Ning came to see me the other day and said he felt very concerned about Ah Hoe. The old man seemed to be suffering from dementia and Ning was worried that something might happen to him.
"Just the other day, he got up at midnight, thinking it was already dawn and went outside to gather wood," said Ning. "Luckily I was around and took him back to the hut. Then just yesterday, he forgot to put the veg in the burgers. It was a good thing I checked, otherwise we might have received complaints from our customers."
"Well, at his age, it's only natural for him to be forgetful," I said.
Ning nodded and sighed. "I was thinking maybe we should think of putting him in a care home? He will be safe there and well looked after."
"Oh, I don't think he would like that, Ning," I said. "You know how he loves being with nature and being cooped up in a stuffy old home will only make him depressed."
"You're right, Da, I guess I shall have to spend more time with him."
Two weeks after that conversation, I was alarmed when Ning came running to the temple and said that Ah Hoe had gone missing! He had searched everywhere for him but couldn't find him nor had anybody seen him. There had been many incidents of old people in the village getting lost and unable to find their way home and this is what Ning had been afraid of, especially now that many pandemic restrictions had been lifted and people are moving about more freely.
Two days later, we were surprised but relieved to see Ah Hoe at the temple gates. He looked very tired, like he hadn't slept for days. We hastily took him inside and gave him a cup of hot tea. After he had rested a while, Head Nun asked him what happened.
At first, he was rather confused, then he slowly poured out his story. He had gone to the forest to gather wood one morning, then lost his way and found himself in a different part of the forest where he had never been before. Then all of a sudden, he was attacked by a stray dog. It was foaming in the mouth and had sores all over its body. It bit his leg and though the poor man put up a fight, he couldn't fend it off. He finally collapsed and passed out.
"When I woke up," continued Ah Hoe. "I found myself in a hut and there was this woman busy brewing something in a huge pot. There was a strong smell of herbs and as she stirred the pot, she was muttering something. When she saw I had woken up, she laughed and said she was preparing a special brew for me to heal my wounds."
Ah Hoe paused, then continued.
"The concoction she gave me was a horrible green in colour and at first I refused to drink it especially when she told me she had put in frogs, spiders, snake skin and goodness knows what else! But she insisted and in the end I swallowed it, thinking I would probably die after taking it. I think I must have fainted after that. When I woke up again, I found to my astonishment that the wound on my leg had miraculously healed, there was no more pain and I could actually get up and walk!"
"OMG, is she some kind of witch? What did she look like?" I whispered.
Ah Hoe shrugged. "Well, she's definitely not from the village. I don't know how to describe her, she was neither young nor old, she had a look of her own, quite unlike most women I know. She could have been a witch, I don't know..."
"Then what happened?" Ning asked, getting excited.
"Well, she told me I could go home but I told her I didn't know where I was. She said not to worry, she would send help to guide me back. Then, just as I left the hut, I realised I had not thanked her for saving my life, so I turned back and was shocked to find that the whole hut together with her had completely vanished! There was nothing there, just empty space! I stood there dazed, then I heard someone call my name. It was a guy from the village who had been searching for me. Like the woman said, she had sent help for me. And that's how I found my way back to the temple."
It was an incredible story and for Ah Hoe, an experience he said he would never forget.
"Oh, I forgot something," said Ah Hoe. "Just as I left the hut, she said something strange."
"What did she say?" we cried in unison.
"She said, 'Tell that cat friend of yours who lives in the temple that I still remember him, though he has forgotten me.' Da, I believe she was referring to you. I don't know of any other cat who lives in a temple. And stranger still, how did she know you're my friend?"
I was stunned. I couldn't recall knowing a woman living in a hut in the forest. But what Ah Hoe said about the woman brewing all that gruesome stuff in a pot did ring a bell but my mind was too hazy to figure things out clearly.
Baffled, I asked whether Ah Hoe could one day take me to the place where the hut stood. He agreed and said he would do his best to remember the way.
So we were on our way one morning to the site of the hut that had mysteriously disappeared. Unfortunately Ah Hoe couldn't quite remember where it was and we went in circles for most of the morning. Finally, we arrived at the grotto, the place where the statue of my old friend, the Forest Queen stood. I hadn't been there for nearly two years since the pandemic began as Head Nun forbade us to leave the temple. I must admit that since the onset of the pandemic, she had been far from my mind but I was happy to see that her statue was still in good condition despite the ravages of sun, wind and rain.
Then I heard Ah Hoe gasp, "Who is that, Da? Did you say the Forest Queen? Da, she's the one who saved my life!"
I was astounded.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure! I can remember that face so clearly! Da, I have not thanked her properly for saving me. Let me pick those wild flowers and offer them to her."
There were some wild lilies growing in the area and he placed them at the foot of the statue while gratefully expressing his thanks.
As for me, I could have kicked myself. Of course it was the Forest Queen who had saved Ah Hoe, who else could brew a magic potion like hers? Those two years cooped in the temple had made my brain dull and rusty! She was right when she said I had forgotten her. Suddenly memories of the good and bad times we shared flooded my mind and I fell at the foot of her statue, tears streaming from my eyes.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" I cried. "Thank you so much for saving Ah Hoe. Please forgive me for not visiting you for so long. So much has happened since I last saw you, the pandemic, the lockdown, there was so much fear and worry - and I thought you had gone North and was never coming back. I don't blame you for saying I have forgotten you...".
More tears.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. If you are here, speak to me," I pleaded.
I looked up at the trees but there was only silence. I had never felt so disappointed and crestfallen.
"Don't be sad, Da," said Ah Hoe, trying to comfort me as we walked home. "She must have gone back to where she belongs. Can you tell me more about her, this Forest Queen? Is she a witch?" he asked.
"She's a wonderful woman," I said, smiling through my tears. "Wonderful but a bit eccentric. We went through so much together! Let me begin from the beginning ...."
If Da had turned back to look, he would have seen the statue of the Forest Queen come alive. He would have heard her mutter indignantly "Eccentric! How dare he call me eccentric!" He would then have seen her face soften as she whispered "Take good care of yourself, cat" before she disappeared in a strong gust of wind that shook the branches of the surrounding trees and sent their leaves tumbling down to the ground ....
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