Play@YSDC

The shutter at head height begins to open, Elisabeth hears execrable Chinese "Méiyǒu zhěnsuǒ. Yīxué de míngtiān. Wáng xiānshēng, nǐ de nǚ'ér yǒu dòu ne?" that roughly translates to "No clinic. Medicine tomorrow. Mr. Wang, has your daughter got the pox again?" And now a young bearded face is revealed, eyes goggling at sight of the bedraggled party, he gasps: "Mon Dieu!"

"Sanctuary!" gasps Elisabeth in Chinese.

"Bien sûr!" says the Belgian Father. He unbolts the door. He greets Elisabeth with, "You are English, no?" but doesn't wait for a reply as he ushers everyone inside. "Come, come,"--walking down a stone flagged corridor. A kitchen, with a blazing hearth, and . . . Father Pierrepont goes and stands behind a grandee who bangs his glass upon a table.

"I am Father Anselm, what is the meaning of this?"

"Yes, I'm English," says Elisabeth helping Posie inside. "My name is Elisabeth Grey." She indicates Samuel, who has followed her inside. "This is my father, Samuel Grey. He's the assistant to Sir Alexander Cadogan, the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Republic of China. We and these other people with us were at a celebration hosted by Dr. Chee that was interrupted by a contingent of soldiers from the Empire of Japan. They murdered Dr. Chee and one of his daughters. This is his surviving daughter, Mingzhu." She points her out. "They proceeded to herd us into a train car, but we soon realised that they intended to murder us all and eliminate the witnesses. We slipped away before they could, and they machine-gunned the empty railroad car. It didn't take them long to figure out we'd scarpered, and they'll be looking for us. Some of our fellow guests were doubtless already killed by the Japanese, and some of the other survivors are still out there, trying to slow down the Japanese from pursuing us."




"I can confirm everything my daughter just told you, Father," says Samuel. "Do you have a telephone, by any chance?"

". . . Chee: dead . . . ?" says Father Anselm. He looks at each face of the party, and takes in their appearance: soaking wet, mud splattered, exhaustion. "Incroyable!

"Mr. Samuel Grey, we are honoured to have such a distinguished guest--guests: you are all welcome." He replies to Samuel's question: "There is not a telephone here at the mission, the nearest one is at the train station." Father Anselm continues: "So many questions! Where to start? Japanese soldiers, you say?--"



"Your 'guests,'" interrupts Mrs. Kolchak a little brusquely, "number women and child who have undergone a horrible ordeal." She softens: "Please, Father, we require hot drinks, food, hot water for a bath, and bed."

Father Anselm rings a bell. "Mrs. Quan will see to your needs."

"Thank you!" says Elisabeth, sighing in relief. "A hot bath is precisely what I need! Some tea, a good meal, and a bed wouldn't go amiss either."



"Yes, thank you," says Samuel. "I was hoping to inform the embassy of the situation immediately, but that won't be possible. We cannot return to the train station under the circumstances. If you have pen and paper, I'll write a letter to Sir Alexander detailing what happened."

Father Pierrepont crosses the room to a bureau, delves inside, and returns with ink, pen and headed paper. Samuel reads:

MISSION CATHOLIQUE DE NOTRE-DAME, LA MADONE
Sacrée Congrégation pour la Propagation de la Foi
Pékin, la province du Hebei

Father Anselm asks Elisabeth: "Madamoiselle Grey, you said there are others? The mission has a truck, perhaps Father Pierrepont could return to the water mill with Mr. Pei-Hu?"--he nods toward Shaosu.

"Yapping" of dogs, followed by Mrs. Quan.



The imperturbable housekeeper, after a brief consultation with Father Anselm, ushers Elisabeth, Mingzhu, Mrs. Kolchak, Mae and Posie with a "follow me" gesture.

"Yes, they could go look for the others," says Elisabeth, "but they'll need to be careful. Those soldiers mean business."



"Thank you, Father," says Samuel, accepting the paper, ink, and pen with a bow. "Go on, Elisabeth. I can write the letter myself." He turns back to Father Anselm. "My daughter is a secretary at the embassy."



"Let's go," says Elisabeth, taking Posie's hand and following Mrs. Quan.

"I will be most careful, madamoiselle," says Father Pierrepont with a bow.

Father Anselm replies: "A capable young lady, I am sure. A stiff drink for you men? So, Mr. Grey, you were a guest at . . ."--the voice fades away as Elisabeth follows Mrs. Quan.

The women are taken to a large parlour-cum-kitchen where Mrs. Quan directs them to a bench and armchairs before a roaring fire. She places a large copper kettle over the flame. "Oolong tea?" asks the housekeeper in Chinese. Posie is playing with the two pekingese dogs. She coninues: "I heard the 'fireworks' at the Golden Pumpkin--" and stops, obviously unsure if Elisabeth and Mrs. Kolchak understand her.

"Thank you, Father, I'd truly appreciate that," says Samuel. "Yes, Elisabeth has certainly shown her taelnts today. She has quite the aptitude for diplomacy herself, and she has a bright future ahead of her."



Elisabeth nods to Mrs. Quan. "Yes, that would have been the machine gun you'd heard," she replies in passable Chinese. "It would sound like fireworks from a distance, but we were a lot closer to it. Fortunately, not too close. Oolong tea would be lovely, thank you. Is there anyone here with medical skills? I know the basics, but I'm no expert. One of our fellow guests, Dr. Renwick, is a medical doctor. We got separated from him, but hopefully Father Pierrepont can find him and bring him back safely."

"I wanted to watch the fireworks from the tower,"--Mrs. Quan hands out cups of steaming tea--"but I was busy putting away medicine in the dispensary. . . . Gunfire?"--she is troubled by the news.

"The Fathers have little medical skill; however, the locals believe them to be magicians who brew potions." She adds: "Only believers in Christ receive medicine; we have a large congregation."

"Thank you," says Elisabeth, inhaling the steam coming off of the tea and then sipping it slowly, savoring the taste. "I'll help however much I can with the injured, but Dr. Renwick will be much better at it if they can find him and bring him here." She tries to treat herself, but she doesn't feel any better.

OOC,I rolled First Aid on Dark and Moody and failed with a 62 vs. a 55% skill.

"I wonder, Mrs. Chau," says Mae, "if Miss Grey can make use of the medicines?"

"We all have cuts," adds Mrs. Kolchak. "Antiseptics?" She struggles with the word in Chinese but is helped out by Mae.

"Certainly," says Mrs. Chau. She takes a tin bath which is propped against the chimney breast and begins to ladle hot water into it, chuckling: "Father Anselm will be disappointed when he calls for his bath tomorrow morning!" She bolts the door they came through. "You all will have to take turns, I'm afraid. Who's first?"

Mrs. Kolchak holds Mingzhu--who is sipping her tea, but otherwise is very quiet and withdrawn--by the shoulder, she checks with Elisabeth, "This one?"

"Go ahead and bathe first, Mingzhu," says Elisabeth with a nod. "I can wait. Regarding the medicines, I'm no chemist, but I can follow directions. I can wash and dress our cuts, and I can treat wounds. I did manage to keep that Italian fellow alive after the Japanese shot him. I just hope the doctor got to him in time."

Mingzhu is unable to undress herself, so they all lend a hand. They guide her feet into the tin bath; once she is sat down Mrs. Chau begins to lather the somnambulant woman. Mrs. Chau hums:

The moon is bright, the wind is quiet,
The tree leaves hang over the window,
My little baby, go to sleep quickly,
Sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.

The moon is bright, the wind is quiet,
The cradle moving softly,
My little one, close your eyes,
Sleep, sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.

The hot water round Mingzhu's feet turns cloudy, grey with dirt and pink with blood. Something else, as she was lowered into the water, Elisabeth noticed a small tattoo on her spine:

蛇--snake.

Elisabeth notes the tattoo with interest, but now is not the time to ask about it.

"All done," says Mrs. Chau. She says to Elisabeth: "You can take the baby"--Mingzhu--"upstairs and put her to bed."

The housekeeper empties the dirty water. "Who's next?"

Elisabeth nods and helps Mingzhu out of the tub, drying her off with a towel before dressing her.

Mrs. Chau and the others get Posie undressed and into the tin bath.

There is an open door at the rear of the parlour; through it a passageway which fades with darkness, but the foot of stairs, leading upwards, are visible. Mingzhu touches Elisabeth's arm, smiles her appreciation, and stands straight, resilience flowing from her posture.



"Do you think father is stood on the bridge, over the river with apple blossom floating in the current, waiting for me?"

Mrs. Chau hums:
"The moon is bright, the wind is quiet,
The tree leaves hang over the window,
My little baby, go to sleep quickly, . . ."

"Yes, I think he is there," Elisabeth reassures Mingzhu, smiling back as she guides her to her room. "He loves you more than anything else in the world. One day you will see him again, but you have a long life ahead of you, and he wants you to be happy in it." She squeezes her hand. "That's an interesting tattoo you have. I wonder what its significance is?"