Ying Ying

After the storms had settled down and the porch of Lao Lo's hut had been repaired, thanks to his friend, Ah Hoe, I stayed on with Ning at his request.  There was really nothing much to do each day except chat and laze by the river.  Ning had become quite adept at catching fish, something he learnt from Lao Lo but of course, being a vegetarian, I refrained from eating them!

One evening, it started to rain again.  We decided to have an early supper and then go to bed.  It was then that we heard a noise at the window.  We looked up and to our surprise, saw a young girl standing there.  Her face was dirty and her hair unkempt.  Ning took a closer look at her and said, "Da, it's the girl from the market!  She was the one who gave Bones and I some crumbs!"

He scrambled up to open the door and asked her to come in.  She hesitated, then stepped warily into the hut.  She must have been no more than twelve or thirteen.

"Come in out of the rain and make yourself at home," said Ning.  "Is there anything we can do for you?"

The girl looked shyly at us but was too afraid to speak.

"Look, you must be hungry," said Ning.  "We've got some vege soup, here, help yourself!"

The girl's eyes lighted up and she immediately tucked into the bowl of soup which Ning placed before her.  We watched her eat and after she had finished, she said very softly, "Thank you.  I haven't eaten for many days."

She looked so helpless and forlorn that we felt sorry for her and said she could sleep at the hut for the night, since it was still raining.

"Oh, please, may I?"  she whispered.

"Of course," said Ning.  He tidied up Lao Lo's bed and she slipped into it and soon fell asleep.

"Poor thing,"  I said, looking at her.  "You know, we're pretty lucky, Ning, we have lots to eat and a place to stay.  This poor girl has nothing."

"I know, I know," said Ning.  "I think I will go to the market place tomorrow and see if I can find out more about her, what do you say?"

"Good idea," I replied. 

Ning left early for the market the next day while I stayed back to make breakfast.  We had only bread and some vege stuff but it was a feast for Ying Ying.  When she had finished everything on her plate, she said she would gladly clean up the hut in payment for the meals we gave her.  When Ning came back later, he signalled me to go outside to talk.

"Da, I spoke to a few people in the market place and they said they don't know who she is or where she came from.  She just hangs around the place but apparently none of the folks there are willing to help her.  A few times they caught her stealing bread but then I expect she must have been very hungry. They're also rather superstitious, they think she's some evil spirit come to harm them!"

"What?" I gasped. "Poor girl!  Maybe we should listen to her side of the story."  I said. 

We went back inside the hut and found that Ying Ying had cleaned and tidied up the place better than we could ever have done!  It was then that we asked her to tell us something about herself.  She sat down on the floor and slowly she poured out her story.

"I am so grateful to you both for helping me.  You are the only two kind souls I have met for a long time."  She paused and we could see a glint of tears in her eyes.  "My father left us when I was quite small and my mother worked hard to take care of me.  After she died, I was left alone in this world and since then, I have been wandering around hoping for someone who would be kind to me and love me like her own daughter, but the people in the market place don't like me; they won't even give me a bite to eat when I'm hungry, so I had to steal sometimes.  Oh, how I wish my mother was here. ..."  She then burst into tears and sobbed uncontrollably.

Ning and I looked at each other, not knowing what next to say.  Finally, Ning spoke up.

"Look, you're welcome to stay here with us, at least until Lao Lo comes back.  He's away in China at the moment but I'm sure he wouldn't mind.  We shall be happy to share our meals with you and I can even teach you how to fish so that you need never go hungry!"

"Do...do you really mean it?"  she gasped, wide-eyed.

"Of course," we both said together.

That was the start of many happy days that Ying Ying spent with us.  As Ning promised, he took her fishing and showed her how to catch fish.  Soon she learnt to cook and to prepare our meals.  It was delightful to hear her childish laughter and the little songs she sang when she cooked.  In the evenings we would sit outside the hut and I would tell her stories of the Buddha.  She listened to every word and told us that she had never been so happy as now.

Unfortunately, word soon got round that she was staying with us and one day, to our horror, a group of people from the market place stormed into the hut, demanding that we get rid of her.

"She's evil, she'll cause you great harm, don't let her stay with you.  You two cats are too stupid to see the truth!"  they said. They went on and on but we stood our ground until one evening, Ying Ying approached us, a worried look on her face.

"Dearest cats," she said, hugging both of us close to her.  "I love you both and I don't want any harm to come to you.  Those people in the market place are very angry and they might do just anything, maybe even burn down this hut.  So I think it's time I take my leave.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the love and joy you have given me.  I have never been so happy in all my life since my mother's death nor have I been treated so kindly as you two have treated me.  My heart which yearned for love for so long is now filled with bliss. No more shall I be sad and lonely.  I can now go home and rest ...."

"Home?"  asked Ning, quite baffled.

Ying Ying smiled.  "My home is further down the road, near the small pond.  You can visit me anytime you like.  Goodbye, goodbye  ...."  With that she ran quickly out of the hut and disappeared before we could stop her.

"I'm going to miss that kid," said Ning, looking sadly out of the window.

"Let's go see her tomorrow at her home," I suggested and Ning readily agreed.

We set off the next morning and followed the road that led to the pond.

"I don't understand, I thought she said she had no one here," said Ning, looking rather confused.

"Yes, I'm quite puzzled too but we'll find out soon," I said.  It was a very long walk to the pond and when we reached it, we couldn't see a house or any signs of life there.  There were only trees and more trees.  It was a very remote part of the forest which few people had crossed.  We decided to walk on a bit further.

"There's nothing out here, Da," said Ning as we passed an old cemetery.  "Do you think ... Da, what is it?"

I had stopped dead in my tracks and was staring at an old tombstone near the roadside.

"L..Look!" I said, pointing to the tombstone, a shudder going up my spine.  It was an old tombstone covered with moss but the picture on it could still be seen.  It was the picture of Ying Ying and the words engraved below it read:

"Here lies Ying Ying, Age 12
Parents Unknown
May she rest in eternal peace
in Heaven with the angels"

"Ning, this ... this is her "home" ....."  I whispered shakily.

Ning nodded, unable to speak. It was only then that we realized with shock that we had been friends with a ghost - a lonely, little ghost who could not rest in peace because she wanted so much to be loved.

Ning, as usual, was first to recover.  "May you always be happy, Ying Ying," he said softly as he placed a wild flower on top of her tombstone.  We stood for a while in silent prayer and then headed home.

Ying Ying was never seen at the market place again.

  

"May you always be happy, Ying Ying," said Ning softly.