The Brown Cat

 

Story told by Ning

I woke up cold and shivering.  Where was I?  I could see that it was nearly dawn and the day had not begun yet for the humans.  I was astonished to find myself lying on a bench in what looked like a small park.  My head was reeling and felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on it.  Then I saw to my surprise that I was not alone on the bench.  Beside me was a thin, scrawny brown cat.  She was still sleeping until  an early riser walked briskly by and woke her up.

"Oh, I see you're awake," she said, looking at me.

"Hey - what - I mean - how did I get here?  And who are you?"  I asked, dazed.

She smiled slightly, then said, "You were very drunk last night and got into a brawl with a few thugs.  They beat you up and left you by the roadside.  I happened to be passing by and with the help of a kind human, we carried you to this place."

"Oh ... is that so....well, thanks...." 

"You're going to be okay.  No broken bones, just bruises. So I shall be on my way now.  Make sure you don't get yourself in trouble again."

With that, she slipped off the bench and walked quickly away.

"Hey, wait!  I don't even know your name ...."  I cried but she didn't hear me and was soon lost to sight.

I sat for a while on the bench nursing my wounds.  Shit, wait till I get my hands on those bloody blokes!  I got up and staggered back to my hideout.  There was nothing to eat except a few crumbs of bread.  Well, I had to make do with what I got.  I ate the bread, then lay down to sleep.

I didn't know how long I slept but when I woke up, I found to my surprise a packet of food at my doorstep - biscuits and some milk.  Wow, just what I needed!  I was so hungry that I gobbled it all down at once, at the same time wondering who could have left me that food.  Definitely not Da nor Ah Hoe.  They wouldn't have known what had happened to me.

"Thanks, Good Samaritan," I said out loud.  I decided to stay in for the rest of the day to recover.  

Strange to say, I could not get that brown cat out of my mind.  She wasn't attractive or even pretty, in fact she was quite plain looking with a sad little face and dull brown fur.  I had noticed that she had wounds all over her body and walked with a limp, maybe due to some accident but I could see that she was warm hearted and cared about others, quite different from all those vain and conceited felines at the Club.  Behind that sad face there probably lies a sad tale, I thought to myself. I resolved to know her better and help her if I can.

  I also suspected that she must have secretly followed me back to my place and was the one who brought me the food, knowing that I would need it.

So as soon as I felt better, I searched for her one morning in the streets and alleyways of the village but without success.  Those I asked said they had not seen a brown cat anywhere. 

Disappointed, I returned to my hideout.  Then all of a sudden, she appeared. 

"Were you looking for me?" she asked.

"Well, yes," I said, jumping up in surprise.  "I didn't get a chance to thank you properly for helping me and also for the food.  It was you who brought it, wasn't it?"

She nodded and said, "No need for thanks.  I am glad to have helped."

She turned and would have walked away if I hadn't stopped her.

"Wait!  I got some food from the village, why don't you share it with me?"

She hesitated.  I could see she was hungry but didn't want to say so.  Without waiting for an answer, I scooped some food on a dish and offered it to her.  She looked at it, then hungrily started eating.

Later I learnt that her name was Peony (a flower that symbolises wealth and beauty).  I told her about Head Nun and her temple, about Da, Ah Hoe and Mi Mi.  She listened quietly but made no comment.  I was  getting really curious about her and wondered why she didn't want to tell me anything about herself.

"Peony," I began.  "I don't mean to be a busybody but I would very much like to be your friend.  I can see from your injuries that you have been through a hard time.  If you need help, all you have to do is to ask me."

I saw her eyes mist a little, then she said softly, "Thanks, Ning but I haven't got much time left..."

"What?" I asked, startled.  "Why? Are you sick or something?"

Slowly the whole story came out....

"You see, in my previous birth, I was a young girl living with my mother.  She loved cats and had over 20 of them in our house.  But I hated them because they kept climbing over me,  made me sneeze and left their fur all over my clothes.  I used to beat them, starve them, and even strangled a few of them.  When my mother found out, she was so furious that she dragged me to the forest and left me there.  I was scared and started crying for help, then suddenly a voice boomed from above and it said to me, "You wicked, wicked girl!  How  dare you cry for help!  You have been so cruel to those innocent cats in your house, you deserve to be abandoned by your family and severely punished."  And before I knew it, I had changed into a cat!"

"Oh no!" I gasped, shocked.  "Then what happened?"

"The voice, whoever it was, said that I would be in a cat's body for the next three years and that I would suffer the same fate as those cats I tortured.  I would be kicked, beaten, thrashed and endure all kinds of abuse.  At the end of the three years, I would be caught and killed by a gang of dogs. I don't know how I managed to survive this far but it's been nearly three years now and the end is near ...only a few days left...."

"No!" I cried, horrified.  "I can't let that happen to you!  I will protect you, you can stay here with me where you'll be safe!"

Peony shook her head. "No one can save me from this karma even though I have long repented.  They will find me even if I hide here.  I have to pay for my sins and I deserve what is coming to me.  I can only hope that God will be merciful and forgive me when I die."

She got up and said, "Goodbye, Ning.  I hope we can meet again sometime somewhere...." and before I could stop her, she had disappeared down the road.

I didn't know what to do after she had gone.  I just couldn't leave things like that and let her die.  Then I thought of Da.  I ran as fast as I could to the temple and found him in the garden meditating.  

"Da,"  I gasped.  "You've got to help Peony!" and I poured out the whole story to him.  He thought for a while, then said, "I'm sorry, Ning.  Karma is something you can't mess with.  I can only pray for her to attain a better rebirth."

Crestfallen, I returned to my hideout.  For the next few days, I scoured the village and even along the river hoping to find Peony and save her but failed.  Then one morning, as I walked into the village, I saw the street sweeper pick up something from the side of the road and put it into his basket.  When he saw me, he said, "Hey, Ning, one of your friends was attacked by the dogs last night. I just put her in my basket."

I froze in my tracks.  "May ... may I see her?"  I stammered, my heart beating frantically.

It was Peony.  

I told the man that I wanted to bury her and he said go ahead. Later, I sat for a while by the river, looking at the rising sun. 

 "It's all over, Peony."  I whispered, brushing a tear aside. "You're free now.  Be happy.  I know we're going to meet again some day, until then rest in peace."

That night I had a dream of Peony.  I saw her frolicking happily in a field of flowers, then suddenly she changed from a cat into a young girl and a group of angels came and took her away.  They soared high up into the sky, then disappeared.  I knew then that she had been forgiven and would be forever safe and happy in the heavenly realms.

Overcome Anger

Here's another inspiring story for you.... 

Newly-wed Uttara was not very happy in her new household, for although she loved to prepare alms food for the Buddha and his disciples, she was too busy looking after the needs of her new husband to do so. She complained to her father about it and he, feeling sorry for her, sent her some money.

Uttara then asked her husband if she could use it to hire a maidservant who would look after him while she used her own time to prepare alms food for the Buddha and his monks. The husband agreed and a maidservant was employed.

One day, while Uttara was busily preparing food for one of her merit-making ceremonies, her husband happened to pass by the kitchen. Seeing his wife so happily engaged, he thought to himself, “What a foolish little woman! She should be enjoying herself instead of working so hard.” And he smiled at her affectionately.

When the maidservant saw his smile, she forgot that she was only a hired hand, and in a fit of jealousy, took a pot of hot boiling butter from the stove to pour over Uttara.When Uttara realized what the maid was going to do, she made this resolution: “Let the butter scald me only if I bear any ill-will toward my maidservant.”

But ill-will was far from the heart of Uttara. Instead, she felt only loving kind ness and gratitude toward her maid, for Uttara realized that without her, she would not have been able to carry out all of her merit-making activities.

Consequently, the hot butter simply rolled off Uttara’s body like drops of cold water. When Uttara’s attendants realized what the maid had done, they seized her and started hitting her from all sides. Uttara immediately ordered them to stop. The maid then realized that she was in no position to be jealous of Uttara. Feeling ashamed, she asked Uttara for forgiveness.

Later when the Buddha learned what had happened, he praised Uttara for having conquered anger by loving kindness. He further instructed his listeners that abuse should be conquered by non-abuse, selfishness by generosity, and lying by speaking the truth.

Overcome anger through kindness, wickedness through goodness, selfishness through charity, and falsehood through truthfulness.

(From Dhammapada Stories)

With Metta,

Da

The Arrow

Another delightful parable for you ...

The Buddha once asked a student, “If a person is struck by an arrow, is it painful?”

The student replied, “It is.”

The Buddha then asked, “If the person is struck by a second arrow, is that even more painful?”

The student replied again, “It is.”

The Buddha then explained, “In life, we cannot always control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. The second arrow is optional."

With Metta,

Da

The Duel

I was walking past the coop one morning when Bruce Lee came running out and stopped me.

"Vege Cat, wait!" he yelled.

Bruce Lee seldom speaks to me except when he is in trouble or when he wants me to ask a favour from Head Nun for him. So something must be brewing.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Well, for the past few nights, some strange things have been going on here. My hens think that a ghost is haunting the place at night but of course, all that is nonsense.  We've lived here for years and we've never encountered any ghosts!  Even Turkey Lurkey said he didn't hear or see anything."

"Oh, what did the hens see?" I asked, suddenly thinking of HD and PH and wondering whether they had been teasing the hens for their amusement.

"They say they saw ghostly shadows outside the windows and sometimes they heard eerie wailing.  I tried to tell them it's just their imagination but they wouldn't believe me!"

"Well, what do you want me to do?  I'm not some kind of ghost buster, you know,"  I said.

"You could spend a night with us and see for yourself," he said, flapping his wings.

"You must be joking," I said.

"Scared, eh?" he said impatiently.  "Look, all I ask is one night, is that too much?  Just think how happy my girls (his hens) will be if you caught the ghost or whatever!"

"Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do," I replied.  I hastened off before he could say more, sometimes that bird can be very annoying.  

I decided to ask HD and PH whether they had been disturbing the hens but they denied having done that.

"For heaven's sake, why should we bother those silly birds?  We've got better things to do," said HD indignantly.  PH nodded his pumpkin head emphatically in agreement.  I told them what Bruce Lee had told me and they chuckled in amusement.

"I tell you what," said HD.  "We shall help you find out what's going on there, if anything."

"Oh, what do you plan to do?"  I asked, a little nervous.  Not all ghosts are friendly like my two pals here, I certainly wouldn't want to lose my head or any part of my body, for that matter.

"We'll spend the night in the grounds of the coop tonight, the three of us can hide in the old tree there and keep watch."

It sounded like a good plan and though I was scared stiff, I went along and the three of us hid ourselves in the branches of the tree and waited.

It was nearly dawn and nothing had happened.  I could hardly keep my eyes open and was about to nod off when HD nudged me and whispered, "Wake up, I see something in the shadows!" I sat bolt upright and peered through the leaves of the tree.  He was right, something or someone was creeping into the coop compound.  The "ghost" circled the building, then started wailing sending goose pimples up and down my spine!  Then it banged on the windows and made some unintelligible noises.

"Hey, that's not one of us," said HD.  "We ghosts don't do silly things like that and ghosts don't wear a white sheet over their heads!  Come on, PH, let's get him!" and both of them swooped down the tree, landed on the startled "ghost" and pinned it down.  I scrambled after them in the excitement, forgetting my fear of ghosts.

"Alright, you fake," said HD.  "Let's see who you are!"  He ripped off the white sheet that the "ghost" was wearing .and we saw to our astonishment that it was .... a cockerel!

"Let me go!" the cockerel yelled, struggling wildly, not really knowing what had hit him.

Just then, Bruce Lee came out of the coop, probably after hearing the commotion outside.

"What the hell....?" he exclaimed.  "A cockerel!  So you're the bloody culprit!"

(Neither he nor the "ghost" could see HD and PH which was just as well as it saved me from a lot of explanation!)

Then the cockerel started screaming.  "You murderer!  Wait till I get my hands on you!"

"Murderer?" I said, taken aback.  "Are you saying our Bruce Lee is a murderer?  Please calm down and let's hear your story!"

The cockerel who said his name was Cluck Luck, calmed down and in a quivering voice blurted: "That no good rooster whom you call Bruce Lee is my ..... father!"

"W...What?" stammered a stunned Bruce Lee.  The three of us were just as stunned!

"Yes, and don't you pretend you don't know anything, you scoundrel!" growled Cluck Luck.  "You had an affair with my mum, promised her the world, then left her high and dry!  You don't know the misery she went through until one day she killed herself by jumping into the river!  After years of trying to find you, I finally succeeded!  I came here to scare you out of your wits, then kill you!"

"What? You're mad!  How dare you come here and make all kinds of accusations!" yelled back Bruce Lee.

Cluck Luck then threw something towards Bruce Lee.  "Take a look at that ring!  Wasn't it the one you gave her?"

Bruce Lee looked and his face paled.  I had never seen him so shaken up, even his bright red comb had turned a shade lighter.

"What ... what was your mother's name?"  he stammered.

"Henny Penny!".

Bruce Lee stood there, unable to speak, his legs trembling.  Then Cluck Luck suddenly whipped out a knife from under his wing and shouted, "I challenge you to a duel!  For my mother, I shall take my revenge and make you die a horrible death!"  

With that, he lunged at Bruce Lee who picked up a nearby stick to defend himself.  A fight ensued and feathers and bits of earth flew all over the place as they fought.  The hens who had also heard the commotion were watching from behind the door of the coop, scared to death.  Even Turkey Lurkey dared not come out.

"HD," I cried.  "Make them stop!  They're going to kill each other!"  But he only shrugged.  

"It's really none of my business," he said.  I got the impression he was enjoying the "show", so was PH.  

I had to do something, I turned to run to the temple to get Head Nun but before I could do so, I heard Bruce Lee screaming.  I turned back and saw that Cluck Luck was sitting on top of him with his knife poised, ready to slit his throat!

"Stop!  Stop!  Don't do it!"  I shouted desperately.

Then all of a sudden, I saw Cluck Luck look up at the sky as though he had seen or heard something, then after a minute or so, he slowly dropped his knife.  Then without a word, he walked out of the compound and disappeared down the road.

"What happened, HD?  Why did he suddenly leave?"  I asked,  as relief swept over me.

"Tell you later," he said, a strange look on his beaten face.  "You'd better see that Bruce Lee is okay."

Meanwhile, all the hens had rushed out and surrounded their "boss", cooing words of love and sympathy.  Bruce Lee got up, dusted his feathers and said, in a queer sort of voice, "Well, I'm glad that's all over with.  That bird is mad!  He must have mistaken me for someone else.  Alright, let's all go back into the coop - and make sure the door is properly locked!"  They all trooped back inside and soon all was quiet.

Later in the temple, I asked HD what had made Cluck Luck suddenly change his mind about killing Bruce Lee.

"Vege Cat, remember we ghosts can see all sorts of things," replied HD. "When you saw Cluck Luck look up to the sky, he had actually seen his mother's image in the sky, her ghost, as you may call it.  Yes, I saw her too.  She was crying and pleading to him not to kill Bruce Lee.  That's why he suddenly dropped his knife and went off."

"Wow, how amazing!"  I said.  "So she actually saved Bruce Lee's life!  She must have loved him very much!"

"I guess she did," said HD.  

"I wish we humans could have this kind of love for each other," he continued sighing.  "All we care about is money, money, money!"  He shook his head sadly and disappeared.

Later that night, after all the hens had gone to sleep, Bruce Lee crept quietly out of the coop and flew to the top of the old tree in the compound.  He looked up at the dark sky as though searching for something, then tears started flowing from his eyes as he whispered, "Forgive me, Henny Penny, please forgive me ...."

Bruce Lee never saw his son again though he made several attempts to find him.  I guess Cluck Luck will never forgive his father for as long as he lives.

Are You Truly Enlightened?

A monk seeking peace and enlightenment was meditating at a small far away deserted island. He vowed not to be angry nor be sad, nor be happy and truly be at oneself and he vowed never to leave the island and just be content with oneself. He picked a spot, sat down near a tree and meditated and was still and calm.

"Ahh....enlightened." He declared one morning after many many years of silently meditating. he was reinvigorated and fresh and was at one with the island, the surroundings and himself.

Then he wrote and sent a letter to his previous abbott, thanking him for teaching him, and that he vowed to stay at the island, and that nothing could make him leave. he was truly enlightened and not burdened by this world.

To his surprise, his reclusive abbott too sent a reply letter. He eagerly opened it up and to his dismay, he saw his own letter with red splashes of ink around it. "Fart! Bullshit! Really?" wrote his old abbott, beside his own eloquent thanks. Oh wow, he got mad, and immediately sailed back to his abbott, to demand an explanation.

When they met, he started ripping the old abbott a new one, to which the old abbott said calmly: "You said you were enlightened, you said you were detached of this world and that you would not leave the island, but yet, just mere words can make you so angry. Tell me, are you truly enlightened?"

With Metta,

Da

Going But Not Gone

 

Ning came running into the temple one morning and said that Ah Hoe wanted to see both of us urgently.  He had no idea what it was all about but Ah Hoe did sound quite worried.

The old man was sitting on his bed looking rather fraught and distressed when we arrived.  His face lighted up when he saw us and he warmly ushered us into his home.

"Ah Hoe," said Ning.  "Is everything alright?  Why did you want to see us?"

He looked at us and said, his voice barely above a whisper: "I have something to tell you both."

He hesitated, drew in a long breath, then said, "A few nights ago, I was sitting in the porch enjoying the breeze when ... when I suddenly saw it ....."

"Saw what?" asked Ning.

"The Phoenix of Doom, the same one that Lao Lo saw before he died," whispered Ah Hoe.

For a moment, both Ning and I could not speak.  Then Ning stammered, "Are you sure?  But how can you tell? Do you know what it actually looks like?"

"Lao Lo described it to me," he said.  "Look, it's clear my time's up.  After all, I'm nearly 80 now, how long more can I last?  That's why I called you both here, to let you know my last wishes."

Ning was stunned.  He had always been close to Ah Hoe especially during the time when the latter made veg burgers for sale and he was helping him.  They enjoyed working together and he often spent nights with Ah Hoe to keep him company and in the mornings, they would both go fishing. Ah Hoe was like a father to him and he just couldn't believe that his old friend was "going away".

"Ning," continued Ah Hoe.  "As I mentioned before, after I'm gone, I want you to have this hut and all my savings.  It isn't much but I haven't got anything else.  You can stay here for as long as you like."

Then turning to me, he said, "Vege Cat, I want you to conduct prayers for me when the time comes.  This old soul needs a lot of cleaning up before I can make it to heaven," he said, forcing a smile.

I couldn't say anything as there was a lump in my throat and I saw that Ning too was on the verge of tears.  Then Ah Hoe said, "Hey, why so glum?  I'm not dead yet.  Think of it in a positive way, I shall be rid of this old diseased body and be able to start a new life, free from suffering!"

He then gathered both of us up in his arms and gave us a big, warm hug.  

"Look, don't be sad.  We all cannot escape death, it has to come one day.  Now that I've got it off my chest, let's sit down for brunch.  Ning, I've fried some fish the way you like them and Vege Cat, I've got some veg stuff.  Let's sit down and enjoy!"

Of course Ning and I could hardly eat and we were both feeling quite miserable when we returned to the temple.  

"When do you think it will happen?" Ning asked, his voice trembling.

"I don't know," I replied.  "But you needn't worry, Ah Hoe is a good man and he will go peacefully."

Ning nodded, then said, "Look, I'll go to the Club and have a drink.  I need it."

He bounded off and I found my way back to the temple.  I wasn't sure whether I should tell Head Nun and after thinking it over, decided not to say anything yet.  I was  hoping that Ah Hoe had dreamt it all and that he hadn't seen the Phoenix.  I remember Lao Lo also telling me about it before he passed on.  It was indeed a bad omen.

A few hours later, Ning came running back to the temple, very excited.

"Da, Da!" he yelled.  "I've got something to show you!"

I saw that he was carrying some photos and he showed them to me.  "Da, these are photos of the drone light show the other night.  Do you see what I see?"

I saw a number of beautiful light formations in the dark sky, animals, flowers, stars  and rockets, and so on.

"Look at this one!" cried Ning excitedly.  "Don't you think it looks like a bird?"

I looked and said, astonished, "Why, it looks .... it looks like the Phoenix of Doom!" 

"I believe that this was what Ah Hoe saw," said Ning. "I traced back to the day when the drone show was on and it was the same night as Ah Hoe said he saw the Phoenix!"

"You mean it's not the Phoenix of Doom he saw but lights by a drone?"  I gasped.

"Yes, I believe so!  Come on, let's show these photos to Ah Hoe!" and he dragged me off with him to Ah Hoe's.

Ah Hoe was astounded when he saw the photos.  "OMG!  That's the one I saw, the Phoenix of Doom!"

Ning then told him about the drone light show and he opened his eyes wide and gasped, "You mean....you mean all I saw were some lights ..... and I'm not going to die?"

"No, you're not going to die!"  Ning and I chorused together, laughing in relief.

The three of us hugged each other, tears streaming down our eyes.  To think that we were not going to lose a dear friend after all and be able to share many more moments with him in the near future was just too wonderful for words.

.................

Somewhere up in the skies, a beautiful winged creature looked down and smiled.  He turned to his Master and said, "Lord and Master, you are so right in asking me not to take the old man away yet.  It was clever of you to let them think he saw lights and not me.  I've never seen so much love between a human and two animals and it moves me very much.  I'm glad I listened to you."  His Master smiled and gently said, "We'll be back again but not so soon..."  and both of them slowly vanished into the clouds.

A Bitter Encounter Pt. 2

Place: The Palace 

PH:    The Qingming festival will be over in two days, we shall be back to peace and quiet then.

HD:    Oh yes, and I hope I don't see that jerk* again.

(*his wife's lover) 

PH:    Forget about him, HD.

(Then suddenly he gasped and pointed to the door)

HD, look, by the door! I think .... I think your late wife's just walked in!

HD:    What?  Why that traitor, he promised not to let her know my whereabouts!

PH:    She's seen you and is coming over!  There's no time to run and hide!

HD (drawing himself up):  No, I won't run this time.  I shall confront her and tell her to leave me alone.

Wife (excited):  My dear late husband, at last I've found you!

HD:    Look, just say what you have to say, then leave me in peace!

Wife (looking sad):    I haven't come to pick a quarrel with you.  Listen, I've been looking back at our past life together and want to say how sorry I am for being so horrible to you.  I made your life miserable and I can't blame you if you won't forgive me.

HD:    Really!  Who by the way told you I am here?   It was your lover, wasn't it?  I met him the other day.  Do you know he killed you?

Wife:    Yes, I know.  I saw him sneak down to the garage the day before the accident but didn't think anything of it until I drove off the cliff.  It was only then that I realised he had fixed the brakes!

HD:    So you know but unfortunately for you, he got away with it!

Wife (laughing):    Not really. Did he tell you he died of cancer?  Actually, it was I who killed him!

HD (shocked):    What?

Wife:    When I found out he was seeing another woman behind my back, I started putting poison in his coffee every morning, bit by bit.  He never knew it.  They said it was cancer and so his girlfriend put him in a hospice and left him to die there.

HD:    I can't believe this!  He killed you and you killed him!

Wife (smirking):    Yes, so you see, I got my revenge.  Well, that's all in the past, I don't care two hoots about him anymore.  But I want you to forgive me so that I will rest in peace, please?

HD (hesitating):    Alright, if you truly mean it, I forgive you.  After all, we're both dead and there's no point being at loggerheads.  Where will you go now?

Wife:    Well, I'll go back to our apartment and stay there.  Nobody dares to buy it since they know it's haunted.  I shall be quite happy there.

HD:    Good luck to you!  By the way, if that jerk turns up again, tell him I haven't finished with him yet!

Wife:    Goodbye, my love.  Come and visit me some time .....

HD:    Er ... okay....

She turned and slowly disappeared out of the door.

PH:    Gosh, that was somewhat unexpected!  I thought she was going to blow your head off!  So now you can relax and enjoy your stay here at the temple.

HD:    Hmm, yes.... 

(In his mind, he was already planning how he would get his revenge on Spook for not keeping his word and betraying his whereabouts to his wife.  It was going to be fun, great fun .....)

A Bitter Encounter

 

Place: The Palace (columbarium at Head Nun's temple)

Occasion:  Qingming Festival (the annual "Tomb Sweeping Festival" or the festival for honouring dearly departed ones usually taking place in April)

Observers: HD and PH

PH:    HD, just look at the crowd coming to pray, and so many offerings they have brought with them! Unfortunately we don't have anyone to bring us offerings.

HD (smiling):  Not to worry, PH.  The other souls told me that they are willing to share their offerings with us, so don't look so sad.

PH:    Oh, how kind of them!  Wow, all that smoke from the joss sticks is making my eyes smart!

HD (suddenly sitting up):    Hey, do you see that spook over there?  He looks kind of familiar.

PH:    You mean that one eyeing the food?  No, I don't know him.  Hey, he has seen you and he's coming over.

Spook:    Well, well, I never thought I'd meet you here!

HD:  Hey, I know you from somewhere.  Let me think ....Damn!  You're my wife's lover, the one I fought with!  You pushed me over the balcony of our apartment and killed me!

Spook:    Correction!  You fell off  the balcony by yourself when we were fighting.  I didn't push you!

HD:   Say what you like, I'll never forget what happened! What the hell are you doing here anyway? You had your fun with my wife, then ran off with another woman and now you're dead!

Spook (laughing): If you must know, I died of natural causes - cancer.  My girlfriend put me in a hospice under the care of some kind old nuns and I died there.  She was the sweetest girl I ever knew, compared to your wife.  I still can't imagine how you could have married her!  After being with her for three months, I decided I had enough and left her.  She was the most selfish, arrogant and vain creature I had ever set eyes on!

HD:   Don't you dare speak bad of my wife!  

Spook (acting surprised):  My my, getting  touchy, aren't  you! Do you know, after I left  her, she never stopped pestering me until I got so fed up and had to get rid of her!

HD:    What do you mean, get rid of her?

Spook:    You know the accident she had?  Well, I fixed the brakes of her car and she shot off the cliff and boom!  Bye bye!

HD (gasping in horror):    What?  Why, you murderer!  

Furious, HD reached out and punched Spook several times but of course all his blows went right through him.

Spook:    Hey, why waste your energy?  Have you forgotten I'm also dead?

HD:    Didn't the police find anything?

Spook (grinning):    No evidence whatsoever.  They closed the case and called it a suicide.

HD (very angry):   I can't believe you got away with it!  You should have been hung or left to rot in jail!  Just get out of my sight and go back to wherever they have put you!

Spook:    Oh yes, I've actually got a nice place in a small temple about five km. from here.  I came here to see what's happening, having heard what a grand old temple this is!  By the way, I believe you were never on good terms with your wife even before I met her, aren't you afraid I might tell her where you are now? (he added slyly).  

HD:    Don't you dare!

Spook:  Look, both of us don't want her around us, so let's make a deal.  You don't tell her about me and I won't tell her about you.  Deal?

HD (hesitating):    Ok, deal!  How do I know you'll keep your word?

Spook:  Well, you'll have to trust me, same as I have to trust you.  Now I want to taste some of those sweet buns over there.  Ciao!

HD (growling):   Greedy pig!  I wish could kill him all over again!  

PH (who had been observing all that had happened): HD, he's dead.  He's got his just punishment, I'm sure he must have suffered a lot of pain from his cancer, so leave him be.

HD couldn't sleep that night.  When he saw that PH was sleeping soundly, he slipped out of their niche and made his way to the temple where Spook was staying.  The  "greedy pig" was snoring away having filled his belly and not only that, he had even brought back with him some food from the Palace.  HD looked at him in disgust, then an idea struck him.  He went back outside, gathered some dried dog shit, went back into the temple and mixed the shit with Spook's food.  Having done that, he gleefully made his way back to the Palace and slept like a log.

No Place Like Home

Now that all the festivities are over, the temple has returned to its quiet self and the nuns are carrying on their daily duties like before.  Most of the time they go to bed after watching the evening news on TV and I also go to bed early. When I can't sleep, I do some meditation but some nights are really hot, so I toss about trying to sleep.

One such night, I was surprised to see HD and PH come floating in.  I hadn't had much time for them during the festivities and was quite pleased to see them.

"Vege Cat," said HD.  "We want to talk to you."

"Sure," I said.  "What have you two been up to?"

HD frowned.  "Why do you think we've been up to something?  Anyway, we want to tell you that we are homesick."

"What?"  I asked, surprised.

"It's not what you think," interrupted PH.  "We are truly grateful to Head Nun for giving us a home here at the temple but we kind of miss our old hometown and the folks there."

"Oh, you mean you want to "balik kampung" (go home)," I said.

"Yes," said HD.  "But only for a few days or so.  We want to see what's happening there since we died."

"You're free to come and go as you please, you know.  The other souls in the Palace wander about freely too without bothering to seek permission from anyone." 

"Great!" cried HD.  "We shall be off soon.  See you!"  And they both disappeared in a puff of smoke.

It must have been about two or three days before I saw HD and PH again.  They had returned from their trip and I expected them to be happy and excited but instead they looked quite forlorn and sad.

"So what happened, guys?  Didn't you both enjoy your trip home?" I asked.

PH shook his head.  "I went back to see my old flat and it was in shambles.  All my photos and souvenirs were gone, also my favorite armchair.  The couple who live there now do nothing but gamble and play with their phones.  I went round to see the neighbors but some had moved out or had died. Those who still live there have suddenly grown very old and are going about like zombies.  They don't even remember me when I whispered my name in their ears." 

He sighed and said sadly, "What a shame.  We used to be like one big family."

"What about you, HD?" I asked.

"You'll never guess what happened," he said.  "I went back to my apartment too and was surprised that the For Sale sign was still there. Nobody had bought it since my wife died.  I decided to go inside and was about to float through the window when horror of horrors, I saw her sitting inside in our old rocking chair!"

"You saw who?" I asked, not sure that I had heard him correctly.

"My wife!  Or rather her ghost!  She was sitting there staring into space with bloodshot eyes. Of course my first thought was to run!  But she had sensed someone was there and she shouted: "Who's there?  Is that you, my dear late husband?  I've been waiting for you!"

I quickly flew into the empty apartment next door before she came to check the window and hid there until the coast was clear.  Thank God I managed to escape from her clutches!"

"Then what happened?" I asked. 

"I wandered around the neighborhood and heard gossip about a ghost in an apartment waiting for her husband to return! Shit, why can't she leave me alone! When she was alive, living with her was sheer hell, now I certainly don't want to live with her in death!"

"Oh dear, I am sorry you both had such unpleasant experiences but as you know, the temple is your home now and you can stay for as long as you wish."

"Thanks, Vege Cat," said HD. "Are we glad we're back. We are very fortunate indeed to have a  place here.  Not only is it rent free but we also have free meals (offerings from devotees).  What more do we want?"

With that, they both melted into the night.  

Poor HD.  I hope his wife will never find him and leave him in peace.  Amen.

The Photo

Chinese New Year is probably the busiest time of year for the temple with devotees coming to pray to the Buddha for new year blessings.  Some have brought gifts of Mandarin oranges and CNY cookies for Head Nun and the nuns, on their part, have been tidying up the temple and making it spick and span.

We had some visitors one morning a few days before CNY. I was out in the garden and saw to my surprise three nuns coming in through the gate of the temple. They introduced themselves as nuns from Cambodia and  I immediately took them to Head Nun who was delighted to see them.  The nuns said they were on their way back home and stopped by our temple, having heard much about it.  They talked with Head Nun for a while, then asked to be shown round the temple before leaving.

Ah Ying, who also happened to be at the temple, asked to take a photo of them as a souvenir. The nuns politely refused saying they were in a rush to catch their bus but she insisted, and after some persuasion, she managed to get them to pose for a picture. 

Before the nuns left, they had a quiet conversation with Head Nun again.  Since Head Nun did not divulge what they said, I thought no more of the matter until Ah Ying came to the temple the next morning, trembling with great excitement.

"You all won't believe this!  Remember that photo I took of the three nuns and Vege Cat?  Well, when I went home yesterday, I had forgotten all about it and only took a look just now. I can't believe what I saw. Head Nun, see for yourself!!"  

She handed her phone to Head Nun who looked, then said, a serious expression on her face, "Ah Ying, have you shown this photo to anyone else?" 

"Well, no, I was too shocked when I saw it and came here straight away...."  gasped Ah Ying breathlessly.

Now all the nuns were craning their necks to look at the photo, including myself.  I even jumped onto the table where Head Nun was sitting so that I could have a better view.  But Head Nun kept her fingers closed around the phone blocking the screen and did not pass it round.  

The nuns started asking what was in the photo, then Head  Nun suddenly let out a shriek, "Oh, oh, I have accidentally deleted the photo!"

"What?" Everyone gasped.

"I'm so sorry, Ah Ying," said Head Nun and handed the phone back to Ah Ying who tried to restore the photo but strangely, it could not be found in her phone.

"Ayoh, how could this have happened," she cried, then all of a sudden, she fell in a swoon.  Everyone panicked except for Head Nun who gently massaged her head and neck and after a few minutes, she came to.  One of the nuns brought her a glass of water and after drinking it, she appeared to feel better.

"Are you alright?" asked Head Nun.

"Yes, I think so.  What happened?"

"You fainted, my dear," replied Head Nun.  "It must be the heat.  You had better go home to rest."  She then led Ah Ying out to her car and told her to drive home carefully.

The nuns were still speculating about the photo when Head Nun returned to the kitchen.  She ordered them to go back to their duties and they did so reluctantly, still very curious.

Later, when I was alone with Head Nun, I of course had to ask her about the photo.  I was bursting with curiosity and I had the feeling that she had deliberately deleted the photo for some reason or other.

"Head Nun," I began.

"Alright, I know what you're going to ask," she interrupted.  "Your curiosity is going to kill you one day, you know!"

"But why did you delete the photo?"  I asked impatiently.

She looked at me, then said, "Vege Cat, the three nuns you saw were no ordinary mortals."

"Really?"  I gasped.  

"They told me that they are time travellers from another planet and they had assumed the form of nuns because their original form is very grotesque and horrifying to the human eye.  If they had not taken on another form, they would not be able to move about freely.  Not only that, they warned me that they radiate a powerful force of energy which we humans, and animals included, cannot take, its so strong that it can stun or even kill us if we look at them in their true form, even if it's only a photo. That's why they didn't want to be photographed because the camera will capture what they really look like.  But unfortunately Ah Ying  kept insisting."

"So that's why you deleted the photo?" I asked wide-eyed.

"Yes," said Head Nun nodding her head.

"But why didn't you just call Ah Ying yesterday and tell her to delete the photo?"

"Questions, questions!  My dear Vege Cat, sometimes I think you don't trust me or have confidence in my judgement of things."

"Sorry, Head Nun....." I apologised.

 "Thankfully I managed to revive Ah Ying," she continued. "Just think, if I had called her yesterday, she would have taken a look at the photo and fainted with no one to help her since she lives alone.  If you and the nuns had taken a look at the photo just now, you would all have probably collapsed. Now you understand?"

"But no harm came to you, Head Nun," I argued.

"That's because I know how to protect myself but that's another story. The time travellers are good, kind beings and mean no harm to anyone.  They also told me that they had seen our temple shine like a sparkling jewel from space, that's why they decided to come and see for themselves.  Isn't that wonderful? Praise be to our Lord Buddha!" said Head Nun, bowing her head and clasping her hands in prayer. 

"Wow," I whispered in awe. To think that our small temple can be seen millions of kilometers away from space can only be described as the work of the Divine.

"So now are you satisfied?"  asked Head Nun.

"Yes, but are you going to tell the nuns what you've just told me?"

"Well, if I did, they will never be able to get the whole incident out of their minds for some time and that would be a great distraction from their duties.  So I think it's best they and Ah Ying forget about the whole thing."

 "But how are you going to make them forget?"  I persisted.

Head Nun laughed and patted my head.  "You'll see," she said mischievously.

The nuns were having tea in the kitchen when I went there later.  They were talking about this and that and I knew I had to test them to see whether they still remembered the photo.  When I mentioned it, they looked at me blankly and asked, "What photo?  What are you talking about?"  And Ah Ying hadn't the faintest idea either when I met her later.

Head Nun had done it again!  

Demons in the Desert

 \

Here's an interesting story with a moral.

With Metta,

DA

Once upon a time there were two merchants, who were friends. Both of them were getting ready for business trips to sell their merchandise, so they had to decide whether to travel together. They agreed that, since each had about 500 carts, and that they were both going to the same place along the same road, it would be too crowded to go at the same time.

One decided that it would be much better to go first. He thought, “The road will not be rutted by the carts, the bullocks will be able to choose the best of all the grass, we will find the best fruits and vegetables to eat, my people will appreciate my leadership and, in the end, I will be able to bargain for the best prices.”

The other merchant considered carefully and realized there were advantages to going second. He thought, “My friend’s carts will level the ground so we won’t have to do any road work, his bullocks will eat the old rough grass and new tender shoots will spring up for mine to eat. In the same way, they will pick the old fruits and vegetables and fresh ones will grow for us to enjoy. I won’t have to waste my time bargaining when I can take the price already set and make my profit.” So he agreed to let his friend go first. This friend was sure he’d fooled him and gotten the best of him – so he set out first on the journey.

The merchant who went first had a troublesome time of it. They came to a wilderness called the ‘Waterless Desert’, which the local people said was haunted by demons. When the caravan reached the middle of it, they met a large group coming from the opposite direction. They had carts that were mud smeared and dripping with water. They had lotuses and water lilies in their hands and in the carts. The head man, who had a know-it-all attitude, said to the merchant, “Why are you carrying these heavy loads of water? In a short time you will reach that oasis on the horizon with plenty of water to drink and dates to eat. Your bullocks are tired from pulling those heavy carts filled with extra water – so throw away the water and be kind to your overworked animals!”

Even though the local people had warned them, the merchant did not realize that these were not real people, but demons in disguise. They were even in danger of being eaten by them. Being confident that they were helpful people, he followed their advice and had all his water emptied onto the ground.

As they continued on their way they found no oasis or any water at all. Some realized they’d been fooled by beings that might have been demons, and started to grumble and accuse the merchant. At the end of the day, all the people were tired out. The bullocks were too weak from lack of water to pull their heavy carts. All the people and animals lay down in a haphazard manner and fell into a deep sleep. Lo and behold, during the night the demons came in their true frightening forms and gobbled up all the weak defenseless beings. When they were done there were only bones lying scattered around — not one human or animal was left alive.

After several months, the second merchant began his journey along the same way. When he arrived at the wilderness, he assembled all his people and advised them — “This is called the ‘Waterless Desert’ and I have heard that it is haunted by demons and ghosts. Therefore we should be careful. Since there may be poison plants and foul water, don’t drink any local water without asking me.” In this way they started into the desert.

After getting about halfway through, in the same way as with the first caravan, they were met by the water soaked demons in disguise. They told them the oasis was near and they should throw away their water. But the wise merchant saw through them right away. He knew it didn’t make sense to have an oasis in a place called ‘Waterless Desert’. And besides, these people had bulging red eyes and an aggressive and pushy attitude, so he suspected they might be demons. He told them to leave them alone saying, “We are business men who don’t throw away good water before we know where the next is coming from.”

Then seeing that his own people had doubts, the merchant said to them, “Don’t believe these people, who may be demons, until we actually find water. The oasis they point to may be just an illusion or a mirage. Have you ever heard of water in this ‘Waterless Desert’? Do you feel any rain-wind or see any storm clouds?” They all said, “No”, and he continued, “If we believe these strangers and throw away our water, then later we may not have any to drink or cook with – then we will be weak and thirsty and it would be easy for demons to come and rob us, or even eat us up! Therefore, until we really find water, do not waste even a drop!”

The caravan continued on its way. That evening it reached the place where the first caravan’s people and bullocks had been killed and eaten by the demons. They found the carts and human and animal bones lying all around. They recognized that the fully loaded carts and the scattered bones belonged to the former caravan. The wise merchant told certain people to stand watch around the camp during the night.

The next morning the people ate breakfast, and fed their bullocks well. They added to their goods the most valuable things left from the first caravan. So they finished their journey very successfully, and returned home safely so that they and their families could enjoy their profits.

The moral is: One must always be wise enough not to be fooled by tricky talk and false appearances.

(Story from "buddhanet")

Auld Lang Syne

Christmas had gone by very quickly and the beginning of the new year at our temple is usually very quiet, with us carrying on our daily routine like any ordinary day.

But on New Year's eve, we were surprised to receive an invitation from Bruce Lee.  "Another performance?" asked the nuns.  Bruce Lee shook his head.  "No, we just want you to spend the last evening of the year with us," he said.  

Apparently, he had heard from a passing bird that there would be a fireworks display by the town council on New Year's eve and it would be visible from the coop, so he thought it would be a good idea if everyone gathered there for the show.  The nuns were of course very thrilled as they hadn't seen fireworks for a long time and when Head Nun agreed all could go, they were delighted!  

So that evening, we gathered in the grounds of the coop after dinner.  The show was beginning at 8 p.m. and the nuns brought with them chairs to sit on, not forgetting a big paper bag of potato chips to munch!  The grounds of the coop had never been so crowded!  I had told Ning about the show hoping to drag him away from the merrymaking at his Club and I was happy he agreed to join us.

Then just as the show was about to start, we heard voices and two kids ran in.  They asked Head Nun whether we had seen a turkey named Turkey Lurkey!  Yes, you've guessed it, the children from the turkey farm had found their way to the coop in search of T.L.! 

"Hey, what are you kids doing here?" gasped T.L. when he saw them.

"Well, we missed you so much during Christmas, so we decided to go in search of you," said the older kid, a boy of about 12.  His sister, about 10 years old, was so excited that they had found T.L. that she hugged him tight and wouldn't let him go.

"Oh I miss you kids too," said T.L. laughing.  "But you'd better not stay too long, your dad will kill you if he knew you had come here."

"Not to worry," grinned the boy.  "He's gone drinking with his friends and won't be back home so soon."

"OK then, you can both watch the fireworks with us," said T.L.  

"Yay!" cheered the kids and settled down with the nuns.

The show took about 20 minutes in all and it was a wonderful display of colourful lights illuminating the dark sky.  The young chicks cheered with delight as they had never seen fireworks before.  When the show ended, T.L. suddenly burst into a beautiful rendition of "Auld Lang Syne".  The children ran up to him and together they sang in sweet unison, arms (and wings) around each other They must have done this very often at the farm and everyone was very impressed and asked for more!

Then suddenly a voice rang out.

"Alright you kids, that's enough!  How dare you come out without my permission!"

We turned round to see that it was the burly owner of the turkey farm, the kids' father.  A hush descended on the gathering and the two children, fear on their faces, ran to hide behind the nuns.  

Then the little girl peeped from behind APK's ample bum and spoke up.

"Papa, please .... " she whispered.  "It's New Year's eve and we want to be with T.L. ...."

The father hesitated, saw the pleading look on his children's faces and suddenly his own face softened.

"Why didn't you tell me you're having a party here?" he said gruffly.  "I could have turned down my friends when they invited me out."  He paused, then said, "And when did you three learn to sing?  Yours is the best rendition of Auld Lang Syne I've heard so far!"

There was a short silence, then the nuns led by APK (of course) started clapping.  Soon hens, cockerels, chickens, everyone also joined in.

The two children ran to their father who hugged them close to him.  I could see that his face was wrought with emotion and his eyes were moist, perhaps he realised at that moment that he had been too strict with his children and had been giving them a hard time.  

Head Nun, kind and courteous as always, said.  "We only have some potato chips for our "party" but you're welcome to join us."

The man looked up and recognised her as the one who had bought his turkey.  "Thank you, Madam, for saving T.L.", he said, smiling. "The kids would never have forgiven me if I had forcefully taken him back from you and sold him for Thanksgiving."

So father, kids and a turkey sat together munching potato chips until the kids started yawning and had to be taken home.  Before they left, the man turned to Head Nun, bowed his head and said, "Thank you again.  It has been a wonderful evening" and looking down at his children said wistfully, "If only their mother could have been here too."  The three of them said goodbye and walked slowly back home.

Needless to say, from then on, the children became regular visitors to the coop.  The man carried on with his turkey business for some time before he switched to vegetable farming.  I guess his children must have something to do with that!  Isn't it wonderful how things work out for the best when you leave everything in His hands?

Sadhu! Sadhu!  Sadhu!

Tales of a Temple Cat - Watching the Fireworks

Countdown to Christmas - 2

The nuns were feeling rather down when they got to know that they were not going to receive any presents this Christmas.  I thought Head Nun was rather harsh on them but then one never knows what's going on in her mind.

As it turned out, we had a big surprise on Christmas Eve, a really unforgettable one. We had just finished dinner and had gathered round the Christmas tree in the sitting room.  Some of the nuns watched TV while the others just sat and chatted.

Then we heard singing outside the door and to our astonishment, two Christmas trees walked in!  One of them was singing "Noel" while the other hummed along.  When we took a closer look, we saw that it was Bruce Lee and T.L. inside the Christmas trees!  We had even a bigger surprise when we saw a flock of hens all dressed up in Santa hats following behind them!  Together they stood in front of us singing (and clucking) some Christmas songs and carols.

It was unbelievable!  A turkey, cockerels and hens singing their hearts out!  It was a splendid if not amazing performance interspersed with a few cock-a-doodle-do's, and even though a few hens clucked out of tune occasionally, they managed to touch the hearts of the nuns, some  of whom shed tears. When the performers had finished, they bowed, turned and began making their way out.

It was then that Head Nun spoke up.  "Wait!  Don't go yet.  All of you come over here by the Christmas tree."

"Yes," cried APK.  "Let's have a group photo of you all."  Since none of the nuns had phones, Ah Ying who had joined us for the evening, kindly obliged and took the photo. 

Head Nun then continued, "Thank you, my dears, for such a lovely Christmas surprise.  You must have all worked hard to give this performance and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for bringing us cheer on this festive day.  Bruce Lee, now we know why you were hiding from us, you wanted this to be a special surprise, and T.L., I never knew you could sing so well!  Thank you again and may the Buddha bless all of you.  I am sorry we have nothing to give you as presents but I promise you a special menu for your meals for the next few days!"

All the hens started cheering and in that merry mood, they danced and hopped about before Bruce Lee stopped them and shooed them out. And of course he had to have the last word.  "Our pleasure, Boss!  We are indeed honoured to have performed for you. Now we bid you all goodnight and sweet dreams.  May your Christmas be merry and bright and oh, don't forget the special Christmas menu you promised us!".  With that he no tottered out, Christmas tree and all.

When they had left, the nuns started talking excitedly.  "Wow, I never knew turkeys could sing". "Bless Bruce Lee for giving us such a lovely surprise". "Where did they get those hats?".  "Didn't they all look so cute?". It looked like they had all enjoyed the evening and forgotten their disappointment.

Then came another big surprise.  Head Nun suddenly whipped out a basket and it was full of presents!  The nuns were taken aback and gaped as she distributed them.  

"I'm not such an ogre as you all think," she said.  "But I believe in being practical.  I am not giving you tinsel and trash but new prayer beads in the hope you will be more diligent in your prayers."

The nuns looked at each other, then burst out laughing.  Someone started singing  "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and one by one, they went up and hugged Head Nun.  It was a most happy and touching scene and I was right after all, Head Nun did have something up her sleeve!

Later I heard from Ah Ying that she (Head Nun) had used her own money to buy the prayer beads for the nuns. Head Nun hadn't forgotten me either and I also received a new string of prayer beads!

The next morning I went by the coop, curious to know who had taught the whole gang to sing.  Bruce Lee was sitting outside looking very pleased with himself.  When I asked him about their performance the previous night, he puffed out his chest, then said, "Firstly, you should know that it was all my idea!  I wanted to do something for the nuns.  They're after all a decent lot, always minding their own business and never interfering with what's going on in the coop."

"But who taught you all to sing?" I asked.  "I've never heard you utter a single note except for your daily wake-up call. Was it T.L.?"

Bruce Lee nodded. "Ya, it was that runaway turkey.  He grew up with the children of the turkey farm where he lived and they spent many Christmases together singing carols etc.  That's how he became so familiar with Christmas songs. Then one day, the children overheard that T.L. had been sold to someone for Thanksgiving.  They immediately freed him from his cage and told him to run for his life!  That's how he came to be here with us.  Dang!  I didn't know that turkey could sing so well.  Now it's gone to his head and he wants to go on YouTube!"

I laughed, popped inside the coop to say thanks to T.L. who was teaching some chicks how to sing,  then made my way to the Palace.   I wanted to see HD and PH to wish them Merry Christmas.  I went to their niche and called out to them, but there was no reply.  Then I peeped inside and saw that there was a note there which read "Gone away for Christmas". 

I couldn't help laughing.  Well, I guess even ghosts need a holiday!

So all ended well and our Christmas this year will go down in the temple's records as one of the best in years, thanks to the special bond between humans and animals, not forgetting ghosts!

Countdown to Christmas - 1

Ning thinks I'm too early with my Christmas blog header, but early or not, I'm looking forward to Christmas.  It's the season for giving and forgiving, for caring and sharing and for giving love, hope and joy. With such thoughts in mind, I decided to visit the coop one morning to say hello to our new feathered friend, Turkey Lurkey (T.L.).  His first few days at the coop had been rather difficult for him  because Bruce Lee had not welcomed him but lately I was happy to hear that he and Bruce Lee had settled their differences and are now fast friends.  

As I reached the coop, I was surprised to hear singing.  As far as I know, Bruce Lee can only sing "Cock-A-Doodle-Doo" and the hens  "Cluck, Cluck" but this person was singing in a deep baritone voice and he was rendering a very beautiful "Noel".  I stopped to listen and it was then that Bruce Lee popped his head out of the window and asked, "Hey, what do you want?"

"I'm just listening to whoever is singing," I said.  "He's really good.  Is he a friend of yours?"

Bruce Lee said "Ssssh", looked furtively to the right and left, then whispered, "It's a secret.  You didn't hear anything, alright?"

I shrugged.  "Have it your way," I said, though of course my curiosity had been aroused.  If it wasn't Bruce Lee or the hens, could it be T.L. who was singing?  It seemed highly improbable, all this time when I had heard him go gobble, gobble, his voice was low and raspy, hardly the melodious type.

Bruce Lee told me to go away and shut the window. Wonder what he's up to?  

When I told Ning that Bruce Lee was up to something, he laughed and said, "Maybe he's planning a Christmas party and carving up his turkey friend for dinner!"

When I told Head Nun, she too laughed and said, "That old bird always has something up his sleeve. We'll have to wait and see."

When I told APK, she opened her eyes wide and said, "I hope he's not going to do something silly."

I hadn't told them that I had heard someone singing because I had  given my promise to Bruce Lee not to tell but I knew that they would never believe me anyway.  Who had ever heard of singing cockerels and hens and turkeys...?

Now the whole temple is bursting with curiosity.  What is Bruce Lee up to?

(To be continued)

Gobble, Gobble

 

How time flies!  We're nearing the end of the year and Christmas will be here soon.  Once again, there's a lot of de-cluttering to be done, yes, even in a temple.  The nuns have a knack of keeping empty bottles and tins which they feel will come in "useful" one day but that one day never seems to come.   Head Nun was ladamant in throwing out these items for recycling this year, so now the kitchen looks cleaner and less congested.

Then one of the nuns brought out the old Christmas tree which has seen many Christmases with them in the temple.  It looked a little forlorn but a couple of nuns cleaned it up and soon it was as good as new. 

Last year, unknown to the nuns, our two ghost pals, HD and PH went out of their way to arrange presents for the nuns but this year, Head Nun very firmly told the two spooks "No more presents!". She said that the nuns are on a spiritual journey and should learn not to be attached to all things mundane.   So no more discussion on the subject, period.

Just when we thought that there would be no more excitement for the rest of the year, there came a big commotion from the coop one morning.  We rushed there and saw to our surprise that a turkey had found his way there and Bruce Lee was shouting his head off at the poor creature and trying to drive him away, but he refused to budge.  

"Look, my dear," said Head Nun, addressing the turkey.   "How can we help you?  Have you lost your way?"

The turkey shook his head.  "My name's Turkey Lurkey," he said.  "I'm not lost.  I ran away from a farm because I don't want to be carved up for Thanksgiving..."  and he burst into tears.

Touched, Head Nun said, "Alright, alright, you can stay here for the time being.  Bruce Lee, you could at least show some sympathy to this poor creature.  Give him a corner of your coop and treat him nicely."

Bruce Lee made some unintelligible noises and reluctantly told T.L. to follow him inside. As it turned out, T.L. became a great favourite with the hens, much to Bruce Lee's jealousy.  They loved listening to his stories after being tired of hearing Bruce Lee's "adventures" every other night and even kept a lookout for him in case his owner should come looking for him, which he did one morning.  

He was a big burly man with a moustache and you could tell he only cared for the money he could make out of his turkeys.  Head Nun had gone to visit a sick friend and was not expected back until the next morning.  In her absence, APK told him very sweetly that we had not seen any runaway turkey.  He looked at her suspiciously and threatened he would raid the coop if the nuns were hiding his turkey but APK, backed by her fellow nuns, stood firm and told him to get lost.

After he had gone, APK said to me thoughtfully, "Vege Cat, I think we should hide T.L. somewhere.  What if that horrible man does come back tonight and raid the coop?"

"Yes, you've got a point there," I said.  All the other nuns agreed that something should be done to save T.L. and since there was no higher authority to refer to, APK took the initiative to hide T.L. in the storeroom in the temple.  She gave him some food and water and told him to be quiet.  Fortunately nothing happened during the night and the next morning, after meditation, we prepared breakfast for Head Hun's return.

We had somehow forgotten about poor T.L. in the storeroom, busy as we were with our duties and when Head Nun returned and went to the storeroom to get something, we were startled to hear a loud shriek.  

"OMG .... T.L.!" gasped APK, dropping the bowl of oats she was carrying.

There was a hush as Head Nun returned to the kitchen.  She looked at the nuns, drew in a deep breath, then said, "I don't think it's my imagination but just now as I entered the storeroom, I not only saw a pair of beady eyes staring at me from the darkness but I also heard some weird sounds.  Now, perhaps one of you can tell me what's going on?"

Everyone looked at APK.  There was no escape for her and bowing her head low, she stammered an explanation and how T.L. came to be in the storeroom.  

Head Nun was silent for a moment, then said, "I should have known that you would be behind this farce.  Alright, I'm not going to scold or punish you, you did what you thought was a humanitarian act.  Just get T.L. out of there and put him back in the coop - NOW!"

APK fled to the storeroom, scooped up a frightened T.L. and was about to take him back to the coop when there came loud banging on the front door.  One of the nuns went to look, it was the burly farmer and he had two other men with him and the three of them forced their way into the kitchen.

"I knew it," the farmer yelled.  "They've got our turkey with them, give him back to us you no good thieves or I shall call the police!"

APK stood rooted to the spot, while a shivering T.L. started making funny gobbling noises.  It was of course Head Nun who saved the situation.

Diving a hand into her pocket, she took out some money, thrust it at the farmer and said calmly, "We've just bought your turkey.  He belongs to us now, so please leave."

The farmer was quite taken aback but he couldn't refuse the thick wad of money offered to him.  He snorted, called his friends and they left.

The silence in the kitchen after they had gone was electrifying.  Then APK suddenly shouted, "Three cheers for Head Nun, hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray!"  The other nuns started cheering and it was difficult even for an austere person like Head Nun to keep a straight face.

"Alright, enough!" she said.  "Why are you cheering?  If you think that was a good move on my part, my dear nuns, then you should know that I just gave away the money I was going to use to buy our meals this week.  So I'm afraid you all will have to eat plain white rice for the next few days, unless .... (and here she looked at T.L.) .... unless you want to have an early Thanksgiving ...."

The word "Thanksgiving" was like a time bomb for T.L.  Shrieking with fear, he struggled free from APK's arms and ran helter skelter towards the coop, calling for Bruce Lee to save him!  

Well, I'm so glad it's another happy ending.... now we have a new permanent addition to the coop and thanks to a generous devotee who gave us some tinned veg food, we didn't have to survive on rice and water until our next meal allowance.  Something tells me there's lots more excitement to come in the not too distant future ...