Chapter 10
Joette was sleeping face down in her pillow with the comforter thrown over her long blond hair. She flipped over and the comforter fell off the bed. The morning sun casts its glow through her window and shone directly on her face. It was already late the night before when Ing helped her with her luggage back to her room. She didn’t bother to unpack and went to sleep after washing up and changing to sleeping clothes.
Joette got up and went towards the window intending to draw the curtains to block out the sunlight. Her room window was facing the back yard with a small swimming pool at the side of the house. Before she could pull the curtains together, she spotted Mrs Yue walking on the lawn, holding a bundle of freshly picked flowers in old hand and her husband’s hand in the other. Hurriedly, Joette dodged downwards and started to crawl towards the toilet in her room.
Mrs Yue put the beautiful flowers she has picked in a crystal vase partially filled with water. She carried the vase into the living room where the elegant white grand piano sat quietly at one side. She smiled as she laid the vase on the piano’s varnished top. She proceeded to the kitchen to help the servants bring out the breakfast she has helped prepared.
Soon, Ing and Yue came down to the dining room to have their morning meal. Yue wore a warm grey blazer over a white long sleeve blouse with a matching metallic silver tie. Ing on the other hand looked less formal with his short sleeve pale blue blouse and greyish slacks. They sat down at their respective places at the dining table and started with breakfast.
Halfway through their meal, Joette burst in throught the sliding door.
Joette: SURPRISE!!! I’m back! Everyone missed me right?
The three turned to look at her; two of them shocked. Yue had scrambled eggs half dangling from his mouth while Mrs Yue was about to sip her coffee. Yue quickly swallowed his scrambled eggs.
Yue: Are you supposed to be back here now?
Joette: I sent you an email telling you…
Yue: You sent an email telling me that your vacation starts in two weeks’ time from now!
Joette: Daddy… I did apply for leave and there’s no more important lessons after exams.
Yue: I was even thinking of having us fly over to spend a week with you there before coming back together. And you just took a plane off without informing us? Think about present day terrorism and
Joette interrupted: But I’m back now.
Yue: Nevertheless, it is irresponsible. You can’t just miss lessons and appear back home all of a sudden.
Ing: Dad, Joette has got good results I have heard. She has been doing fine in her school the whole term.
Mrs Yue: Please stop the arguing. I’ll ask the servants to get Joette some breakfast. And you two should be getting ready to set out soon.
Yue could not bear to irritate his wife so he sat down to finish his breakfast while using the newspaper to distract his thoughts. Mrs Yue went upstairs to get changed after informing the maids that Joette is back. Mrs Yue wore a shin-length white skirt with large light blue floral prints and a pale yellow blouse. She folded her sleeves and tied the front hems of the blouse together into a bow-like knot. She brushed her silky hair and tied it up in a bun. She sat in front of the mirror and dabbed her lips a shade of rose pink. Before leaving the room, she picked up her handbag and a folder of scores.
Yue: So I see that you have an early lesson today?
Mrs Yue: Yes, a new student. The boy is only 6 this year.
Yue: Ah… you and your passion for music. I see that another young gentleman will have the feel of your hands on his today. Shall I be more envious of this new boy or your beloved piano?
Mrs Yue looked down and smiled at her husband’s joke.
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A/N: Hi! This is Emz. Another update. Hope you will enjoy. I was actually thinking of closing down this blog since the readership is like totally pathetic but then, thanks to a friend for some encouragement and reminder. She asked me what my goal is when I started to write the stories and posted it on the blog. Then I thought that the initial aim was not to gather large readership. In the midst of writing, I started to have another aim. It is quite ridiculous so I won’t be telling you what that aim is. I think the new aim was really hard to achieve and since readership is so little, I had thoughts of giving up and forgot the initial reason I started to write the story. Let’s see how long I can go on. Well, in this chapter, you will see that the Yues are a very loving couple. I hope I manage to succeed in depicting Mrs Yue as a woman with elegance and poise. Do leave a comment.
Love ^^
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
I&T: Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Tsan dreams often in her sleep. Her dreams always ended up with her having an accident and then having her looking lifeless or dead. Sometimes, there were images and other times, there were only voices. The faces and voices were familiar but she could put a name to none of them. She always woke up perspiring with her black hair pasted on her face, feeling cold and afraid. The worse was the headaches that come after the dreams and she would not be able to fall asleep again that night. This seemingly peaceful star-filled night was shattered by her dreams once again…
------------------------------
There were no lights. Everything was black and blank. Tsan could hear her gentle breathing, feeling the cool breeze soothe her skin.
It started with a whisper she could hardly hear, hardly understand. It was a gentle voice, something like a soft humming.
A woman’s voice, soft and comforting whispered a name.
Was it a name? Was it my real name? Tsan thought in her sleep.
She saw the blurry surrounding through the eyes of a younger her. The younger her had shorter hair that ended in the middle of her neck. Her fringe was the same length as the rest of her hair and it was brushed away from her face with a neat side parting.
She was lying on a bed with white bedspreads, arms over the edge of a set of warm white blankets. A woman with long white fingers was resting one hand on top of her hands and her other hand was gently placed on her forehead. Tsan couldn’t make out the woman’s features clearly, she could only feel a warm motherly gentleness emitted from this woman.
Is this woman my mother? Tsan thought.
Tsan looked around the room. The walls were plastered with pink wallpaper. She was lying in a hospital ward. The lights were too glaring, and she shut her eyes. All was black again.
The woman spoke, “Darling, are you still wearing the chain I gave you?”
A man’s voice replied, “Yes.” “Can you take it off? I am going to chain my ring to it.” The woman said.
Tsan felt the cold feeling of metal on her neck as the woman tried to put the chain onto Tsan’s neck.
Woman: This will keep you safe and healthy. When you get well, we shall go for a holiday somewhere, I promise. The beach resort will be nice won’t it?
-----------------------------
Momentarily, there was only blank and there were no sounds.
She felt cold. The wind was blowing strongly and her hair was in her face. It was the 9-year old healthy Tsan in the dream. She was skinny and small built like a 7-year old child and her cheeks were a little sun burnt. She was tugging at a woman’s hand with long white fingers.
“Mummy, mummy. Please… can’t we bring the dinghy out to the beach today? Please?” Tsan was saying.
“I am afraid Daddy and Mummy can’t go to the beach today, darling. Didn’t you have fun the past few days playing at the beach and the resort?” The woman’s familiar voice said.
“But why? Why not today?” Tsan’s cute little voice said.
“Daddy invited important people to the resort today. Why don’t you ask your brother to bring you?”
----------------------------
“Be careful sweetie! Take care of your sister and don’t row too far out!” The woman said as little Tsan walked out the back door of their resort house towards the beach with a tall young boy not much older than little Tsan.
“Bye mummy! Make sure the guests enjoyed themselves!” Little Tsan said as she waved to her mother.
---------------------------
Little Tsan: Let’s have a race brother!
Brother: No, you just recovered.
Little Tsan: Well… I can say start and we will run towards the sea and I shall row the dinghy while you can swim. That will be fair.
Brother: Let’s skip the run. We shall have a water challenge! It will be less tiring for you.
Little Tsan: Ready, set, go!
Little Tsan grabbed her single heavy paddle and jumped into the dinghy.
It was already drizzling and the sky was over-cast with low dark clouds. The waves came strong and rough. Tsan was rowing her dinghy further and further away from shore. The young boy was swimming hard but their distance was slowly getting further… Tsan would not let her brother win her even though she has an advantage over him so she rowed harder to beat the waves. Without warning, Tsan’s dinghy was overturned by a huge wave. Her paddle came with another on-coming wave and hit her on her head.
There was only blank... and the pain seeped in.
---------------------------------
Tsan woke up in her bed, perspiring. She tried to recall her dream but it was hard. Her headache was hindering her. She stumbled to the toilet in the Jiang’s house, rinsing her face with cool water, trying to douse her headache.
-----------------------
A/N: Hello! This is Emz! I believe the dream has given you a little hint on Tsan's pass. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The story is picking up. So check back regularly for more updates! Love ^^
--------------------------------
Tsan dreams often in her sleep. Her dreams always ended up with her having an accident and then having her looking lifeless or dead. Sometimes, there were images and other times, there were only voices. The faces and voices were familiar but she could put a name to none of them. She always woke up perspiring with her black hair pasted on her face, feeling cold and afraid. The worse was the headaches that come after the dreams and she would not be able to fall asleep again that night. This seemingly peaceful star-filled night was shattered by her dreams once again…
------------------------------
There were no lights. Everything was black and blank. Tsan could hear her gentle breathing, feeling the cool breeze soothe her skin.
It started with a whisper she could hardly hear, hardly understand. It was a gentle voice, something like a soft humming.
A woman’s voice, soft and comforting whispered a name.
Was it a name? Was it my real name? Tsan thought in her sleep.
She saw the blurry surrounding through the eyes of a younger her. The younger her had shorter hair that ended in the middle of her neck. Her fringe was the same length as the rest of her hair and it was brushed away from her face with a neat side parting.
She was lying on a bed with white bedspreads, arms over the edge of a set of warm white blankets. A woman with long white fingers was resting one hand on top of her hands and her other hand was gently placed on her forehead. Tsan couldn’t make out the woman’s features clearly, she could only feel a warm motherly gentleness emitted from this woman.
Is this woman my mother? Tsan thought.
Tsan looked around the room. The walls were plastered with pink wallpaper. She was lying in a hospital ward. The lights were too glaring, and she shut her eyes. All was black again.
The woman spoke, “Darling, are you still wearing the chain I gave you?”
A man’s voice replied, “Yes.” “Can you take it off? I am going to chain my ring to it.” The woman said.
Tsan felt the cold feeling of metal on her neck as the woman tried to put the chain onto Tsan’s neck.
Woman: This will keep you safe and healthy. When you get well, we shall go for a holiday somewhere, I promise. The beach resort will be nice won’t it?
-----------------------------
Momentarily, there was only blank and there were no sounds.
She felt cold. The wind was blowing strongly and her hair was in her face. It was the 9-year old healthy Tsan in the dream. She was skinny and small built like a 7-year old child and her cheeks were a little sun burnt. She was tugging at a woman’s hand with long white fingers.
“Mummy, mummy. Please… can’t we bring the dinghy out to the beach today? Please?” Tsan was saying.
“I am afraid Daddy and Mummy can’t go to the beach today, darling. Didn’t you have fun the past few days playing at the beach and the resort?” The woman’s familiar voice said.
“But why? Why not today?” Tsan’s cute little voice said.
“Daddy invited important people to the resort today. Why don’t you ask your brother to bring you?”
----------------------------
“Be careful sweetie! Take care of your sister and don’t row too far out!” The woman said as little Tsan walked out the back door of their resort house towards the beach with a tall young boy not much older than little Tsan.
“Bye mummy! Make sure the guests enjoyed themselves!” Little Tsan said as she waved to her mother.
---------------------------
Little Tsan: Let’s have a race brother!
Brother: No, you just recovered.
Little Tsan: Well… I can say start and we will run towards the sea and I shall row the dinghy while you can swim. That will be fair.
Brother: Let’s skip the run. We shall have a water challenge! It will be less tiring for you.
Little Tsan: Ready, set, go!
Little Tsan grabbed her single heavy paddle and jumped into the dinghy.
It was already drizzling and the sky was over-cast with low dark clouds. The waves came strong and rough. Tsan was rowing her dinghy further and further away from shore. The young boy was swimming hard but their distance was slowly getting further… Tsan would not let her brother win her even though she has an advantage over him so she rowed harder to beat the waves. Without warning, Tsan’s dinghy was overturned by a huge wave. Her paddle came with another on-coming wave and hit her on her head.
There was only blank... and the pain seeped in.
---------------------------------
Tsan woke up in her bed, perspiring. She tried to recall her dream but it was hard. Her headache was hindering her. She stumbled to the toilet in the Jiang’s house, rinsing her face with cool water, trying to douse her headache.
-----------------------
A/N: Hello! This is Emz! I believe the dream has given you a little hint on Tsan's pass. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The story is picking up. So check back regularly for more updates! Love ^^
--------------------------------
Monday, April 9, 2007
I&T: Chapter 8
Chapter 8
There were few clouds that lace the dark-blue star-filled summer’s night sky. The breeze that blew cooled the surroundings rapidly but it left a comfortable temperature to beat the day’s heat. Tsan sat on her bed propped up by her soft white pillow, positioned next to a large window without grills. It was so unlike the ones in the orphanage dormitory. The dormitory’s windows had vertical grills that made the place looked less homely and more like a prison. There was not much freedom in the orphanage but there was a strict routine timetable to follow. Tsan left the orphanage when the head mistress felt that it was time for her to go – at the age of sixteen. Tsan was not even sure she was sixteen when the head mistress broke the news to her. It was three years ago and Tsan was not even financially stable to support herself. However the head mistress was kind enough to find her a new family.
This family consisted of a loving couple whose own children had grown up and moved away. They felt lonely as their own children rarely visited them. They quickly agreed to let Tsan move in without much persuasion from the head mistress. Tsan recalled the day she stood in front of the old couple’s house behind the head mistress, looking down at the flowers while her head mistress talked to the couple.
Head mistress: I am sure she will be suitable to live with you. Tsan is an intelligent girl. She has been doing part-time work already, so I believe she is mature enough. Besides she is already 16.
Old Jiang: Money is not the problem. We just want a child who is independent and someone we don’t need to trouble over. We are already in our 60s.
Tsan mumbled to herself, “I am only 15. I am not yet 16.”
She was surprised the thought even occurred to her. She don’t exactly know her actual age nor her birthday. But occasionally, she would remember a thing or two.
Old Jiang’s wife took a look at Tsan and said, “ Well, she looks 15 to me. Are you sure she is 16?”
Head mistress: Well, we can’t be sure of her age can we? Besides, she has always been a very matured and independent girl. We didn’t want to let her go to someone else so soon, but she appears to be the best and most matured person to leave us amongst the lot.
Mrs Jiang hobbled her way to Tsan and picked up her hands in her wrinkled ones, then she peered into those glassy bright eyes.
Mrs Jiang’s: You’re such a dear. Would you like to live in this house with us, the two old ones?
Tsan liked Mrs Jiang immediately. If she doesn’t agree to stay with the Jiangs, she would have to start thinking of how to live on her own. Tsan nodded in response to Mrs Jiang’s question.
The head mistress was glad to have found a home for Tsan, she wouldn’t have like to see Tsan roam the streets like some of the orphans that left the orphanage when they had to.
Tsan was really happy to move in with the Jiangs. There were many procedures to take and they had to decide on many details for Tsan before she could make her identity card. Tsan agreed to follow the Jiang’s last name and they agreed to keep her first name.. They asked Tsan if she really like her first name and she showed them the ring on her necklace. It was her only real possession. So, she was called Jiang Tsan. The family has also agreed on her age and birthday. Tsan had said that she especially liked fireworks as it always reminded her of something in the past but she couldn’t recall. So they came to decide that her birthday would be on national day whereby there are vast fireworks displays and the whole nation will be in celebration. They also concluded that they wanted Tsan to be 15 years of age on the year that they adopted her.
Tsan drifted from her reverie of the day she was adopted by the Jiangs into a slumber and she started to dream… a dream of something so familiar, so long ago, so distant.
-----------------------------------
A/N: Hey! This is Emz! I haven't been updating for very long I believe and my readers are getting impatient! I doubt I have many readers anyway. Sorry to keep you people waiting. This whole chapter is all about Tsan. I believed I have neglected her for a few chapters already. I believe the next chapter will be on her dreams. Curious? Keep checking back for updates! And do add comments too! I enjoy reading those reviews. Love love ^^
-----------------------------------
There were few clouds that lace the dark-blue star-filled summer’s night sky. The breeze that blew cooled the surroundings rapidly but it left a comfortable temperature to beat the day’s heat. Tsan sat on her bed propped up by her soft white pillow, positioned next to a large window without grills. It was so unlike the ones in the orphanage dormitory. The dormitory’s windows had vertical grills that made the place looked less homely and more like a prison. There was not much freedom in the orphanage but there was a strict routine timetable to follow. Tsan left the orphanage when the head mistress felt that it was time for her to go – at the age of sixteen. Tsan was not even sure she was sixteen when the head mistress broke the news to her. It was three years ago and Tsan was not even financially stable to support herself. However the head mistress was kind enough to find her a new family.
This family consisted of a loving couple whose own children had grown up and moved away. They felt lonely as their own children rarely visited them. They quickly agreed to let Tsan move in without much persuasion from the head mistress. Tsan recalled the day she stood in front of the old couple’s house behind the head mistress, looking down at the flowers while her head mistress talked to the couple.
Head mistress: I am sure she will be suitable to live with you. Tsan is an intelligent girl. She has been doing part-time work already, so I believe she is mature enough. Besides she is already 16.
Old Jiang: Money is not the problem. We just want a child who is independent and someone we don’t need to trouble over. We are already in our 60s.
Tsan mumbled to herself, “I am only 15. I am not yet 16.”
She was surprised the thought even occurred to her. She don’t exactly know her actual age nor her birthday. But occasionally, she would remember a thing or two.
Old Jiang’s wife took a look at Tsan and said, “ Well, she looks 15 to me. Are you sure she is 16?”
Head mistress: Well, we can’t be sure of her age can we? Besides, she has always been a very matured and independent girl. We didn’t want to let her go to someone else so soon, but she appears to be the best and most matured person to leave us amongst the lot.
Mrs Jiang hobbled her way to Tsan and picked up her hands in her wrinkled ones, then she peered into those glassy bright eyes.
Mrs Jiang’s: You’re such a dear. Would you like to live in this house with us, the two old ones?
Tsan liked Mrs Jiang immediately. If she doesn’t agree to stay with the Jiangs, she would have to start thinking of how to live on her own. Tsan nodded in response to Mrs Jiang’s question.
The head mistress was glad to have found a home for Tsan, she wouldn’t have like to see Tsan roam the streets like some of the orphans that left the orphanage when they had to.
Tsan was really happy to move in with the Jiangs. There were many procedures to take and they had to decide on many details for Tsan before she could make her identity card. Tsan agreed to follow the Jiang’s last name and they agreed to keep her first name.. They asked Tsan if she really like her first name and she showed them the ring on her necklace. It was her only real possession. So, she was called Jiang Tsan. The family has also agreed on her age and birthday. Tsan had said that she especially liked fireworks as it always reminded her of something in the past but she couldn’t recall. So they came to decide that her birthday would be on national day whereby there are vast fireworks displays and the whole nation will be in celebration. They also concluded that they wanted Tsan to be 15 years of age on the year that they adopted her.
Tsan drifted from her reverie of the day she was adopted by the Jiangs into a slumber and she started to dream… a dream of something so familiar, so long ago, so distant.
-----------------------------------
A/N: Hey! This is Emz! I haven't been updating for very long I believe and my readers are getting impatient! I doubt I have many readers anyway. Sorry to keep you people waiting. This whole chapter is all about Tsan. I believed I have neglected her for a few chapters already. I believe the next chapter will be on her dreams. Curious? Keep checking back for updates! And do add comments too! I enjoy reading those reviews. Love love ^^
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