POV Bubby Chi

The friendly European trader man drops us off nicely at a nice broad area.

“This is as far as I can go, boys.” He says as he stops the caravan, a device of transportation that is new to me. Chang informed me that men use these caravans to carry goods across terrains such as deserts, mountains, and fields. Maybe instead of taming horses I should tame camels so nice men like him can travel across the silk road.

“Thank you so much Mr. sir!” I say hopping out of the mobile.

“No, Chi,” Chang yells after me but I get out of the cart regardless, “You can’t just leave us here! This path is dangerous!” I hear Chang argue with the man.

“I’m sorry but I can’t go any further, I’m already off course to my destination. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

“No, no, no! This is all too dangerous. This is not only a desolate part of the road but this is notorious for thieves and killers.” Chang complains.

“You both have nothing worth stealing. You’ll be fine. I am off.” And with that the strange man turned his caravan around and went back the way he started.

“I can’t believe that jerk would drop us off at a desert! It’s like he’s trying to kill us.”

“That man is very nice, Chang. He lead us all the way to the outskirts of Khotan with no fee. Please be grateful, brother.” I say to Chang trying to make light of our situation. My brother grunts and starts walking north towards the city of Khotan.

After a while of truding through the hot sand, aimlessly making no progress towards the town, my brother breaks the silence, “See how far we are, Chi? We may die of dehydration before we get there! That man truly wants us dead.”

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die, is that not what the Buddha teaches?” And with that comment my brother whips around the angriest I have ever seen him.

“How could you disrespect me like that?! Turning my own learnings against me! Don’t you understand this indulgence is hard for me?” He angrily shouts.

“I am sorry Chang, I didn’t mean to upset you. I only meant to share what I learned from your recitings. I promise.” I beg for his forgiveness.

“No brother of mine would say such a discourteous thing to me.”

“Chang! I didn’t mean it! Why are you so mad to say I’m not your true brother.” I say tears welling in my eyes. For my twin brother to disgrace the symbol of the dragon we stand for truly upsets me.

Instead of responding Chang turns around and quickly walks ahead of me, clearly not wanting to illustrate to me how I did him wrong. Just as I am about to yell for him to wait up and sand storm erupts out of the blue. I wish I had asked for a scarf from the merchant, I wish to myself as the sand brushes into my eyes and mouth.

After just seconds I can’t see anything ahead of me as everything turns into a huge orange glaze. I yell out my brother’s name, risking getting even more sand in my mouth, to no response. But then I see a figure! Yes! It’s Chang! I think to myself as I run forward just to fall right on my face. An unknown man is above me and I have no idea what to do. I scramble across the sand trying to get up and run away but I don’t seem to move. The man puts his oddly feminine hand over my mouth. This is the end, I think to myself, Chang was right. Why don’t I listen?

“Stop freaking out!” the man says in a tone of a teenage girl, “I will keep you safe, you just have to stay still.” And so I do. And as we sit and wait the sand storm passes. As the dust clears I realize that my eyes have deceived me and it is a girl standing above me. In attire of a male traveling along the path of a desert she tentatively scans the desert looking for other signs of life.

“Okay, you can get up now.” She says pulling me up.

“Thank you kind stranger, I am highly appreciative of your kind gestures.” I spit out. I don’t normally act like this but she is just so beautiful that I can’t control my speech.

“Don’t mention it.” She says. Taking her hood and scarf off she exposes her messy blonde hair.

“Wow” I accidentally say aloud. She gives me an odd stare and walks off, “Wait!” I say

“What?”

“Could you kindly show me the way to Khotan?”

“I don’t like the city but I’ll do it for you,” she sighs, “Something tells me that protecting you will result in a wise choice of mine.” She says and walks right by me leading the way to our destination.

“Well my name is Bubby Chi. What is yours?” I ask her.

“What’s the importance of names if all I am just an object for men?” she says passively but also aggressively.

“Women are not the objects of men, they lead their own lives that are just as important than people of my gender.”

“Maybe in your village, but here women are good for nothing in the eyes of a man. We are taught to be inferior to men here.” she says angrily.

“Is that why you are dressed in such a way?” I ask her. She whips her head back at me.

“Yes. I used to smuggle silk worms into my village so that the older women could make silk, but then I wanted more. I smuggle important commodities such as salt, glass, jade, and ivory. But my favorite thing is trading religions, there is one in particular, Buddhism, that I love. I feel that one day Buddhism will change the way the men in my village look at women and my village will truly be happy. So yes, that is why I dress like a man.” She blushes at me, probably embarrassed that I pointed out her outfit.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend another person today.”

“Another person?” She asks, “There is no one else on this path, unless you ran into some bandits.”

“Alas, no, I did not run into thieves. It was worse: I was with my brother and I recited a quote of the Buddha and he got angry at me. The sand storm started and we were accidently parted and I have no idea where he could be.”

“Well he should be at the town of Khotan for we are not far off. I like you Bubby Chi, so I will share my name. I am called Brianna Maphis and I will lead you to the city of Khotan.” And with that Brianna and I trudge through the sand on our way to the city.

+ + +

When we arrive in the city Brianna puts her scarf back on and disguises herself as a male again. We walk through the busy village of merchants, missionaries, and poor men begging. Sometimes the city of Khotan is described as the heart of the silk road since the passage to Khotan is much easier than other cities since its terrain is flat and has no jagged mountains or harsh weather.

When we were outside the city walls I observed statues of showing off heroes of war. I guess the city of Khotan never forgets the people who sacrifice their lives for them. But within the walls the buzz and the trades that go on don’t seem to be reflecting a time of war and respecting those who laid down their lives for them.

Cotton is placed in a booth that looks like it is supposed to be catered to women. As I was once taught by reading the explorer Marco Polo’s book the Travels, cotton grows in plenty in the city of Khotan. Beautiful pieces of jade and gold are laid out on stands where rich looking men and women examine the rocks.

“Did you smuggle any of those in?” I joke with Brianna and she laughs.

“Hey! That boy looks just like you.” Brianna says as she points to Chang socializing with an elder of Brianna’s town.

“CHANG!” I yell from across the market. He turns around at the sound of his name overjoyed to see me.

“CHI! Oh my buddha, I thought I lost you!” He says as he embraces me in a hug.

“You might have! If Brianna hadn’t found me during the sandstorm I wouldn’t have been able to find this lovely city.”

“I am so sorry that I yelled at you. I didn’t mean it, I’m just upset.”

“Don’t worry, Chang, I understand.”

“Now, once I am done talking to this elder about confucian teachings and its correlations to the figurehead of islam, Mahomet, we will be on the road for Yarkland.” Then Chang runs off to talk to the elder again.

“Would you like to join us on our trip? We’re going to meet the oracle in the famous city of Yarkland.” I explain to Brianna.

“I would love to join you Chi, but I have obligations here. I need money and the only way to do that is to stay here and continue what I’ve been doing.” My heart instantly broke in two.

“But Brianna! We could keep you safe! We have a family back home, we’ll take care of you.”

“I’m sorry, Chi,” she says. Her kind eyes rest on mine and she pecks me on my cheek, “I will always remember you.”

“I’m coming back for you, I promise.”

“I won’t be there.” And with that Brianna vanishes into the crowd without another word.

+ + +

“Ah yes the ideas of Islam are definitely different but they are not as free and beautiful like the ideas of our Buddha.” Chang laughs to himself, “but of course that silly little religion will never catch on.”

“Hasn’t it already?” I say still sad from Brianna.

“Why would you say that?” he asks very surprised.

“Brianna told me that before Islam women were treated better. Buddhism was the initial religion of her people but things changed and Islam was her primary religion. Now things are worse and she feels oppressed even more than she was before. She has to dress up as a male in order to feel comfortable enough to walk amongst her people, Chang!”

“What?!” Bubby Chang says to me, “You mean to say Buddhism was replaced by Islam?!” He exclaims completely missing my point.

“This is really a dark time for us, Bubby Chi.”

“No, Chang, this is a dark time for women! For people like Brianna!”

“Oh please, women are affected just as much as we are by this change in religions.” Chang scoffs.

“Do you hear what you’re saying?” I flabbergastedly spit out, “Bubby Chang women are in need of help and you’re just glazing over them like it’s not a problem.”

“Oh Chi, don’t be so dramatic.” Chang waves

“No. I’m going back to her!” I say, and suddenly Chang’s expression turns serious and he stops laughing.

“Are you crazy?!”

“I have to! She needs my help!”

“I need your help, Chi! We are being hunted, we can’t just split up!”

“You’re a male in a society that was especially built for you. You’ll be fine.” I fire at him and leave him in the dusty ruins of a far off town to find my love Brianna.