They had walked a long, long time up the mountain. Mei Hua had no idea where Ye was taking her, but she really fervently wished they were there already. Her ratty shoes provided little in the way of foot protection.
They walked past a big boulder and she blinked. That boulder looked very familiar…
“…did we pass this boulder already?” She finally asked Ye.
“Hm? Did we?” He asked her back, tilting his head.
“Wouldn’t you know? I thought fairies know every inch of the mountain.”
Ye nodded silently for a moment before saying, “Is that so?”
She stopped walking. Gently putting her little hands around Ye, who’d been sitting on her shoulder, she brought him to eye height.
“We aren’t…” Mei Hua squinted her eyes suspiciously at him. “…lost are we?”
The fairy suddenly did not look her in the eyes.
“WE ARE?! But… but… Mother said fairies can’t get lost! She said so!”
“Parents have been known to be wrong, from time to time.” Ye replied, still not looking her in the face.
“Oh no!” Mei Hua cried out, despairing. “What are we to do? I was depending on you to know the way! If you don’t know then what will happen to me?”
“AH!” Ye suddenly pointed excitedly behind her. “Look there! A path!”
The little girl turned to where he was pointing and her eyes widened. Sure enough, there was a path. Where had that come from? It hadn’t been there when she’d passed by originally.
“Let’s see where the path leads!” The fairy suggested happily, bouncing in her grip.
Mei Hua hesitated for a moment, then sighed, and started down the path. There was something fishy about the path showing up when it did. But, well, things were known for being odd in this place. Even the animals were said to be almost as clever as people.
That’s what her Mother had said. But considering she’d said fairies don’t get lost…
She’d barely walked 5 minutes when the path opened up into a cleared area of the forest. The forest floor was covered in flowers, with dozens of butterflies hovering over them, and rays of light shining through the nearby trees. It was very beautiful and for a moment Mei Hua was so moved by it that she ignored everything else.
“Look there.” Ye said, poking her face to get her attention.
Mei Hua blinked, realizing that just beyond the flowers was a steep, vertical rock wall. In the unnaturally smooth rock wall was a cave. Or, more precisely, a door shaped cave.
The little girl walked forward curiously. When they were right next to the cave entrance, she saw that it led deeper in. On the right and left of this rock hallway was moss that glowed. It gave just enough light so that a person wouldn’t stumble.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
“Should we go in?” Mei Hua asked, slightly anxious.
“I believe it’s safe.”
Nodding, Mei Hua walked farther in. It was only a few steps and a turn and she found a real door before her. It was made of a solid piece of wood, with a wood ring for a handle.
The little girl, having been raised properly, knocked on the door and called out “Excuse me!” After a moment no one answered and so she knocked again, but louder. There was still no response.
“I don’t think anyone’s home.” Said Ye with some amusement. “Let’s just go inside.”
“Oh but… but what if the person who lives here gets upset with a stranger entering their home without permission?”
The amused looked on Ye’s face faltered. He suddenly looked away from her, his body trembling slightly.
“Ye? Ye are you alright?”
The little fairy stiffened and then let out a long sigh. When he turned back to her, his face was relaxed and there was a twinkle in his eye.
“Not to worry, not to worry. I know who lived here. They won’t mind.”
“They won’t? Oh! Why didn’t you say so before? I’ll just—-” She paused and frowned. “Wait… know the person… did you know how to get here all along?!”
Ye covered his face and laughed uproariously.
“Why didn’t you tell me you knew?! Why did you pretend to be lost?! That was mean!” She stomped her foot angrily.
The fairy was still chuckling, wiping a tear away. “Now, now, don’t be upset. I couldn’t tell you how to get here.”
“What?”
“The only way to get here is to get lost.”
Seeing her absolutely confused expression, he cheerfully explained: “This is the Traveler’s Cave, and the path to it is enchanted. You have to get lost for the path to show up. After that, as long as you need it, you can come and go freely. The path will always find you and lead you back. Isn’t it nifty? It’s great for people who get lost in the mountains.”
“..that just seems stupidly complicated..” Muttered Mei Hua, still a little upset.
“I didn’t make the rules, I just know how to bend them.” Ye said, unrepentant and smiling.
The little girl rolled her eyes. Walking up to the door, she grabbed hold of the wood ring and pulled. With surprising ease the door opened.
Inside was a long rectangular room. On one side a bed was carved into the wall, with a fluffy looking mattress and blankets neatly folded. The bed was perfectly sized for Mei Hua. Across from it was a fireplace, and around that were many different items that could be used for cooking. Lit lanterns lined the wall, so that even without sunlight, the place was very bright.
Further along there were square shaped holes in the smooth walls. Each hole held something different. Jars, thick bolts of plain fabric, something that appeared to be used for wrapping wounds, the list went on. The Jars were filled with different things. Some had thread, some had needles. Others had food: rice, seeds, dried berries and vegetables.
Beyond the little storage nooks, stone poked out of the wall into the shape of a basin. A hole just above it poured out crystal clear water, and a hole in the center of the basin drained it. The basin was always filled with fresh, running water.
Across from this was another small room with a very tall ceiling, it’s walls also lined with hanging lanterns. This room was filled with steamy water. The lantern light refracted off the steam, giving the whole room a strange eerie glow. It appeared to be an entire room dedicated to bathing.
Another room, next to it, had a simple hole in the floor. She walked up to it and scratched her head, trying to guess what the random hole in the floor was for.
When Mei Hua stared at it for several minutes, perplexed, Ye spoke up:
“It’s for garbage and pooping!”
“O-oh… uh… I guess… that’s good…” The little girl blushed and hastily left the tiny room. It certainly hadn’t smelled like an outhouse. Or was this an in-house since it was inside?
At the very back was a low wood table. And on the table was an ink stone, brush, and blank paper scrolls, clearly meant for writing. Above it were innumerable storage holes in the wall, and each was filled with scrolls.
Mei Hua kept staring up and up, but the stored scrolls just seemed endless.
“That,” Ye explained. “Is the entire history of the mountain.”