Distant Cousins
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Shambhala
"How are you feeling?" Brother William gently touched the shoulder of his patient.
"As my son is fond of saying, 'like I had been hit by a truck.'"
"The headache will pass."
"How long have I been here?"
"Three days," Brother William answered.
"I must return to my son. He is in danger."
"Your son must face this battle alone. The Tiger cannot win while the Crane is safe from his grasp."
"A cage is still a cage though the bars may be tainted with gold."
"You are not ready Kwai Chang Caine. You are still weak. If you return now, the Tiger will destroy the crane before he can even defend his nest."
Caine's answer was a deep sigh. He knew Brother William was right, but the waiting was difficult. He understood more how his son felt when others were in danger and he was not able to help. 'I must let my son know that I understand.' He thought.
"Would you care for something to eat? It would help you to regain your strength."
"Yes, I am hungry."
Brother William left his patient and headed toward the kitchen area of the temple. As Brother William prepared a light breakfast for Caine his own thoughts on the situation intruded.
'Brother Kwai Chang Caine is much like his son,' he thought. 'He will not remain here long while his son is in danger. But if I can get him to at least stay until he has had something to eat, perhaps he may see that staying is for the best. We cannot lose Caine. One day he will replace me in this place. And his son will join us, but if he returns home, I fear we may lose him.'
Brother William dismissed his thoughts then continued preparing breakfast. Tea, rice, and fruit were the fare of the day. It wasn't a heavy meal, but it would aid Caine in regaining his strength. The tea was a special blend, three different types of gensing as well as chi shao, gui zhi, zhi gan cao, tian men dong, and chen pi were added. All would work together to restore Caine's chi and to allow the blood to flow freely uninhibited, to cleans the body of toxins and to rebalance.
"Is that Brother Caine's breakfast?"
"Yes, I was about to return to the infirmary."
"I shall take it for you. I was heading in that direction any way."
"Thank you, Brother. It will allow me to go over what plans we need to make."
"Of course," the monk bowed to Brother William than took the tray. He watched Brother William leave then headed for the infirmary. Just before entering, he added one more ingredient to the tea. As the monk walked through the threshold, it was Brother William who entered the infirmary.
"Here is your breakfast. Finish it completely. I have other duties I must attend to"
Caine nodded his head and picked up the bowl of rice and chopsticks. He stomach gave out a tiger-like growl as he brought the first mouthful to his lips. It was good to have something to eat. As each mouthful disappeared, his thoughts turned toward another. 'Mary Margaret, she will be so worried. I must get a message to her some how.'
Caine put his now empty bowl of rice down and got up from the platform to look for paper and pen. He stopped for a moment as dizziness overtook him. When it passed he proceeded over to the workbench and found what he was looking for. He took it back to the platform and began composing his letter while working now on the bowl of fruit. When he finished the last bite and was about to sign the letter, Lo Si entered the infirmary.
"Kwai Chang Caine, you must come. Your son and cousin have been taken by the Tiger."
Continues with Part 19
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2003.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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