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Little Monkey

‘What was the total loss?’ asked an annoyed Féi láng. He was in-charge of the docks for the Huān gang.

He went by this monicker which was a pretty accurate description of him, ‘Fat Wolf.’ He looked docile, like a man given to much drinking and eating. He was particular about his clothes and ensured he was always well groomed. He did not like any dirt on his person or clothes. He was soft spoken, and anyone would have mistaken him to be a humble businessman. Nothing could have been further from the truth. He was a ruthless killer and loved getting creative in how he disposed those who offended him. His cunning was legendary and once you were on his hit list, it was a matter of time before his pack got you trapped and in their hold.

‘Not… not much. But there were signs that someone had targeted the goods,’ his underling reported. He was trembling for good reason. Féi láng was nonchalantly wiping his perfectly manicured hands clean after disposing the two, errant guards who had failed him. There was no room for mistakes, and their pleas were useless.

‘Hmmm… which gang?’ the Wolf asked with a poker face as he continued examining his hands and cleaning them of residual blood that had splattered on them.

‘Not one we know of. We found this fox mark on one of the bamboos,’ the frightened underling continued as he passed the bamboo piece to Féi láng’s bodyguard.

‘I do not care about the loss, but they dared to go against me. Find out everything and apprehend the whole lot. We must make an example of them so that no one makes the mistake of going against us again,’ he said as he proceeded to clean his dagger.

Had the Wolf known that these were nothing more than the feeble attempts of a vengeful boy, he would have lost face. He would have hunted the child down himself. It was good that the Wolf had not caught the scent of the Shadow Fox who remained safe for now.

Yǐngzi waited outside the gambling house which was owned by the Huān gang. If he must strike, he will have to wait a little longer. In about an hour, the desperate people would visit the place after their daily work was done. Yǐngzi sat by the street drawing on the sand with a stick that he had picked up. The hawkers were going about their business unaware of the Shadow Fox lurking in their midst.

A girl, just a couple of years younger than Yǐngzi performed acrobatics for those willing to stop for a while. There was a small, dented metal plate for them to give her money as they saw fit.

Yǐngzi had two lotus paste baos. He lazily nibbled on one as he watched her flexible moves. As the gamblers started trickling into the den, he got up to follow them inside. He placed the uneaten bao in her plate and made his way to the back of the den. He swiftly climbed over the wall and got inside the backyard where the clothes of the workers were drying. Yǐngzi grabbed some cleaning rags and made his way into the den where he was easily mistaken for one of the children who were used to clean the place.

Unknown to him, the girl had followed him inside after scaling the wall effortlessly. She had safely hidden the money and the bao in her little bag which was fastened across her shoulder. The gambling den was a good place to steal money as the patrons were often deeply absorbed in their games and the crowds pressed in on every side. She just had to steal from one person and ensure she did not return to the same den for a few months. She targeted the big winners and always stole just a few gold coins which were a negligible loss for such spenders in a day of gambling.

Yǐngzi was just seeking to make some trouble. If money could be made out of it, he would not turn down the opportunity, but he was not here for the purpose of stealing. He took his cloth and basin and went from table to table.

At first, he pretended to accidentally topple a few drinks and ruin the clothes of patrons. He quickly apologized and kept moving around to avoid drawing attention while seeking the perfect opportunity.

The acrobatic thief was more successful. She managed to get under the tables. She was an expert in stealing things. Within her first hour, she managed to steal a few jade pendants that were hanging from the waists of their owners who were too busy at the gambling tables to pay attention to such things. In addition, she managed to grab a roast chicken thigh and a couple of baos left unattended by those who had ordered them. She just needed to get a few gold coins, and she could call it a day.

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The Shadow Fox saw that the place depended heavily on the light from many candles. If he could topple just one of the stands that held them, he could create enough of a mayhem to ruin their business for the day. He needed a plan to spread the fire so that it could cause enough damage to the gambling den before they found a way to deal with it. He also could not afford to get caught by anyone.

He observed the translucent curtains that formed the décor of the interiors. While beautiful with light embroidery, they were made of a highly flammable material. They hung over the windows and draped over their own rods elegantly. The artisans had extended the drapes all the way to a central point in the ceiling from where a large chandelier of candles hung majestically. If he could get one of the curtains on fire, it would spread fast and burn through the hemp cords holding the central chandelier.

‘Bunch of fools!’ he thought to himself amused that they used such an inflammable material in such proximity to exposed flames. ‘Who cares? It works in my favor!’ he said to himself.

Yǐngzi, the dreaded Shadow Fox of mayhem got his game plan ready. After checking many times to ensure no one noticed him, he quickly opened one of the windows. It was a windy evening, and he knew he could trust the wind to play with the long, flammable drapes. Then he made his way back into the crowd to see what would happen. His planning worked. Inevitably, the wind blew the curtain towards the large stand of candles nearest to it.

The candle stand was a work of art in itself. It stood taller than a full-grown man and was shaped as the antlers of a large stag. There were many of these around the room close to each closed window. All were connected at the central chandelier. Before anyone had the time to react, the drape closest to the opened window caught fire. While people still played at the tables, the fire swiftly spread overhead and from there, down the cords of the central chandelier and the other curtains that were all linked to the centre.

Those who smelled the burning material and saw the fire spreading, yelled and panicked. The place was crowded and the patrons grabbed what they could, including what they did not win, as they fled to the only exit in the front.

What transpired next was totally unexpected. The Shadow Fox was not aware that the Huān gang had kept some boxes of illegal gun powder near the steps that led to an underground area where only gang members could enter. They were in the process of moving the boxes to the docks. Once the fire reached those boxes, it was total mayhem that caused a dangerous stampede. The patrons were immersed in fear of being blown to shreds.

The Shadow Fox was trying to squeeze through the crowd and make his escape when he caught a swift movement in his peripheral vision. He thought there was someone swiftly moving between tables and grabbing a few gold coins. He swiftly moved back towards the tables and spotted the girl he had seen outside.

He caught up with her. ‘What the hell do you think you are doing here? Do you know how dangerous it is? Come, get out soon or you will be crisper than that chicken thigh!’ he told her half-joking but deadly serious.

She did not speak a word. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a hole in the wall. The gun powder must have sent something heavy flying against that part of the wall with considerable force, causing a hole in a part of it.

Before they could climb out, the Shadow Fox paused and grinned. He looked around. Everyone was too busy running around to bother with these two children. He used a fallen stone covered in black soot to leave behind the mark of the fox, his little sign that he had wrought vengeance for Jùn-er and all the innocent victims of the Huān gang.

Once out of the burning building, the two miscreants fled towards the dog hole in the wall behind the quarters meant for the slaves of the gang. They did not stop. The rush of adrenalin stirred them swiftly out of the dog hole and into the cold, windy streets outside. They could hear the sound of angry gangsters and panicked patrons fussing over their losses while the crowd tried hard to put out the fire that now engulfed the whole den. It danced eerily in a reddish-orange glow casting strange shadows around the surrounding buildings.

He grabbed the hand of the acrobatic thief who stood there staring at him with curiosity. She had seen what he did and wondered at his motives. She would never have taken such a risk. Both of them fled back to the quiet hallways of the dead, the familiar cemetery where Yǐngzi slept away from the dangers of the traffickers.

Once there, they hid behind the tombstones. They waited for awhile to see if there was anyone following them. When the coast was clear, Yǐngzi asked the girl, ‘So, what is your name?’ She kept silent. When he asked her again, she picked up a broken branch and wrote these words in the sand, ‘They call me Little Monkey.’

‘Oh?’ Yǐngzi replied. ‘You are mute? Just as well. I do not like too much chatter because I chatter too much myself. A friend who listens sounds good to me! Wait here,’ he said as he quickly disappeared between some other stones.

After what seemed like an eternity but was not longer than half an hour, he returned with food scavenged from the offerings people left for their departed relatives.

‘I hope you do not mind these,’ he told Little Monkey as he gave her the food. ‘It is all I have here in my home. I usually eat outside before I return. The things I eat may cause you to have a stomach-ache. Here, this food is fresh and clean.’

She smiled gratefully at him and broke the savoury cakes in half, sharing them with him. They were happy and felt safe with each other, away from the chaotic world and times around them. Eventually, they fell asleep as they lay beside each other watching the shooting stars in their flight across the night sky.