A House on Mount Linux

Part 5: The Uncle Loses His Nephew But the Nephew Knows His Uncle's Window

Part 5: The Uncle Loses His Nephew But the Nephew Knows His Uncle's Window

They had been seen...

They didn't know they'd been seen.

One shouldn't fool around while escaping from a prison cell, having been locked on a charge of robbery and high treason. More so, one shouldn't lie down on bags with rice and start making out. Having drunk samshoo! Bad for the escape!

All right, for the truth's sake, it should be clarified: they hadn't been seen but just heard.

The loyal servant Green TeaBag found the grate lying on the wet grass. He would have raised the alarm that instant, but after running a few steps he figured out that there's only one man who could rip a thick grate out of a window. The same one who had forgotten to take the keys to that room from middle-aged loyal him. That would be his Master Liu.

Loyal TeaBag hid behind the window - not to get in the way.

The rain was making noises and wasn't letting him to hear everything but nevertheless he made out enough: growling, moaning, rustling, broken china clanging and, at some moment, a pitiful, half-suffocated "What are you doing to me?.. What are you... What are you... Ha-ah..." Sounded like someone expired his last breath.

Green TeaBag understood everything. Master Lew, blind with anger, was strangling his treacherous nephew.

Green TeaBag fled in terror - not to get in the way.

When a long time after he opened the pantry door, there was nobody inside.

The loyal middle-aged servant ran to his master, the latter didn't answer his calls. The servant opened the door an inch; the master was dead asleep having crashed onto the bed in wet filthy clothes, spreading the scent of aromatic oil and samshoo, scattering rice around - which was falling off him gradually, as it dried.

In the evening someone discovered that the prisoner had gone - and lights started blinking around the house. Then they gathered in a shy unorganized flock and tried to crawl up the mountain slope, then they shifted to the stone stairs,.. ran down them stopping to have an agitated argument after every li... and vanished in the night fog.

Wet maple leaves stuck to the window, didn't let a single blink of light break into the room. Nobody had lit the lamp.

The only source of light in the dark emptiness was a small piece of coal smouldering under the teapot brought by a servant. Somebody took care of him while he was sleeping.

"I really should put that lock on the door," thought Liu ShanShun.

He didn't sleep a wink two previous nights. He hadn't got any proper sleep for a long time. He hadn't got any proper sleep for five years!

Liu ShanShun swung his legs off the bed and sat there holding a grab of his own hair.

He didn't know where Liu LiZhong had gone and if he was coming back. The brat had disappeared in the rain like he was: wet, hungry, with no money... with an aching butt.

In his mind, what happened that morning was showered with soft grayish light of a rainy day, arousing hope and craving. What was happening around was total darkness full of late remorse and forebodings of ill.

The rain was tapping on the window frame like an evil spirit, "Let me in, I'm so cold here." The teapot was hissing like a viper.

"Master Liu, Master Liu," they shouted outside the door. "Master Liu, Master Liu!"

He threw off his dirty robe without lighting the lamp, put on some overall and opened the door.

"Master Liu," the servants cried rolling on the floor. "You nephew has escaped!"