At the mention of my eyes, my father leapt up like a fugitive offered amnesty, immediately asking, "Master Liu, are his eyes worse?" The genuine concern on his face was something that I didn’t often see in my father. It was heartwarming. I think Master Liu thought so too.

​

He took a deep breath and let out a calm sigh, saying, "His eyes will never be worse or better. This isn’t a condition that is easily treatable. I don't want to lie to you. I’ll have to take your son far away for several years if you want him to be fully cured."

​

I hadn’t seen my father nervous like that in my life. He rushed to the next question. "Is there a guaranteed way to cure him?"

​

Master Liu touched my head and he continued, "Yes, but it will be quite difficult."

​

The master saw the deep well of concern in my father’s eyes and laughed. "Don't worry.” He cajoled, “I don't kidnap children. Your son will not be a Taoist. After I cure his disease and our business is concluded I will send him back to you."

​

A glint of relief owned my father’s expression for a moment before he returned to his usual composed self.

​

The lunatic was right next to me, “Whoa, I’d almost forgotten he was there,” I thought, suddenly shouted. I jumped onto Master Liu in fright.

​

Zhao Laohei and my father were frightened too, but neither dared to ask Master Liu directly. All three of us stared at the wise old man. He calmly touched my head, "It is okay. Dark forces have oppressed him for a long time. The foul air in his chest took hold of his spirit. He needs to expel what has been done to him."

​

Master Liu gave his cup to the loon. The foul smelling man drank it all in one go. As he put the cup down he began to cough, spurting water droplets around the room. The strange man bent over, exhaling aggressively.

​

Master Liu smiled at him. "Cough.” He said. “After you exhale all the dirty air in you, you’ll be comfortable once more."

​

"Master Liu, have you removed whatever entity was oppressing this man?” Zhao Laohei inquired.

“Oh no,” Master Liu shook head, saying "No. When I arrived at the village cliff I stumbled upon this man. I saw the dark thing upon his back and was surprised. The spirit must have sensed me as well and it hid before I could do anything more.”  

​

Zhao Laohei was stunned. "That’s the same spirit that killed Wang Qi’s dog! It didn't hurt this man? What kind of darkness is it?"

​

Zhao Laohei asked his questions tentatively, but Master Liu replied with a comforting smile, "He would not hurt human beings with me so close. Most spirits like these have accumulated a good amount of ferocity. They’re foul, angry, monstrous things. The longer they lurk with unresolved problems the fiercer they become. It is lucky for you that I am here to stop him.” One could almost feel the confidence leaking from the old man.

​

“Will you…stop him?” My father asked before Zhao Laohei could.

​

"I will do my best." He replied.

​

The men continued to talk while my mother entered the room and served tea.  

​

Master Liu got along well with us and shot back quick-witted answers to the infinite questions Zhao Jie and I pitched him. It was almost normal, despite the crazed man sitting beside him, muttering and coughing every now and again.

​

When the food was laid out on the table the lunatic was so hungry that he almost destroyed half of the dishes set out. I watched him demolish our food and I was immediately angry with him. I looked to my mother to see if she was mad as well, but she was looking to Master Liu for his reaction. The old man simply watched as the green fellow munched along. The room was uncomfortably silent.

​

After the meal, Master Liu took the lunatic to the spare room where he had stayed the previous year. We maintained the room just as he’d left it, knowing he would return.

​

As the strange pair went into the side room, I turned to invite Zhao Yuan and Zhao Jie to play in the yard. We were deciding which game to play when Master Liu called me. I turned reluctantly to go into the room. The smell emanating from the strange man was clouding out of the doorway. More afraid of disappointing Master Liu, I took a deep breath to bolster my courage and went to him.

​

The strange man was sitting in a chair by the corner of the room. Master Liu grabbed my hand and pulled me through the doorway. He dragged me to his side and called to Zhao Yuan and Zhao Jie who were watching from beyond the doorway, "Go to the other room children. If I catch you spying, you won’t get a chance to eat any ice cream later." His tone was playful, but it didn’t match the look on his face.

I couldn’t expect them to turn down ice cream. Zhao Yuan and Zhao Jie obediently turned and went to find their father.

​

The house felt very empty when they left. I turned to Master Liu, "Godfather, what do you want me to do?"

​

Master Liu smiled and patted the bed for me to sit. He took out a paper bag and showed me the two cakes inside. My mouth started watering instantly.

​

“Here you go. I picked this up on my way here.” He told me and then raised a finger to his lips. “There isn’t enough for all three of you. Don't tell the others.”

​

I nodded eagerly and took the small delicacy.

​

"Do you still wear the jade pendant that I gave you?" He asked while I gorged on the treat.

​

I nodded, my mouth stuffed full. With a freshly sticky hand I took out the jade trinket from inside my shirt. The soft red rope it hung on swung dramatically when it came free. Master Liu reached out a wizened hand and touched it, saying, "Good, good. Keep wearing it. Don't take it off."

​

I nodded again and a crumb of cake rolled down my chest and onto the floor. The man sitting in the corner stretched his hand and gathered the morsels, popping them into his mouth without pause. He smiled at me, seemingly asking for more.

​

My appetite plummeted. I frowned at the smelly man and handed him the remainder of the cake.

Master Liu watched us with a removed intensity. He nodded, saying, "You’re a good boy with the heart of a Taoist. Alas, it is such pity…" He trailed off.

​

I’d stopped counting how many times he’d told me that. I knew nothing would come from it.

​

“Why is he here?” I asked, gesturing to the crazed man in the room. “Why would you bring him here?”

Master Liu looked out the window. “The foul spirit that has latched onto him can’t influence the poor man if I am here. He must stay close to me until we catch the ghost responsible.”

​

“What does he want?” I asked, meaning the man, not the spirit.

​

"I am not sure.” Master Liu, seeming to catch my intent, replied, “He is mad, you know. Even if he could explain his thoughts, I doubt we’d understand. Perhaps we will find our answers after we catch what’s driven him so.”

​

"Oh." And then I kept silent.

​

That afternoon Master Liu took us to the western village for ice cream. When we passed the sharp turn, I looked over to the cliff. I neither felt, nor saw a presence. “Maybe we frightened it away.” I thought.

We had a simple dinner later in the evening. Over the meal, Master Liu explained to my parents that we’d be going to the Wang’s house. “Of course he will come with us.” He said, gesturing to the mad man who was sitting in the corner of the rooming humming to himself. My parents looked relieved.

​

“I’ll come with you too,” My father offered, and Master Liu nodded.

​

"That would be good. I’m not familiar with your village these days. It’ll be easier if you lead the way." he told my father.  

​

We took the long way. My father led our small party. The green man, as I’d come to think of him, followed behind Master Liu like a lost puppy. I tried to keep some distance between us as we rounded the western edge of the village. The cliff face was in the distance to our left.

​

“Should we shy away from that?” Asked my father.

​

Master Liu said, "No. I'm here. Whatever lurks there won’t challenge us tonight."

​

I moved closer to Master Liu. The old man smiled reassuringly at me and hoisted me onto his shoulders. From atop the tall man I could see the cliff and clearing much more clearly.

​

No moon shone in the sky and my father led the way by torchlight. The cliff was dark and ominous in the distance. I strained my eyes, looking for anything unusual. I didn’t see, but felt eyes tracking our progress. Of the four of us, I felt the eyes were burning holes into me in particular.

​

My shoulders began to shake, so I hunkered down closer to Master Liu. I pulled my eyes from the cliff and followed my father’s gait as he walked.

​

"Don't worry. I am here." Master Liu comforted.

​

We had gone off the road and kept as far from the cliff as manageable. The darkness ahead seemed to deepen. I felt another tremble of fear creep up from my stomach and clutch at my beating heart. “Something is watching us,” I thought to myself, “I’m sure of it.”

​

The lunatic laughed, as if hearing my fears.

​

“Whoa,” called my dad, looking around in confusion.

​

“What is it?” I asked.

"This is strange. How did we get back to the cliff? The buildings were right…" My dad gestured to his right, where the edge of town should have been.

​

He stopped speaking, but we all understood.

​

The lunatic let loose a rumbling chain of cackles. It echoed off the cliff ahead of us.

​

My skin went cold at the sound.

​

Master Liu snorted derisively. He spoke to all of us, "Don't move. This bastard is playing tricks on us. He mustn’t want to live."

​

The master’s feet began to trace a rite of Taoism, holding my legs tightly to his chest so I wouldn’t fall. He began to murmur something that sounded like the word ‘clear’ again and again.

​

The sensation of being watched prickled the back of my neck. “It’s behind me…” I thought.

​

The master stopped his feet and the air fell silent. Even the green man was still. My dad broke the quiet, "Master Liu, are we safe?"

​

Master Liu nodded and said, "It’s fine. Something was covering our eyes, just now. Trying to lead us where it wanted. The route you took is nothing but a false memory."

​

My dad had a hand on his chest, “Oh.” He said simply.

​

"Were my eyes covered too?" I asked him.

​

Master Liu’s voice sounded like he was grinning. I couldn’t see his face from where I sat. "Ghosts cover your mind’s eye, not the ones on your face."

​

The green man laughed another chorus of raucous noise that filled the night air.