Legend

Legend
by Chris Nance

“Can you sense the change in the wind?” the aged master asked his student in meditation.

“I can, Sifu, though the drifting purple petals of the lilac are still more obvious,” Meng Jou replied.

“You are wise, even for your age, student. For a master does not wait to sense the wind, but looks for the more obvious signs.” He opened his eyes. “The time has come for you, young one, to step out into the world and take your place among the great teachers. You will change the hearts of men.”

“But I can never stop learning,” he replied. “And so, I turn to you for guidance.”

“My student, you have all my knowledge, but you must experience the world for yourself. Knowledge means nothing without wisdom and understanding.” The master removed a letter from a nearby clay pot. “Here is your charge, my apprentice.”

“Sifu?”

“I task you with altering the course of mankind. Be a symbol for them. Let them tell tales of you and etch your likeness into their culture for centuries to come. You are the last of us. Make sure they remember our kin, even if we are relegated to their fables. Now, take flight and may the breeze be ever beneath you.”

Meng Jou didn’t know how to respond. Perhaps he knew better, that no response was necessary. As his master returned to his meditation, the student quietly grasped the tiny letter and rose to his feet, then withdrew.

His journey began up the steep steps of the powerful mountain that nested the temple. Meng Jou pushed through the clouds to the very precipice of the world. Finally at the top, he gave out a mighty roar and took to the sky, soaring into his destiny as the last dragon in China.


296 words