Shen Xisa lay supine in a bed of long grass by a riverbank. Though the air was laden with water, there was not a cloud in the sky to shield her from the oppressive rays of the sun. The rushing of river rapids drowned out all other noise, even the sound of her own breathing. She felt a bead of sweat slide uncomfortably down her face and drip into her ear. Her stomach throbbed with a dull pain. She pursed her lips, her tongue a dry rock in her mouth.

With immense effort, the little nine-year old sat up, a soft groan escaping her chapped lips. She knew the water would be silty and muddy and probably unhealthy, but she no longer cared. Xisa crawled her way through the grass and kneeled at the muddy edge of the river. Her sallow face reflected in the water, staring back at her with pitch black eyes.

Brown liquid swirled into Xisa’s cupped palms when she lowered her hands, looking simultaneously disgusting and refreshing. She brought the water to her lips and poured the gritty fluid down her throat.

As she continued gulping down the silty water, Xisa’s vision began to phase in and out of focus, the dizziness she had been holding at bay finally overwhelming her senses. She felt herself falling forward and made to steady herself, arms outstretched, hands splayed out in front of her. But the water’s current even at the edge of the river was vicious, the muddy rocks in the riverbed slippery, and before she could even register what had happened, the rapids had grasped her scrawny wrists and dragged her face-first into the river.

Muddy water rushed and roared past her ears, streaming into her nose and mouth, stinging her eyes. She flailed her arms and legs, trying to regain her balance, realizing quickly that her whole body was submerged. She broke through the surface and gasped for air, only for waves to crash and spill into her mouth again, causing her lungs to splutter and heave.

So… this is it, she thought with a resigned weariness, this is how I die.

Just as her consciousness began to slip, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. At first, she felt relieved. But that sweet feeling immediately soured and fear washed over her- what if her family had found her? She tried to struggle free from the person’s grasp, pouring the last of her energy into escaping- it would be better to just let the river take her away than to return with her parents. But no matter what she did, the person remained unperturbed. She was simply too weak to resist.

They burst through the surface of the water, Xisa hanging limply in the mysterious person’s arms. Xisa gasped and coughed weakly, dirty water still splashing into her nose and mouth as this stranger swam her towards the shore. Hair as deeply blueish black as the night sky swirled with the water around them, mingling with Xisa’s own grimy black strands.

Xisa looked up at her rescuer, her head resting limply against the person’s chest. Thin lips with the tint of cherry blossoms pursed in thought, or perhaps concern. Slim brows with a dark elegance contrasted greatly against a porcelain-white face. This person, a woman, peered serenely at the shore with golden-yellow eyes. Xisa had never seen eyes like these before- their color was strange, shining like ginkgo trees in autumn, but more than that, they appeared to have a cataract-like film glossed over their surface, though the woman couldn’t have been older than thirty.

A goddess, Xisa thought passively, a goddess came to rescue me…

And with that thought in her mind, Xisa’s vision blurred to black and all sounds fell away as her mind slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

***

Xisa awoke to the smell of patchouli and someone mumbling incoherently to her left. Memories of falling into a rushing river came flooding back to her and with a panicked heart, she reached a hand to her ribcage. The slimy shape of a frog materialized beneath her fingertips and she sighed with relief.

Yuzan was a Chinese flying frog that had been following her around for the past couple of years now. Xisa frequently hid him under her shirt to keep him safe. For a second, she had worried he might have gotten lost when they fell in the Huai.

Right… the Huai River… and now she was… in a bed?

Xisa slowly opened her eyes, bright light momentarily blinding her, making her squint. Wooden beams gradually came into focus, running along the ceiling above her. Drying herbs hung from the overhead beams in bundles; rosemary, lavender, caraway, thyme, and countless others, some of which she couldn’t identify. She was laying in a bed pushed up against a wall on her right. Bright sunlight shone through the window beside her, illuminating bits of dust floating lazily through the cabin.

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“Ahhh, you’re awake!” cried the sing-songy voice upon seeing Xisa’s open eyes. Xisa turned her head towards the woman walking in her direction.

You’re not the goddess, she thought with bitter disappointment. Indeed, this woman’s appearance had very little in common with that of ‘the goddess.’ Her skin was a dark brown and her lips were full and thick. Large round glasses glinting in the sunlight framed a pair of dark brown eyes, and kinky black hair curled wildly around her face. If the goddess had been strange looking, this woman seemed even stranger.

“Oho!” the woman exclaimed with a hint of laughter in her eyes, “If your scowl got any deeper, I’d be convinced I’d rescued a gargoyle rather than a human girl!”

The woman placed a bowl of something delicious smelling on a table beside them and sat down on the bed next to Xisa.

“Now then, can you sit up?” the weird lady asked in a gentle tone. Xisa wasn’t confident she could raise her arms, much less sit up. But she did not tell this to the woman, opting instead to glare at her suspicious kidnapper. The woman just smiled and lifted Xisa, placing another pillow behind her back so she could sit up comfortably. She then grabbed the bowl on the table and lifted the rim to Xisa’s lips. With the warm and savory smell of the soup in front of her, Xisa forgot about her suspicions and greedily gulped down the contents like a wild animal, not caring when some of its contents dribbled down the sides of her chin. Though the flavors were light and watery, it was the most delicious thing Xisa had tasted in a long time.

As Xisa polished off the last drops of the hot soup, she felt the dull ache in her stomach lessen somewhat.

“Feel better?” the woman asked, dabbing off the corners of the little girl’s mouth with a cloth. Having regained her senses after succumbing to the temptations of soup, Xisa resumed her cold glare at the woman, wondering what her motive was.

“My name is Maisha,” the woman continued, that wide smile still stretched across her face. “What’s yours?”

The two stared silently at each other for a while, Xisa’s glare softening to a more confused look.

At that moment, something slimy and emerald green shot out from beneath the collar of Xisa’s shirt, soaring elegantly through the air before miraculously landing perfectly in the center of Maisha’s face. Xisa stared in horror, moving to grab Yuzan, but so weak and clumsy were her muscles that, while indeed managing to rescue her little friend from the stranger, Xisa nearly toppled out of bed. Maisha caught the falling child, laying her back down against the pillows as her look of surprise melted into one of amusement.

“I see you already have a familiar. Quite the powerful little witch,” Maisha said affectionately, tousling the little girl’s hair. Xisa tried ducking out from under the woman’s hand, like a cat dodging affection, but her efforts were futile. Letting out a puff of air, Xisa warily watched Maisha cross the room and return with a bowl of water.

“For your frog,” she explained, then again left to sit at a round table in what Xisa deduced to be the kitchen area. Yuzan wriggled from her hands and hopped enthusiastically into the bowl.

Xisa peered around the room. Aside from the plethora of drying herbs, also dangling from the ceiling were sprawling plants, shiny trinkets and dimly flickering lanterns. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with mysterious and vibrant texts and knick-knacks, and several colorful paintings and tapestries decorated the house’s interior. She could see a fireplace nearby, a small sofa placed in front of it. A giant tapestry hung above the fireplace, upon which a rich myriad of pinks, blues, purples, reds and greens swum about in a vaguely floral pattern.

In the kitchen area, an ungodly number of shelves covered any space unoccupied by the cabinets and drawers. Filling up the shelves were countless jars and cans and bottles, the contents of which Xisa could not see from where she sat. She realized the house was really only this single room, the kitchen, bedroom, living room, all in one.

Really less of a house and more of a… hut?

Xisa sank back down into the bed, staring up at the beams. The roof seemed to be made of a mess of straw and clay and wood. Still exhausted, the young girl turned her face toward the window, the sunlight warming her. With heavy eyelids, she closed her eyes and let herself fall back asleep.

***

“-need to find Henry since I can’t leave the girl here alone just yet. Really what poor timing.”

Xisa became vaguely aware of voices in the room with her.

“Right, of course not, Ua, your timing was perfect. Here, take this, give it to Henry.”

Who was the weird lady talking to? Xisa opened her eyes only to see Maisha leaving the house, the door closing softly behind her. Xisa frowned. Had someone else been here, or was this woman simply crazy? The young girl let out an anxious sigh. Just what sort of situation had she found herself in this time?

Xisa reached towards her ribcage for Yuzan, wanting to stroke the little frog’s head for comfort. But when her fingers brushed past his usual perch, she shot upright in a panic; Yuzan was missing! Xisa ripped the sheets off herself and twisted around back and forth, searching for her little green friend. It wasn’t until a sharp movement on the bedside table caught her attention that she realized her panic was unwarranted; Yuzan sat there in a bowl of fresh, clean water next to a plate of crackers.

This woman is very considerate of Yuzan, Xisa thought as she shoved the crackers in her mouth, crumbs spilling all over her chest and chin. She glanced out the window and watched as the strange lady pulled weeds in a sprawling vegetable garden outside. Xisa sank back into the bed, her limbs heavy. Maybe… maybe it was okay to rest here… for a little while…