By Lynn Katulka
Illustrated by Katie Berggren
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Mei answered, with eyes wide and a smile taking over her face, "I've been thinking of my birthday dinner all day and could smell it from the top of Mufushan Hill....when can we eat?"
"Yang's washing up, and we've got some time before your father returns. Why don't you go down to the brook and gather some plum blossoms for the table," answered Mei's grandmother. "And don't chase any frogs, little goat, that brook has a strong current!" she yelled after a retreating Mei.
As Mei approached the brook the silver ducks flew away quacking their annoyance. Mei paid little attention, as her gaze was captured by the biggest butterfly she'd ever seen floating on a lotus flower. Mei ran along the bank, chasing the butterfly as it floated from flower to flower, hoping it would fly to the side where she could catch it. It was beautiful, with black and yellow wings and bigger than any she'd seen. Mei reached the small boat tied to the bamboo reeds. She pushed the boat from the reeds with the long bamboo pole and smiled as she began to catch up to the butterfly. She placed the bamboo pole on the edge of the boat and leaned over the side to capture the butterfly but, as the brook widened, the current rocked the boat. Mei lost her balance and stumbled to her knees on the floor of the boat; the bamboo pole fell overboard and the butterfly flew away. As she peered over the side, Mei realized she couldn't stop, "Help!" she cried. "Help me!" but no one heard her. She grabbed the edges of the boat and sat up, yelling as loud as she could, "Help, someone please," but again, no one heard her. Drifting in the small boat, Mei Chen began to cry.
The boat rocked with the current, whisking Mei under the dripping willow tree branches. The soft leaves floated across Mei's face and cheeks, slowly drying her tears. Mei realized she was safe inside the boat and would wait for a rescue when the brook's path narrowed and the current slowed. She watched the edge of the brook and held her breath as a crane, almost as big as her brother Yang, waded from under the willow tree. The crane stood on long legs; he slowly took a step, stood on one foot, paused to look at the brook's bottom, then took another step. Mei watched the crane as his long beak and head briefly disappeared under water and came up with a silver carp. The crane's dinner was finished in one swallow and it quickly went back to the hunt.
The willow trees stood farther apart on the bank, separated by the spiny branches of the jujube tree. As the boat drifted through the yellow blossoms that had fallen from the tree, Mei heard cheers and yelling. Through the branches she saw the backs of people. Paying more attention to the cheering people, Mei was startled when the boat rounded a corner and revealed, not one, but two snarling dragons. The dragon's long tongues lapped the air as each tried to inch in front of the other. "The Dragon Races!" yelled Mei, suddenly excited. She watched as the rowers pulled on their oars, pushing their slender boats to come in first across the finish line. Mei yelled, "Help, please, I'm all alone . . . Help," but everyone's attention was on the race in the river and not on the small brook behind them. Mei kept drifting. No one saw her.
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