The Bonsai (Short Story)

THE BONSAI

The country had been torn by battle and strife and now the new warlord Chang Hou-li was the overall dictator. The air stank with the stench of burning flesh and wood. What could not be taken was razed to the ground by force or fire. Now Hou-li was master of a country that resembled a scene from Hell.

 The warlord was a cruel man who subjected his prisoners to torture and death. His palace was beautiful to behold with walls inlaid with lapis lazuli and gold. The silks that adorned the windows were opulent fabrics woven by master craftsmen who traded on the various trade routes that criss crossed the continent. Nothing was spared to make Hou-li’s Palace of Silence, a treasure house of wealth stolen from his adversaries.

Gradually the country recovered and the refugees returned from neighbouring provinces. Hovels and lean to huts began to appear and villages started to form. A rudimentary return to a sort of normality slowly ensued, but it was short lived as Hou-li’s warriors began to circulate the habitations demanding taxes for their master. Villagers were beaten and their property destroyed and if money was still not forthcoming, killed. It was a terrible time to be alive, if one could call it life.

One day, Chowan, an old priest making a pilgrimage through the war torn land on his way back to his monastery of Leechung, happened to stop by the ruins of several small buildings. He made a small fire and began to cook his dinner. He had snared a rabbit the day before, a poor skinny creature, but with enough meat on it to provide him with sustenance.

As the old man sat listening to the birds singing he was conscious of a whimpering coming from beyond the nearest pile of rubble. Getting up, he went to investigate and imagine his surprise when he saw a raggedly clothed boy lying on the ground.

“My son,” said the kindly man. “What is wrong with you?”

The boy looked up at Chowan and tears began to flow down his cheeks.

“I am so hungry,” he wailed. “My stomach is aching!”

Chowan led the boy across to the fire and after it was cooked, fed the boy with the rabbit meat he had intended for his own meal.

Oh well, he thought, as the boy wolfed down the food, I am sure I can go a bit longer without my meal. At least the lad will have something in his stomach.

Later as the priest and his companion sat by the glowing embers of the fire they began to talk. The boy’s name was Teegra and his parents had been killed and his home destroyed. He had a sister but the soldiers had taken her with them when they had left thinking everyone else was dead.

Teegra wept as he described his family’s last moments.

“We were so happy,” he sobbed. “My sister Soo-chan was to be married at the end of the year. My mother was making her wedding dress when…….” The boy broke down and Chowan pulled the boy to his shoulder and hugged him tight till the sorrow had lessened.

“You will come back with me Teegra,” said the priest. “I am returning to my monastery and if you come with me we will give you fresh clothes and our cook will feed you up!”

As Chowan and Teegra made their way across the country they were shocked by the devastation and brutalisation wrought by Hou-li and his men. Dead bodies of man and animal lay all about them and they often had to hide to avoid groups of soldiers and mercenaries. By the time that the towers of Lechung appeared on the skyline both Chowan and Teegra were horrified and exhausted by all they had seen.

The monastery of Leechung was the centre of Buddhism for the country. Hou-li had attempted to take it but his warriors, normally as bloodthirsty as their master, refused to attack the holy place.

“You will bring down great calamities upon us, lord,” cried his second-in-command as he relayed the soldiers disquiet to Hou-li.

The warlord laughed:

“For all these men have done and now they develop a conscience?”

But for all that, the monastery was left undamaged and the priests unharmed.

When Chowan and Teegra arrived in the main temple, the boy was taken to the High Priest. The man wrapped in his gold and red robes smiled kindly at Teegra.

“Do you wish to serve the temple my son?” he asked.

Teegra looked up and said:

“I wish to destroy the men and their leader who killed my family!”

The High Priest put his arm round the boy’s shoulders.

“Teegra, you must forgive. That is what Lord Buddha would have us do.”

Teegra was given to another priest called Tangchu who was responsible for the hospital. Initially built to cater for sick inhabitants of Leechung, the beds and care were given over to the never ending flow of refugees and injured villagers that daily arrived at the monastery. Their wounds were terrible and needed immediate attention. Tender loving care was shown by the priests of Leechung to their poor misused flock. Sometimes a man who had lost everything only needed a pair of arms about him to recover his dignity.

“It is not enough!” shouted Teegra angrily at Tangchu, as they covered the face of another dead countryman who had begun his journey to peace. “These people, our people need someone to stand between them and Hou-li!”

“And who would you suggest?” said the priest with a sad smile on his face.

“I would suggest myself.” Teegra replied.

“But, my son Lord Buddha…………” began Tangchu.

“Yes, I know what Lord Buddha teaches, but the people are suffering!”

Tangchu looked at the young man.

“Do you really mean what you say?” he asked.

“Sir,” replied Teegra. “My family was murdered and the killing continues unabated. Of course I mean what I say!”

Tangchu turned to one of his colleagues.

“I will be gone for an hour, Beeran, can you take over please?”

Tangchu led Teegra to a door and opening it began to descend a narrow staircase.

“Where are we going?” asked the boy.

“You will see,” was the reply.

The stairs ran deep into the ground and apart from some light from lamps in the wall, the darkness was complete, Teegra began to hear a clanging and clashing coming from below. Eventually they arrived at a large ornately carved door. A golden dragon was painted on it. Tangchu turned the handle and the door swung open.

Seventeen men stood around the edge of a large room. Two other men were fighting with swords in the centre of the space. Teegra could see that they were using real weapons as the sharpened edges sparked against each other. In no time at all one of the men lay on the floor with the other man’s sword at his throat. They then both stood up and bowed to each other.

Tangchu led Teegra into the circle of nineteen men and then said:

“This is Teegra. He wishes to join you. I give you the boy, give me back the man!” Then he walked out of the room and the large door shut after him with a thump.

No one moved for two minutes, then all nineteen men withdrew their swords and advanced on Teegra. Soon the boy stood with nineteen sword points at his throat. The men all looked menacing and Teegra could feel sweat dripping down his back.

Then as one they all shouted:

“Welcome Teegra. You must now prove you are worthy to join us!”

The group of men constituted the armed guard for Leechung and were very dedicated to their post. Should Hou-li’s men have ever attacked the monastery each man would have fought to the death.

The following weeks one or other of the ‘brothers’ as they called themselves, would take Teegra in sword play. After a daily session the boy’s arms would ache with the weight of the sword, but as weeks became months, Teegra developed into a physically strong and expert swordsman. His other attributes included proficiency with the throwing knife, battle axe and spear. He would practise all his drills late into the night and often was found asleep in the exercise area.

Two years to the day he had entered Leechung, Teegra was awarded his membership to the ‘Brothers’. He had battled in tests,for the previous two days with each of his colleagues using various weapons and won each bout. He received the Silver Star of Leechung proudly from the High Priest and affixed it to his robe. Then the leader of Leechung entered a small side chapel. He returned after a few minutes carrying what looked like a potted plant, but as the man got closer Teegra saw that he held a Bonsai tree.

“Consider this is your mercy and humanity,” said the High Priest. “Keep it safe, tend to it and keep it watered. After battle take time to consider its fragility and pray that after the conflict is over……your heart can still be kind.”

Later that day he decided to find Tangchu and Chowan to tell them of his achievement. He climbed the narrow staircase which led into the hospital. As he emerged into the sick area, Teegra was dismayed to see all the beds full of injured people. Raw wounds that were bleeding were being treated by the monks, but even with an untrained eye Teegra knew that many of the invalids would not make the morning. Tangchu was standing by a bed halfway down the ward holding someone’s hand. Teegra upon stepping up to his side saw that Tangchu was holding Chowan’s hand. The old man was bleeding heavily and the new bandages that he had been bandaged with were heavily soaked with blood.

“Sir!” said Teegra to Chowan. “How did you get injured?”

Chowan tried to speak but all he could manage was gasps.

“He has not long to go,” said Tangchu gravely. Teegra could see tears in the man’s eyes.

“What happened?” Teegra asked angrily.

“Some of Houli’s soldiers were attacking a mother and her daughters and Chowan tried to help.” Tangchu replied.

“Is this still going on?” asked Teegra. “Has the country not reached some sort of peace in the time I have been away?”

Tangchu hung his head. “It has got worse, the warlord’s soldiers attack the villagers and refugees alike and also there are bands of marauders robbing and killing whoever they come across. It is hell on earth!”

All at once Chowan groaned loudly and died. His last breath rattled in his throat as the old man perished.

Teegra stood silently. Tangchu could see that he was very angry.

“Enough!” shouted Teegra. “This has got to stop!” Then he turned and ran down the stairs to the ‘Brothers’ exercise room. Many of the swordsmen were gathered there.

Teegra stood in the middle of the area and shouted:

“I intend to ride out from Leechung and put an end to this tyrant Hou-li’s reign of terror! Who is with me?”

In the end ten of the Brothers remained to protect Leechung, while Teegra and the other nine rode out of the monastery gates. As they made their way across the countryside the full extent of the destruction became apparent. Burnt and wrecked huts, dead animals and many wayside graves. This was anarchy, thought Teegra. Hou-li is a murderer and must be brought down.

The first night they camped out by a broken down pagoda. Teegra carefully carried his Bonsai tree inside to lay by his bed roll. He placed it on the ground and contemplated its leaves, its tiny trunk and finally a place where its roots extruded from the soil. Carefully with his knife he pared away parts of the tree that he saw had become inert. Only by removing these parts could he keep the Bonsai alive and vigorous. Teegra poured some cool water from his canteen onto the soil and it was soon absorbed.

A cry and a crash of swords woke Teegra in the early hours of the morning. He threw himself out of his tent clutching his sword and saw a party of armed brigands riding through the camp.

A sword blade swished by his head and Teegra instinctively thrust upwards with his sword and plunged it into someone’s stomach. With a loud grunt, the man fell to the ground – dead.

The other nine brothers were making short work of the rest of the brigands. The enemy had thought it was attacking a camp of inexperienced men and women, how wrong!

Soon the threat was over and the dead were piled up and burnt. One of the brothers had suffered a knife wound but it would heal quickly. Teegra and one of his brothers took the first shift of patrolling and guarding the camp while the others slept. When Teegra returned to his tent after being relieved he took his Bonsai out and gazed into the small tree’s leaves. He imagined the tree as full sized, stretching upwards to the sky.

Two days later Teegra and the Brothers met up with some of Hou-li’s soldiers.

They were bullying the villagers from a small enclave, by threatening them with a beating, if they did not supply meat and drink for them. The poor people were trying to explain that they did not have food for themselves let alone for the soldiers.

There were about twenty soldiers and Teegra and the Brothers quietly emerged from the woods that ran alongside the village.

“So the bullies are abroad!” shouted Teegra. “Go and hunt for your own food!”

The soldiers immediately turned from their sport and charged with swords swinging. Soon steel was clashing with steel and men were falling from their horses, some mortally wounded.

The battle raged for two hours, but soon the soldiers were killed or defeated. Afterwards the Brothers stood round the disarmed soldiers asking questions about Hou-li’s campaigns. How big was Hou-li’s total army? What towns still existed? How many of the populace had been killed? The men muttered among themselves but tried to explain their intimidation of the villagers had been due to having received no pay for months. They were starving while Hou-li lived in style and ate very well.

“Well join us and help us overthrow Hou-li,” said Teegra.

Some of the Brothers were against this as they felt that they could not trust the soldiers.

“Kill them!” shouted one of the Brothers.

Teegra retired to his tent and sat on his bed roll. The Bonsai sat on the floor of the tent, moving ever so slightly with the breeze entering the tent. He picked up the potted tree and gazed into its centre.

He could see his mother and father’s faces looking up at him, smiling.

His mother’s mouth moved and he read her lips. “I love you,” she whispered.

His sister Soo-chan’s face joined his parent’s and she was laughing. Teegra could almost hear her joy.

He put the tree down and went outside to where the Brothers and soldiers waited.

“Will you give us your loyalty?” asked Teegra to the crouching soldiers. “Can we depend on you if we meet others from Hou-li’s army?”

One of the soldiers called Honqwi was an officer and he stood up and faced the Brothers.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say we will give you our loyalty and you can depend on us,” he said.

That night each of the Brothers slept with one eye open, but the night passed without incident.

As Teegra and the Brothers marched across the country engaging with Hou-li’s soldiers and bands of cut throats, their group grew and soon it numbered two hundred. Although a large number of the group had to be watched closely, gradually the discipline and harsh exercise regime that all of the Brothers and their followers had to endure  sorted out the wheat from the chaff.

As the High Priest had advocated, Teegra tended the Bonsai well. It was regularly watered and its branches and leaves were lovingly groomed. In return Teegra found a sweet and silent demesne to relax his mind into. He often spotted his family or friends deep within the fronds and felt that they were close and watching over him.

As the weeks passed the army swelled. Hou-li had made no friends when he failed to keep his army supplied with food and money. The deserters increased and soon each Brother commanded two hundred men.

 Honqwi was made second-in-command after he thwarted an attempted killing of a Brother by two supposed deserters.

They marched steadily towards Hou-li’s palace and Teegra knew that it was there that the final battle for the country would take place.

On the day that the Palace of Silence appeared on the horizon the Brothers’ army totalled five thousand, well equipped and battle ready troops. The country in their wake had begun to recover. Villages sprang up with well built huts. Animals could be seen safely grazing in the fields. Birds sang in the high trees and bushes. Nature was recovering.

They were lined up in front of the palace. Fully armoured and itching for battle. One thousand mounted and three thousand infantry. A spectacular sight in the early morning sun. This was the army that Hou-li had kept fed and paid thus purchasing their loyalty.

Flags flew high on the Palace of Silence’s turrets and catapults were lined up on the battlements. Archers stood cheek by jowl with men carrying pikes and spears. Cannons were loaded and awaiting tinder. All was ready. Good sat poised before Evil in an almost Armageddon like scenario.

Teegra carried his Bonsai tree with him on horseback as he rode up and down the lines of men surveying their strength.

Pausing on a raised hillock he looked out over the site. Although his army was smaller, he had the high ground and Hou-li’s army had to ride up towards him. His strategists had been up all night with him planning which way the battle should be fought. He had spent a few hours with the rest of the Brothers in prayer. If Lord Buddha was with them, who could be against them? To quote an analogous observation from the Judaic Bible.

 The Bonsai liked to be outside in the sunshine. Teegra could almost see the green of the leaves drinking in the sun’s rays. He raised the pot to his nose and breathed in the heady aroma of damp soil, leaves and bark.

He handed the potted tree carefully to a servant and made his way to the head of the army.

“Lord Buddha be with you all!” he shouted. “ Let it be a victory for all that is good!”

Hou-li’s army began to slowly advance up the slope. Several of the cannons on the walls of the Palace of Silence detonated sending their deadly loads across the gap between the armies. Arrows fell like rain out of a clear sky and buried themselves in man and horse alike.

Teegra watched patiently and at the last moment cried:

“Let them loose!”

Suddenly the front line parted and several great fireballs roared through the gaps and ran down the slope towards the approaching army, igniting everything in their wake. Burning men, horses and equipment began to run back down the hill. The fireballs still not extinguished rolled onto gunpowder reserves and exploded anew throwing burning material high over the battlements of the Palace of Silence and setting fire to catapult and soldier alike.

The army of the Brothers began its advance down towards the conflagration. The cannons on the palace walls continued firing and patches of men and horses were disintegrated, but this did not stop the tide. It continued unabated.

Soon men were fighting hand to hand at the very gates of the palace. Although the fireballs had knocked the heart out of most of Hou-li’s soldiers, others fought on bravely, if impotently. The mounted troops attacked each other in an attempt to show their dominance, but soon it was clear that the end was in sight.

With a final rush of infantry and cavalry the Brothers’ men pushed the enemy back through the gates of the Palace of Silence. Fighting continued sporadically in the streets of the Palace and some of Hou-li’s men futilely poured boiling oil down on the incoming troops.

The battle was over!

The ten Brothers climbed the steps that led to Hou-li’s inner sanctum. Their soldiers had already penetrated the building rendering any guards either dead or captured.

Hou-li, the mighty warlord stood silently at the top of the stairs awaiting them. His wife, daughter, son and concubine stood to his right.

Teegra carrying his beloved Bonsai stepped up to Hou-li.

“Sir, we will accept you surrender now,” he said.

Hou-li smirked when he saw what Teegra carried.

“Do you normally carry your own homegrown camouflage with you?” he asked mockingly.

Teegra smiled and replied:

“This sir, will decide your destiny.”

Teegra looked into his Bonsai. Once again in the sunlight it looked so green, so verdant.

The faces of his beloved parents looked up at him. There were tears in their eyes and they both said “Mercy for them, Teegra,”

Then the scene changed and there stood Hou-li’s family. Repentance shone from their eyes and Teegra knew in his heart that he would spare them. They would be exiled to spend their dys in comfort and seclusion- a fitting end.

Who, Teegra did not see within the Bonsai was Hou-li. For some reason his image was missing. Then suddenly a ghastly sight replaced the family. Hou-li lying dead on the steps, blood pouring from his back. Teegra reeled and had his servant not stopped him he would have fallen backwards down the stairs.

Suddenly, Hou-li taking of the situation pulled a knife out from beneath his robe and ran at Teegra, but as he passed his family his concubine drew her own knife and plunged it into his back, felling him. He lay bleeding from his back till his eyes closed for the final time.

Teegra turned to the young woman who had saved his life and realised that it was his own sister Soo-lu. Hou-li had seen her when his men had brought back captives from their forays and he had desired her. Soo-lu had hated his touch but knew she had to attempt to stay alive to avenge her family thinking Teegra dead as well.

With his arm round his beloved sister, Teegra stood with his Brothers and delivered their decision to Hou-li’s family.

“Your lives will be spared, but you will be moved to an island off the south coast where you will spend your days in exile.”

Hou-li’s wife and children fell on their knees weeping.

“Thank you merciful master,” they all cried.

Teegra held his Bonsai up to show Soo-lu how green it was, but now it was black and dead. He looked at the dead tree aghast. “Why now when it is all over?”

Then he remembered the High Priest’s words.

“Consider the Bonsai is your mercy and humanity. Keep it safe, tend to it and keep it watered. After battle take time to consider its fragility and pray that after the conflict is over……your heart can still be kind.”

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