B. The Merlion
Part1
1.
Li Dachang, Zhang Xiaotiao and a few friends were having dinner in the coffeeshop of 1 Fulleton Hotel, celebrating his 45 year birthday, also celebrating his getting tenure a short while ago.

At 45 years old, he had just attained the position others usually get in the 30s, hardly an example of career success. He was also still a divorced man without a family to go home to. As he reminisced, he thought of his rocky career path, with the quick rise to the high government post in Suzhou, back to being a student, then starting at the bottom of the academic career, to today's associate professorship, of his loving relationship with Halimah followed by the drifting apart, his crossing of paths with Xiaoran, and his pleasant collaboration over several years with Xiaotiao, now sitting beside him.

Their website, while not generating much income, at least achieved its basic objectives. It not only attracted students from overseas universities that run courses on new Chinese Literature to read website material and buy books, but also had the effect of raising the profile of Xiaotiao in the Chinese literary circle, for in addition to being a well known figure in the circle itself, she also achieved a level of international recognition. Even middle ranked US universities would have some of her books, with Dachang's translated versions, in their libraries. Further, it was the general opinion that his translations were freeflowing and refined enough to match the quality of Xiaotiao's Chinese originals; in fact, there are places where the English version, being briefer, reads more crisply. Not long ago, there were even reporters coming to ask for his opinions on the idea of creating a new new Chinese literature that combines features of Chinese and Western writings, making it most suitable for Chinese society in the age of openness...

Through the years, he had been acting protectively towards Xiaotiao like an older brother, not just out of appreciation of her talent, but also because, initially at least, he had the fear that the various scary bits in Xiaotiao's writings reflected a dark corner of her personality, which might one day burst out. Like in one story, a girl killed her father and used his blood to paint her mouth, because a handsome boy told her her lips were too pale and she would look beautiful if the lips were redder.

Dachang was not actually afraid that Xiaotiao would kill him to get his blood, but he wanted to know why she liked to write stuff like this. he also wondered whether the parts in her stories where the heroine runs away but then for various reasons returns to where she escaped from. indicate Xiaotiao's feeling of being imprisoned in her situation without ability to escape; then there are also those bits about a girl losing virginity, and the description seemed always to be about bleeding and pain...

Others say that she must have been hurt by some boyfriend, or followed some cult, but he doubted this; he felt Xiaotiao was just a young girl trying to act like an worldly adult, and her personal experiences were limited. Some of her books' scenes of innocent love seem real, but even those may be second hand from her friends; he started laughing when he saw a passage where the girl was having a meal of pork blood noodle, and the boy was talking about his vision of becoming a pork blood noodle seller so that he could give her a treat every day. She seemed to know little about life's real complexities.

For example, in Singapore the episode ought to have taken place in a sushi shop, with the chef kneading riceballs and slicing fish, handing out the sushi pieces to the couple, and the girl shows admiration for the chef's skills while the boy expresses his vision...But Dachang's story has a rather deflating ending: when a sushi chef produce the bills, he takes into consideration how much a customer has eaten and the cost of the material, but also whether he/she made good conversation with the chef; since the couple only had eyes for each other, the chef charged them rather highly.

Gradually he came to appreciate that Xiaotiao's wrtings were actually pictures painted in words, pictures that grab attention with their scary content, but the scary parts, like the witches and monsters of fairy tales, do no great harm. When the prince appears, Snowwhile immediately spits out the poisoned apple in her throat. Further, there were seven dwarfs taking care of her coffin, clearing away bushes and grasses to keep a path open for the prince to easily ride his horse to her side, and her coffin was made of glass so that he could immediately see how beautiful she was.The prince in sleeping beauty, however, had worse luck: he had to kill a dragon and clear away all the vegetation around the castle to open a path, so he would have been rather tired by the time he reached the princess, and even then he would have to wipe away some cobwebs from her face before he could see whether her beauty was worthy of his kiss...

Of course, the sleep beauty story is saying, a girl need to find her loving man before she turns into a woman, and to get the girl, the man has to pass tests of loyalty and stamina; but in today's world, this is almost ridiculous; the modern girl does not want to be a girl; she rushes to turn into a woman and has no patience to wait, in fact waiting may cost her opportunities because the world changes so fast. As for loyalty and stamina, Dachang felt he was well qualified, but few people seemed to appreciate that; Halimah once appreciated it, but then?

The life's demons do not evaoporate when the sun rises, nor are they defeated by shouting slogans and talking morality. The usefulness of slogans lies in that people can follow them to develop a social machinery that suppress human defects and enhance merits, but slogans are easily heard, whereas producing a social machinery is hard work, and even when one has been put into place, it is not always easy to agree on its benefits, since whatever machinery one invents would cause inconvenience to at least some people.

2.
"Mr Li"

Dachang turned to find Zhang Xiaoran coming towards him.

"Miss Zhang!"

"I didnt know you came back to Singapore; I thought you stayed in USA"

"And you? here for a visit?"

"Oh I have been here several years; my husband is with Shanghai Development Bank; he was sent here to manage the Singapore branch"

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Zhang Xiaotiao; she's a writer"

"Oh what a coincidence meeting both of you; I read your books a few years ago; let me introduce my husband to you" she waved at two people sitting at another table; her husband was almost Dachang's age, tall and square jawed, by looks scion of some high official's family; he brought along his daughter, about 5 years old, with Xiaoran's looks but a squarer face.

"My husband Xie Xuebin, daughter Yueran; Yueyue this is the Auntie Zhang who wrote that sunflower story, a lucky chance we happen to run into her; this is Uncle Li; we met in Suzhou"

"Hi Auntie Zhang; Uncle Li"

It is customery to give a child a present when meeting it the first time; Dachang took from his pocket a little drum pendant carved from Burma jade, which he found earlier that day in the flea market, where he went to pass the time and find something to entertain himself with, by now putting together a collection of old Chinese jade and Burmese feicui; old jade is not suitable as child's' gift - there are people who say stuff dug from the ground have ghostly associations; feicui objects are newly made so there is no problem

"Here Yueyue, uncle has a present for you"

"Eh..isnt this a bit high class for a kid?"

"No this is everyday stuff; the jade is only a little green and not very translucent; just something form the flea market"

"All right then; Yueyue say thank you"

"Thank you Uncle Li"

Now in her thirties, Xiaoran had put on weight and dressed more conservatively, but still looked beautiful, though a little pallid in complexion. Hearing it was his birthday and he just got tenure, she congratulated him warmly. After a little conversation, they each paid their bills and left.

3.
A few days later, Dachang took some small pieces of jade to a jeweller near 1 Fulleton, asking to have them set into a Merlion; in the flea market, one could frequently find odd bits of precious stones. Accumulated over time, one could have a pile whose shapes and sizes could just make up some object as a whole.

Coming out of the shop, he happened to run into Xiaoran and Yueyue again, who had been shopping in the mall and were still looking around carrying their packages. "Another lucky encounter; let's have coffee; how about where we met last time." Getting to the coffeeshop, he ordered a latte, Yueyue wanted a hot chocolate, while Xiaoran only ordered Chinese tea: "Doctor's orders, neither coffee nor ceylon tea". Through the glass wall of the coffeeshop, they could see the big Merlion next to the shore spewing water into the sea.

They talked about this and that, and then was talking about his website with Xiaotiao; as Yueyue listened, she suddenly asked "Does Auntie Zhang have stories about the Merlion?"

"Eh..she did not write about the Merlion in her books, but she must have heard some stories; I will ask her next time"

"I liked her story about a sunflower turning into a woman to look for a painter; Mom told it to me; Could the Merlion turn into a person?"

"She wrote about a fish turning into a person; so I guess there can be something like this about the Merlion"

"Was it a very very old story?"

"Oh, Auntie Zhang's stories were all her own, so could not be very old" This seemed to disappoint Yueyue a little. but the Merlion was not an old legend; it was a symbolic object invented by Signapore Tourism Board. If anyone tells you an ancient Merlion story, it would just be made up publicity mateiral.

"We will be returning to Shanghai soon; there are a lot of personnel movements in the bank"

Actually, he read in the newspapers that the bank had some problem with bad debts and improperly made loans. Maybe Xiaoran's poor complexion had something to do with her husband's job.

"Tomorrow is sunday, and Xiaotiao, her boyfriend and I are walking up the hill; why dont you join us; then Yueyue can ask Xiaotiao to tell her stories"

"Eh..my husband is too busy; as for me..actually I have some heart problems so going up the hill is out for me; why dont we do this, you guys take Yueyue along, and I will stay down below"

The next morning was very hot, and walking uphill would be tough going; as they went up, Xiaotiao led Yueyue by the hand, and first told the story she already heard about the sunflower, then the one about the mermaid, then made up a story about fish going to look for lion, which sort of accounted for the Merlion. As they came down, Yueyuen said she was tired, so they carried her in turn. Before long she was asleep.

When they reach carpark they found Xiaoran leaning against her car, panting a little. "I was a bit early coming back here, so walked around a little, but the up and down paths were a bit much for my condition; I so envy you healthy people."

Xiaoran left with Yueyue in her car, and the three of them followed a little behind. After just a short while, they saw Xiaoran's car starting to meander on the road.

"Oh God, I think she passed out on the wheel"

"What should we do? what.."

While they were saying this, the car bumped into a tree at the side of the road and stopped. The speed was not high so maybe they would suffer no serious injury, but it was hard to see their conditions because the airbags in the car had deployed and covered both of them.

The ambulance came and they followed it to the hospital. Yueyue only had concussion and some scratches, but Xiaoran could not be saved; she was not badly injured, but had a heartattack after she fainted and her car hit the tree; resuscetation efforts were unsuccessful.

4.
"It was my fault; if I hadnt asked her to come this would not have happened"

"Nonsense; if I didnt have stories to tell, Yueyue would not have come on the walk; so was I to blame too?”

Xiaotiao was qutie right; he felt a bit better. They looked at Yueyue lying there in coma with tubes stuck into her; poor 5 year old girl.

Yueyue regained consciousness the next day, and stayed in hospital a few days longer. They visited her every day, and Xiaotiao told her a lot of stories. After Yueyue was discharged, Xiaotiao visited her many times, and took her around to various places in Singapore which she had not been to before, to give her the chance to see them before returning to Shanghai.

After a few weeks like this, one late afternoon Xiaotiao came to see him in his office: "There is something I need your opinion about"

Xiaitiwo's tone was grave, and Dachange looked at her in surprise; however, she was looking down at the table.

"Yueyue's father would like me to marry him"

"Really..eh..do you..do you love him?"

"I wrote many stories, but I dont know what love is"

"Let me ask something simpler: would you enjoy sleeping with him every day?"

"Oh you men are always thinking of it; isnt sexless marriage quite in fashion? Yueyue needs a mother."

"No so simple; you remember the toothpaste tubes that used to be made of tin?"

"What has that got to do with it?"

"According to surveys, men like to squeeze toothpaste from the end of the tube, rolling the end up so while the toothpaste is used up, the tube gets shorter, but always stays full; women like to squeeze the tube in the middle"

"Are you OK?"

"Many couples quarrel because of different ways of squeezing toothpaste; and the toilet seat: - women like it down; men like it up; many couples quarrel over that too"

"So you mean it is hard to live together; I understand that, but it's not just married couples who have that problem right?"

"Married couples would build up a lot of tension over little things, but all that usually goes away after they have an intimate session in bed. Without sex, things dont work so well"

"Isnt there a Chinese saying 'best couples treat each other like guests'"

"The guys who say that probably have many concubines and rarely see their wives"

"Now there you go agian"

"Dont be so sure; I have only slept with one woman all my life; my needs are modest"

Xiaotiao had been looking down at the table throughout the conversation, but this jerked her head up

"You mean...since your divorce 10 years ago..."

"Right; so you shouldnt think men think of it all the time; the reason for needing sex is not that simple"

"But I feel so sorry for Yueyue"

"I know; do you plan to have children yourself?"

Xiaotiao had a start..quite so, almost 30 and the girl had not thought about the issue before.

"What's the connection?"

"You love Yueyue very much now; when you have your own child, would this change? Can you be sure you will treat them equally?"

"So you advise me against marrying him?"

"Not necessarily, but these are crucial questions and you need to have clear thoughts about them"

5.
They were at the airport seeing Xie Xuebin and Yueyue off on their way back to Shanghai; Xiaotiao's boyfriend did not come. She bent down to hug Yueyue, both were crying.

"Antie Zhang; you must remember to come see me..."

"Yueyue I will come; not sure when though" Shaking hands with Xie Xuebin she said "Give me some more time to think"

Dachang took out the Merlion that just came back from the jeweller and put it around Yueyue's neck "Yueyue, he will keep you company for us, OK?"

They drove away from Changi Airport, passing through ECP, Shears Bridge.. Over some distance, they could see the Merlion spewing water into the sea...

Part 2
1.
"Why, over all these years, you never showed interest in me?" Xiaotiao asked Dachang.

"I always treated you like a little sister who need care and protection"

"So I am asking, why only as a sister?"

"I..I dont know"

"Because I am too plain?"

"Not at all; you have lovely eyes"

"Because they look like Xiaoran's"

"Eh..."

"You know, long ago I noticed that, sometimes when you look at my eyes, a specially soft and sentimental expression would come to your face; I didnt understand why, till I met Xiaoran that night, and realized you were thinking of her"

"...."

"When I saw you look at her at night, I immediately knew you could not forget her over all these years; after she left, you suddenly started to look much older"

"...."

"I am not trying to compete with her, but can you be nicer to me?"

"You mean I am still not nice enough?"

"There is something I need your help on"

"what?"

"I want to have a baby, your baby"

2.
In the 6 odd years Dachang had known Xiaotiao, he had seen no sign of interest in marriage and kids; she had a couple of boyfriends, but the relationships never seemed to go anywhere. However, after Xiaoran's death her dormant maternal instinct suddenly bursted out, and she seriously considered marrying Xie Xuebin, but after Yueyue and her dad went back to Shanghai, both sides cooled off after passing their phase of shock and loss. Yueyue had amah and grandparents in Shanghai, so there was no shortage of people helping to take care of her. After a couple of months Xiaotiao and Dachang went to Shanghai to visit her, and found things quite stable, so Xiaotiao came back feeling comfortable about the matter. However, she broke up with her boyfriend all the same.

"After all the events, I really felt nothing at all towards him, and he was rather relieved about it; he had always been a little afraid of me"

Actually, most guys would be afraid of an authoress who wrote books like hers; the question is how much they understand, how much they appreciate.

"Since I wont be Yueyue's mother, I want to have my own child"

"Do you mean you want to marry me?"

"No; you love Xiaoran; I am only a sister to you"

"Then go find someone who loves you"

"There is no one, and if there was someone, I doubt I would love him"

"So pessimistic?"

"Read my books, then you know whether I am pessmistic"

"Then go get artificial insemination at the clinic"

"Also no; I want my child to have a father, a good father"

"High opinion of me; I can go and donate sperms"

"No need for the trouble; just take me home with you; today is my ovulation day; better chance for pregnancy"

3.
He looked at Xiaotiao "This is ridiculous"

"I dont think so; it is simple and convenient, and free"

"I am not a machine..."

"You have been helping me for so long; now I need even more help from you, and I am sure it is within your ability"

"Let me think about this first"

"If I miss today's chance, I have to wait another month. There's not much time left for me"

He looked at Xiaotiao again, and found her looking at him with entreating eyes, eyes just like Xiaoran's...

When they reached his home, Xiaotiao simply led him to his bedroom, took off her clothes and laid down on the bed. He wanted to laugh, first because the situation was just too weird, and also because he was rather nervous, having not had sex for years. As he sat down on the side of the bed, he was still telling himself to take it slowly and let Xiaotiao have time to relax. Then she said "I know it hurts a lot the first time, but I am not afraid"

"You mean...you are still a virgin?"

"Yah but dont worry about me; I want to have your child; I want..."

But he could see the fear and pain in her eyes as he entered her, and found her face covered in tears as he finished. Seeing his look of remorse, Xiaotiao giggled "Actually you made me very happy; I am glad to give my first time to you". He wanted to kiss away her tears like in love stories, but she evaded his attempt, turned her face and wipe it on the pillow. He felt tired and fell asleep. By the time he woke up, Xiaotiao had left, leaving behind a note "Thanks for everything"

For several days he did not see her, and phone calls were not answered. Just as he began to get worried, an email came from her "I am fine; no need to worry", followed by a similar mail a couple of days later; this went on for more than two weeks, then suddenly she phoned "I am at Shanghai Airport; we are boarding soon; would you pick me up in about 5 hours at Changi? I will explain everything after arrival"

When she came out, Yueyue was with her, still wearing the Merlion on her neck.

4.
The three of them went to his home. After having something to eat and putting Yueyue to bed, he asked Xiaotiao what happened.

"The bank was investigating Mr Xie's handling of business in Singapore. There is chance he would go to jail"

"He did not look like a corrupt official to me"

"Other people did things, and said he was part of it. Upstairs may not believe his explanation"

"But is it actually necessary to move Yueyue here just because of this?"

"The problem is Yueyue has a lot of money, passed from her Grandpa to her mom; her dad was concerned about the possibility of confiscation, so he transferred all her trust fund to here, and I am now her trustee."

"So you have been busy for more than two weeks doing all this?"

"And finding her a school, getting a visa"

"Is it your idea that she will stay here first, and move in with you after you change to a bigger place?"

Xiaotiao gave him a strange look "No..I want to marry you, and the three of us, actually the four of us, will live together"

"You mean.."

"I am pregnant..used the test kit twice, positive both times"

"..."

"We can have a sexless marriage if you prefer, but I know you will surely want to help look after Xiaoran's child and your own child"

5.
Their friends and colleagues were not shocked by the news; it often happens that two people would one day discover what they were looking for right under their noses; but they had a surprise when they saw Yueyue with them at the registry.

As days went by, Xiaotiao's bulge became easily visible. During dinner, Yueyue suddenly asked "Auntie Zhang, you remember the day mom died you told me a story about a fish that changed into a lion?"

"Sure. he kept the fish's tail though"

"I think the merlion prefers to be a person; could you write another story about merlion turning into person?"

"OK; let me think about it"

Yueyue took out a piece of paper from her schoolbag "I drew this today" In the picture she was standing next to a chair, Dachang was behind her, and Xiaotiao was seated; in her stomach there was a merlion "The merlion becoming person"

After Yueyue went to bed, Xiaotiao sat down at the computer, and began to write the story of merlion turning into person.
Such a pity Dracula did not live to see all this progress and advance. Being a frequent user of contaminated blood, he died of AIDS, right at the dawn of the century of enlightenment. R.I.P.

.....

Mythology lives on, even in Singapore!