A Real Storyteller
German Swiss International School , Wan , Rachel - 15
The doctors told Sun Yi she only had two months to live . It was something in her gall bladder that complicated the situation . Sun Yi was calm when she heard the news . She didn ’ t really pay attention to her diagnosis ; all she knew was that her end was nigh .
The next morning , Sun Yi walked around the hu-tong 1 , keeping a hand pressed to her back . She had gotten used to the lingering back aches which only seemed to get worse every spring . With one hand to her back and the other holding her handkerchief , broom , incense sticks , and newspapers , Sun Yi let her mind wander . Lately , she had been thinking more about her daughter , about how they would reunite soon . She was seventy years old , with bound feet and a pair of chopsticks on her head in a knotted bun . To Tai-tai 2 she was a hardworking maid and spinster . In fact , Tai-tai hadn ’ t needed Sun Yi to work ever since she had turned sixty , but her magnificent storytelling skills had made Tai-tai keep her on the job . She could entrance anyone , telling tales of girls and gods , of affection and animosity . At sunset she would gather the children and tell them stories . Her chronicles captivated not only the children but the entire hu-tong .
“ My daughter married a general . Before I gave her away I bathed her in milk and unbound her feet . Her feet were as soft as silk …” Here Sun Yi paused , evened out her breath , and told the children to count the days she had left . Each day nearer to her death , she looked more contented . “ The sun rises in the east and sets in the west ”, she would say . “ Just as the sun gracefully ebbs into oblivion , so too am I almost reaching the west , children … I am almost dying .” Almost as if to punctuate her statement , she coughed . “ I am too weak . If only before my death , I could see my daughter once again .”
Whether there was any truth to Sun Yi ’ s tales , no one knew . Sun Yi would sweep floors , cook meals , and sleep on the rooftop with her incense sticks and newspapers . At night she would look at her handkerchief for hours under the moonlight . Still , her neighbours could not fathom why Sun Yi was spending her last two months so mundanely . Whispers unfolded as people brushed past her through the throng .
" Why are you still staying here ? Shouldn ’ t you go back to the village , where you are from ?” the children asked innocently as they walked to the market square . Sun Yi would pull the chopsticks out of her bun and say , “ Why leave ? This hu-tong has the art of making a transient and chaotic life seem orderly and predictable .”
Sun Yi ’ s job as a storyteller increased in importance , as her stories were the only thing that were colourful in this monochromatic hu-tong . Though under any circumstances she could spend her last days back at the village and not as a maid , she honoured her responsibility of a lifetime . She told stories everyday , even on days when her back aches seemed intolerable .
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Tai-tai was having none of this two-month nonsense , so she called all the neighbours to convince Sun Yi to return to the countryside . The neighbours all believed that Sun Yi ’ s resting place should be where she was born , reflecting the circle of life . Hastily the neighbours carried Sun Yi up the stairs to the roof , where they planted her on one side of the clothesline and started yelling on top of each other .
“ What is all this fuss ?” Sun Yi cried .
" Sun Yi , you must leave this stifling hu-tong and go back to your village ! You shouldn ’ t waste your last days working as a maid for us !” Tai-tai exclaimed .
“ Your journey in life should be as radiant and purposeful as the sun !” another hollered , tears spluttering unattractively down her red cheeks .
“ Sun Yi , I think you are too afraid to leave this place ; you are too afraid to return to your past . But what is life if it is not an exhilarating journey ? What is life if you do not return to your roots ? What is life if you spend fifty years being a maid ?” a third questioned .