a while since my lord has sent for me to warm his bed. I fear his eyes ... his smiles ... are wandering to others less worthy."

"You are fortunate," the Monkey King said. "With the flute, I can make you exquisitely beautiful, beyond comparison to any other lady of the court."

"I will get it for you." Luan hurried to her vanity table and returned at once with the instrument clutched in her tiny fist. "Here it is. What now?"

"Give it to me freely, of your own will, and lay once more on the bed. Make yourself comfortable, and I will play you to sleep. When you awaken, a wondrous change will have overtaken you. The emperor will not believe his eyes."

She handed the flute to the monkey and settled onto the great canopy bed. Her eyes closed. The monkey drew a great breath. Luan opened her eyes, looking at the beast.

"You swear to heaven that you are not deceiving me?" she asked.

"I swear to heaven, that all I have told you is true," the monkey promised.

Satisfied, Luan closed her eyes once more, folding her hands together over her pounding heart. The music came like a silver thread. It wove dreams of shadow and moonlight, drawing Luan into strange worlds where time hesitated and the night sky was a frozen wheel of stars set in velvet.

Wearing sheer mist for a gown, she danced with a white moon phoenix until a tiger cut in. She danced with the tiger until a great pearl rolled across the dance floor, hastily pursued by Lung, the five-toed imperial dragon. A unicorn led her into a field of poppies the color of blood. She staggered under the heavy perfume. Dizzy, she spilt herself upon the lea, laughing at mysteries as they slipped past her in parade, one by one, an endless line.

Then came utter darkness. It drank her thoughts until morning.

Groggily, Luan sat up. The morning light hurt her eyes. Her bedchamber seemed distorted, unnatural. One of her handmaidens was screaming. Stupid cow, why is she doing that?

The servant ran from the room. Moments later, she returned with guards. Fear overtook Luan as the guards came at her. She fled the bed, stumbled, rolled, and somehow found her feet again with her back to the window. She tried to protest but words would not come.

To her delight, the emperor appeared. She knew he would deal with these traitors. The emperor's eyes fell on her and widened in shock. My beauty has stunned his mind, she thought proudly.

The emperor spoke, a long-nailed finger quivering in her direction.

"Get that beast out of my house, and be more careful about closing the windows at night. Monkeys are nasty animals."

Luan looked at her hands. They were small, leathery. The backs were furred. NO! This cannot be. I'm supposed to be eternally beautiful ... beyond comparison to all others in the palace.

Someone seized her and threw her out the window. She sailed over a wall and into a tree. Luan caught herself in the high branches. Sitting across from her was the Monkey King.

"You lied to me!" she exclaimed in monkey chatter. "I am no longer beautiful!"

"You are mistaken. You were ugly before, with those small, blunt teeth; that oversized, bald body; those ridiculously small ears! Now you are beautiful indeed, as any monkey in the jungle will tell you." The Monkey King laughed, holding the bamboo flute in one hand. "And if you will excuse me, I must return this to its rightful owner."

"Wait, don't go! You must change me back."

But she was speaking to the wind. He was already gone.

Back to top of page