8 The Man with Shadow White Eyes

I was driven in the past.

Where everything everlast.

I was surprised when I see him.

My tears were in the brim.

***

THE YEAR 1904, a century away from the present time.

She sighed as the rain dripped down heavily while she was standing there, aloof, didn't know where she was, and soaked all over. She pursed her lips as the tears formed in her eyes as she remembered what happened earlier.

"My fortunes were always taken aback from me," Althea gritted her teeth while she whispered it, infuriated, as she closed her eyes and let the tears escaped from her eyes. She stopped, the rain soaking everything, even her now wet clothes, as she fell down on the street. She shook her head as she covered her face with her palms.

"I don't know where I am," Althea whispered as she sobbed uncontrollably while the rain pouring down on her. Her shoulders were starting to tremble as she removed the palms from her face and wiped her chin. Someone sheltered her under an oil-paper umbrella, and she was surprised when she couldn't feel the rain anymore on the top of her head. She looked up suddenly above her and she saw the raven-colored drawings and unique designs on the umbrella.

The bamboo frame and the surface of the oil-paper umbrella had been thin but durable because of mainly the tree bark --- that was called mianzhi or pizhi --- that held it thoroughly. It was used as a shelter under the rain in ancient China's tradition of cultural craftsmanship.

Althea scrutinized the crimson surface of the umbrella and she swallowed as she remembered that it was painted with Tongyou, a kind of oil from the fruit of tung tree that was extracted naturally. The rain trickled down through the oil-paper umbrella's surface as she sighed.

She stood up from the street slowly as she turned around and saw a tall man, his face was looking the other way. He sighed as he doesn't want to show the woman's face. Althea was scrutinizing the man as it got wet because of the rain. She gasped as she saw his clothing.

The man was wearing long robes, which perfectly suited his height. It was simple in shape, straight in the collar, large placket, and it was seamed in front and back. She gaped as she tilted her head on one side and furrowed her eyebrows. She doesn't know where was she, but little by little, she was realizing where she was. Not where, but when. The man's hair was tied up in a bun too, and he had fixed it in place by a wooden stick.

The sight of the man wearing a Magua, a single, clip, cotton, and was black in color too, just like the man's robe. The sleeves of his Magua were long and short, making his arms wide and bloated in seeing. The distant sound of gongs and cymbals was evident, but Althea was still confused about who was this man standing in front of her. Althea's tears backed out through her eyes as the man turned his head and looked at her.

Althea widened her eyes as the man held the handle of the umbrella tightly and stood in front of her like an innocent stranger. He sighed through his place as he furrowed his eyebrows and Althea was surprised by what she just saw.

The man had these hooded eyes, as the stronger presence of his inner brows and the eyebrows itself raised, the eyelids flailing over the skin's crease. His eyes were of the color of shadow white, and it was innocently looking straight back at Althea. His eyebrows were low-angled through the tops of his eyes, his nose was of aquiline in type, triangle, and pointed. His cupid's bow-shaped lips were pinkish insight as he slowly lifted up the corners of his mouth.

Althea narrowed her eyes through her as she opened her mouth slightly. The man and Althea stared back into the depths of their eyes for a second. She took a step back and caught her balance as she was gonna fell back on the ground. She was panting in her place as she tilted her head to one side while the man was puzzled about her actions.

"I wanted to lend you this umbrella, you seem to be soaked under the rain," the man spoke up in his baritone and manly voice as Althea stepped back once again. Her ankle betrayed her from turning her heel around and she tripped on the wet street. She thought that she would bang her head on the street but the man was quick in his place. He unclasped the umbrella from his hand as he placed his arms on her waist suddenly.

The man was drenched with the rain in an instant as he caught Althea from falling down. He held her close to his chest as Althea was opening her mouth widely. She was out of her breath because of what the man did. The man stared at her face and he was surprised when his heart beat faster than usual. He swallowed constantly as he asked himself who was the woman whom he was now holding.

Althea bit her lip as she stared once again at his face and quickly stood up from her place. The man removed his hands from her waist as she stood upright and knuckled her fists. She picked up the umbrella and gave it back to the man as a token for her to say thank you. The man was surprised by what she did and creased his forehead.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you. I just wanted to be alone, so please be it. I am lost here, I don't know where I am. But thank you for catching me, I thought my head would slam in the ground for no reason," Althea explained in a low voice as the man clasped the umbrella and put it above the two of them. He leaned his head backward as he was confused about what Althea was wearing.

"By the way...," Althea and the man simultaneously asked their own questions.

Althea shrugged as she looked down and she seemed comfortable around the man, although she doesn't know where was his face looked so familiar. She swallowed as she was confused on why she was there when she just fell down on the deck on the side of the Yangtze River, where the families were happily eating and gobbling down snacks, but all of them were gone.

How could that happen?

The man turned to him as he looked at her hand. He raised his right hand and grabbed a hold of Althea's left hand. Althea was surprised by what the man did that she quickly unclasped her hand from his touch. The man was swallowing his pride every now and then and said worriedly, "I just want to give the umbrella. It seems that... you will get a cold from your outfit. You are all wet."

Althea sighed and mumbled, "I don't know you, mister."

She took a sideways step out of the umbrella as the man watched her. She turned her heel around as Althea ignored him. The man halted her up from the side of the river, the rain was ceasing from the clouds, and Althea stopped in her tracks. She sighed as she turned around and didn't bother to utter any more words.

"I'm Wang Qing Long, you can call me by my name so that you wouldn't be suspicious of me," the man introduced himself while the rain was stopping little by little. Althea's insides and her whole body were stunned. Her jaw fell down on the floor as her assumptions were correct. He was that man, the man on the cursed legend, the cursed dragon. She clenched her jaw as she sharply turned and creased her forehead rigidly.

"You will now meet him. King Wang Qing Long."

Her grandmother's voice came back at her mind as she opened her mouth widely as Qing Long was looking at her with baffled eyes. Althea was taking a step back once again as she shook her head. Qing Long was puzzled about what she was doing while she bit her lip. She darted her eyes everywhere as she finally had the time to ran over the other side of the street.

Qing Long was surprised by what she did that made him run towards where she was sprinting. Althea bumped into people on the way, and she was befuddled on why they were not wearing the same clothes as she had. She looked behind her and she saw that King Wang Qing Long was making his way towards her. She smashed into different people on the way as she scampered her way out of the crowd. The people were shouting in agony as someone ran into their stores and turned the tables again, not wanting to start their morning with that kind of person.

Althea hid on a small side street and covered her mouth as the tears welled up in her eyes.