麻豆社

By Grace Chapman

For Nanna, always in our hearts.

Sara Tanako handed the wooden giraffe to the boy, smiling warmly. This was one of her many bamboo creations for the children of her village. They watched in excitement as she carved the next animal, her frail bony hands chiseling away at the chunk of bamboo. She tucked her greying hair behind her ear as she worked, her dark, mysterious eyes fixated on the tiny creature . She handed the last creation , a tiny panda, to a timid girl then hobbled into her rickety hut.

The next morning, there was a roll of parchment on her doorstep, fastened with a scarlet ribbon. She rarely got mail, she had no relatives left alive, and her only friends were the group of local children. As she carefully unrolled the paper, her face fell. The letter read;

"Miss Tanako, Emperor Stamatu has heard of your skills and would like you to make beautiful animals for him. The guards will arrive to pick you up at three 'o' clock". F. Wong, Emperor's Assistant

She knew the Emperor had no offspring of his own and wanted to stop the local children's fun. A few hours later, there was a heavy knock on the door. She was greeted by two huge, gruff looking men. "Miss Tanako?", they said. "Yes", stammered Sara, bowing humbly. "You must come with us". Sara Tanako followed the guards unwillingly.

The palace was huge with red carpets and lanterns everywhere. She was lead through winding passages to a dark, dank room with only one lantern for light. "All the necessary equipment for your 'craft' is in the box in the corner. You are to make animals for the Emperor now". With that the guards slammed the door and bolted it shut. Sara accepted her fate and knelt down to work.

A year passed, Miss Tanako's life just didn't feel the same without the children for company. The youngsters felt empty and bored without Sara to brighten up their days. Sara's days felt like weeks and her weeks felt like months. Slowly her sadness became too much to bear. That night, as she rested her head on the stone floor, she heard the guards' footsteps on the stairs. She heard the Emperor bellowing orders at his servants. She heard the caw of a passing crow. There and then, she knew those would be the last sounds she would hear...

There was a glint of white-silver against the purple foaming clouds. The dragon spotted the shivering Miss Tanako, curled up on the floor of the great palace. The creature slid through the window and gazed at the old woman. He picked her up delicately and left.

Since then, every night old Miss Tanako's spirit soars high in the sky on the dragon. Beautiful animals made of stardust rain down and dance for the infants. Although Sara Tanako was no longer with the children in body, she was there in spirit, and still made them smile every day.