You look around once more. You are definitely alone. You take a deep, stabilizing breath - and somehow, maybe through the grace of the gods, manage to kick the door down with only one, well-placed kick.
Inside is a bedroom with two small beds and a desk, no windows - and two ladies staring at you.
One is nearing eighty, the other in her mid-forties. They are both wearing simple robes probably given to them by palace staff, their hair in simple plaits, and their faces surprised and wary. You stumble into the room and clear your throat.
"Who are you?" you ask carefully. The two ladies stare at you, frowning.
"You first," they state slowly. Their hands are half-raised, defensive. You decide to take a leap of faith.
"I am not from here," you say. "I came to get a dragon's pearl back."
Immediately the two women relax. The older one sits down on the bed while the other rearranges the sleeves of her robe. She is the one who talks:
"I am Mei Mei, from Hangzhou. And this is Kuan Yin, a monk."
You blink, flabbergasted. "Mei Mei! I came looking for you, you'd already been..."
"Abducted," she fills in with a smile. "As my friend Kuan Yin here, I am held prisoner. Kuan Yin for having created the crown that will control the Monkey King, and I for being able to link him to the theft of the Sichuan dragon's pearl."
"Of course," you say, nodding slowly.
If you already have the crown, keep reading. Otherwise, go to Chapter Fifty-Four.
"The artefact - you made it?" you ask.
"Yes," Kuan Yin answers. "The only way to control Sun Wukong."
"I have it," you say. "I plan to use it."
"All you have to do," she explains slowly, "is place it onto his head. Only do this, and the rest will follow."
"Will you come with me?"
They both shake their heads.
"We must retrieve our belongings, regain our strength. If we can, we will meet you. Otherwise, we will see each other back in the material world."
With that, they nod their heads at you and sidle past you into the corridor.
You are now alone. To keep following the corridor to the tiny room, go to Chapter Fifty-Five.
YOU ARE READING
The Rains of Sichuan {Choose Your Own Adventure} // Wattys 2019
Adventure"If we want to survive this drought, you will have to make it rain." In this short-and-sweet Choose Your Own Adventure book, you will be taken on a quest to discover why the rains haven't fallen on your tiny little chinese village - and to remedy...
