To Break Free

A Heart in the Auction

Bao Gu orphanage was the place of sweetness and evil. Riding the high vessels of air the birds would roam freely, the children follow the methods of the wind as it travels. But this liberty belonged outside Bao Gu. The heart of definition was the place is an abode of hope. But where hope is, misery prevails.

Inside the remote peripheries of the orphanage was a little tigress. She huddled at the brink of her bed. In front was a small desk, and on it was paper. With an untrained hand and an illiterate sight, she wrote away.

"It's okay." She mumbled to herself. "Shifu said he'll come."

The page blighted with ink; the letters overlapped one after another. With the gain of more strokes came the impatience to finish.

Her jaws pressed tight and her body followed suit ---except for her laboring hand. "...I would want more dominoes. Broke some yesterday.

"Ten is good... I'll complete that lotus pattern with that much." Her syllables were prolonged and slurred as she thought. "And I think I--- No scratch that. Master Shifu has not been here in a long time but I'll show him the lotus."

The sound of breaking apparatus broke her strokes. The ink dropped from the hair of her brush, sowing to the parchment with beating drops. The ink flared and bursted in territory. The iron door opened.

"Hello Tigress." Shan Lee said, "You know the man we talked about?" She smiled but her jaw trembled.

"Yes. Yes! But who is the man? Master Shifu?" Her body sat erect. "Please tell me its Master Shifu."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. He is not Master Shifu. But he wants to adopt you." Her voice grew convincing at the end of her speak.

"N--- not Master Shifu? Then... Then I don't want him." Her hand dropped the pen, and then reached for its other mate. She clasped her hands together, cupping them, folding them, and spreading her fingers and pressing her pads against one another. "Shifu... Shifu said he'll come. He will come."

The goat stepped inside her room. In response she shuffled to the of the bed. Her fist tightened, her foot stopped dangling and pressed itself to the ground. At any moment she could thrust forward, but she reacted no more than a forbearing stillness.
Entering her room was an insult to her pride. This was her premise. She was the one who ascends. In her premise, she should be able to control who is welcomed and who is not.

"Ok calm down now." Shan the door behind her with a rough shove. "You'll go nowhere threatening me like that young girl. I am not afraid of you."

"I don't want a stranger. I want Master Shifu. He's nice to me. He said he'll come back soon. Very soon."

She stepped closer. "Tigress---"

"He said he'll come. You heard him Ms. Shan! You were there when he promised."

"Tigress."

Tigress shook violently. "No. I don't want to. I want stay here until Master Shi---"

"Tigress!" Shan scrambled to the edge of her bed, "look at me young girl. Master Shifu..." She breathed in to think. "Master Shifu is a teacher."

Shan placed a hand timidly on Tigress's shoulder. "He is not a man searching for a daughter, he is not searching for you. Tigress, he just wants to help you. But that's all I'm afraid."

Immediately Tigress looked away from Shan. At the floorboards she sought the reason to disengage, but the woman's voice was as oddly healing as a dead virus on an open wound.

Shan knew Tigress listened and so she continued. "This opportunity is a gift Tigress. This man wants to adopt you. And you can't let Shifu take that away. You've been waiting for this moment for years. Listen to me Tigress. Listen!" The grip on her shoulders tightened, and with a subtle urge she forced Tigress to look her in the eyes. "If you deny a gift in hopes you'll get a better one, in the end you will have nothing."