Two days later they came to the ruins of the old city on the bay.
People still lived there, but not many, as they had to move out to hunt and the fish in the bay were few.
But Rosemma and Charles stared around as they walked beneath the shadows of ruined
towering buildings, stepping on broken glass and other debris scattered in the streets.
Grandmother kept her dog, Jack Sharp Tooth, close to her hip. And every now and then she would remind Rosemma to to the same. Very carefully stepping around some sharp debris, cautiously skirting it to avoid injury to the dogs feet.
The people they did see, were not too friendly, staring at them with grim looks.
Jack Chang grunted here and there. He had grown up here, in the old part that had been called China Town. He left home as a young man after his grandfather has died, only going back to bring his mother out to come live with them in the desert.
And now he was heading back. Charlie Bearscratcher stepped along with him. He had come here once too. To watch Jack's back as they moved his mother out.
Chinatown, Jack mused. He wondered if there was still anyone he knew, he was not a young man anymore, it had been a long while. The years had been pretty good to him, he was still fairly spry, still had that magic touch, only his hair had gone white, but his face wasn't too lined. Well, a little, but not so bad.
Gardens were visible here and there around houses, front yards, chickens scratched in the streets.
Cats were everywhere. Grandmother supposed they had to have so many, the rodents would over run every thing otherwise. She had always loved cats, but unless she had made her
home the Scared Mountain village permanently, it just wouldn't work. Cats for the most part didn't travel well.
A group of men stepped out in front of them. Jack and Charlie motioned for everyone to stop.
One of the men came forward with a expression of authority.
Jack stepped to meet him. They confered, Jack gesturing, pointing in a direction, then pointing back at their group.
He then pointed up, then down, and suddenly the ground did a little shake. The other man jumped back, quickly motioned for them to pass, and he and the other men moved out of their way back to where they had come. With fear in their eyes.
Grandmother waited untill they were well past then spoke. " Father, what did you do?"
Jack chuckled, "Well Maggie they do know of the sorcerers from Chinatown, I just thought I would hurry up the interview a little. I'm not sure they would have let us get pass them. And it is so much quicker this way. Not that I blame them, there has been some trouble the last few years. Bandits, and some territorial disputes have left them kind of suspicious of strangers."
Then he added, " I want to keep moving on as quick as we can, I don't want to be out on the streets when it gets dark."
So he hurried them along, untill Rosemma thought her feet would never stop aching, and she was used to walking, but this land had so much hard to it. And things to watch for, things that could trip or cut a person.
Charles seemed very quiet, she thought. She still felt shy with him, but then she realized in some ways, he was a quiet man, and didn't need a lot of needless talk to make him feel important. She glanced his way, and found him staring carefully at his feet, watching where he walked.
He seemed to be in deep thought and concentration, so she went back to her own careful steps.
The day seemed to go on for ever. Finally as it was getting towards evening, Jack Chang sighed loudly.
"Never thought I would see this place again, well let's go see who is around."
Grandmother grumbled,""Father, you can't be serious, who would still be alive that you might even know?"
Jack Chang turned around. "Magnolia, you know that we Chinese are a very long lived people, and I come from a really big family. Three of my sisters chose to stay here, and last time when I came to get Mother Chang, they all had fairly large families. As do my cousins, and my brother. So there is someone here who wil know me. And," He pointed at himself, I do look a lot like my grandfather, they will all remember him, he was in this city, a very famous man!"
Grandmother hushed up, and they crossed into what Rosemma could see was a very
different part of town than where they had been before.
Another two blocks later, Jack motioned for them to stop, and he knocked on a door.
When the door cracked open a small way, Jack spoke in a language that no one else
had heard him speak before. The door opened wider, and a young man and an older white haired woman stepped out.
The woman who was tiny in stature, but huge in attitude, took Jack's face between her hands and stared. He said something to her, and she laughed, then hugged him. She grabbed his arm, motioned to all of them to come inside.
To Chang's Bar and Grill.
People still lived there, but not many, as they had to move out to hunt and the fish in the bay were few.
But Rosemma and Charles stared around as they walked beneath the shadows of ruined
towering buildings, stepping on broken glass and other debris scattered in the streets.
Grandmother kept her dog, Jack Sharp Tooth, close to her hip. And every now and then she would remind Rosemma to to the same. Very carefully stepping around some sharp debris, cautiously skirting it to avoid injury to the dogs feet.
The people they did see, were not too friendly, staring at them with grim looks.
Jack Chang grunted here and there. He had grown up here, in the old part that had been called China Town. He left home as a young man after his grandfather has died, only going back to bring his mother out to come live with them in the desert.
And now he was heading back. Charlie Bearscratcher stepped along with him. He had come here once too. To watch Jack's back as they moved his mother out.
Chinatown, Jack mused. He wondered if there was still anyone he knew, he was not a young man anymore, it had been a long while. The years had been pretty good to him, he was still fairly spry, still had that magic touch, only his hair had gone white, but his face wasn't too lined. Well, a little, but not so bad.
Gardens were visible here and there around houses, front yards, chickens scratched in the streets.
Cats were everywhere. Grandmother supposed they had to have so many, the rodents would over run every thing otherwise. She had always loved cats, but unless she had made her
home the Scared Mountain village permanently, it just wouldn't work. Cats for the most part didn't travel well.
A group of men stepped out in front of them. Jack and Charlie motioned for everyone to stop.
One of the men came forward with a expression of authority.
Jack stepped to meet him. They confered, Jack gesturing, pointing in a direction, then pointing back at their group.
He then pointed up, then down, and suddenly the ground did a little shake. The other man jumped back, quickly motioned for them to pass, and he and the other men moved out of their way back to where they had come. With fear in their eyes.
Grandmother waited untill they were well past then spoke. " Father, what did you do?"
Jack chuckled, "Well Maggie they do know of the sorcerers from Chinatown, I just thought I would hurry up the interview a little. I'm not sure they would have let us get pass them. And it is so much quicker this way. Not that I blame them, there has been some trouble the last few years. Bandits, and some territorial disputes have left them kind of suspicious of strangers."
Then he added, " I want to keep moving on as quick as we can, I don't want to be out on the streets when it gets dark."
So he hurried them along, untill Rosemma thought her feet would never stop aching, and she was used to walking, but this land had so much hard to it. And things to watch for, things that could trip or cut a person.
Charles seemed very quiet, she thought. She still felt shy with him, but then she realized in some ways, he was a quiet man, and didn't need a lot of needless talk to make him feel important. She glanced his way, and found him staring carefully at his feet, watching where he walked.
He seemed to be in deep thought and concentration, so she went back to her own careful steps.
The day seemed to go on for ever. Finally as it was getting towards evening, Jack Chang sighed loudly.
"Never thought I would see this place again, well let's go see who is around."
Grandmother grumbled,""Father, you can't be serious, who would still be alive that you might even know?"
Jack Chang turned around. "Magnolia, you know that we Chinese are a very long lived people, and I come from a really big family. Three of my sisters chose to stay here, and last time when I came to get Mother Chang, they all had fairly large families. As do my cousins, and my brother. So there is someone here who wil know me. And," He pointed at himself, I do look a lot like my grandfather, they will all remember him, he was in this city, a very famous man!"
Grandmother hushed up, and they crossed into what Rosemma could see was a very
different part of town than where they had been before.
Another two blocks later, Jack motioned for them to stop, and he knocked on a door.
When the door cracked open a small way, Jack spoke in a language that no one else
had heard him speak before. The door opened wider, and a young man and an older white haired woman stepped out.
The woman who was tiny in stature, but huge in attitude, took Jack's face between her hands and stared. He said something to her, and she laughed, then hugged him. She grabbed his arm, motioned to all of them to come inside.
To Chang's Bar and Grill.
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