Author: Alisa Joaquin
Featured Characters: Kwai Chang Caine, Peter Caine, the Blaisdells (Peter and the Blaisdells appear in visions and dreams only).
Warnings: None
Story basis: Based on a 24-Hour Labyrinth Silent Retreat that I attended at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Arlington (Arlington, VA) from July 31- August 1. I changed some things such as making the fee more as a donation so Caine could attend it.
Copyright © 1998 by Alisa Joaqun
All rights reserve.
Disclaimer: Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is a creation by Michael Sloan and distributed by Warner Brothers. This piece of fiction is based on KF:TLC. No copyright infringement is intended or implied. This work is available to the public for reading. Permission for reproducing this story in another form must be aquired from the author. (If you ask nicely, I may grant it, but all rights revert back to the author after one year.)
(I give permission to archive.)
Kwai Chang Caine entered the church. It was unlike him to come to such a place, but he had to know more about the Labyrinth Project. A sign outside had caught his attention telling of the Labyrinth and the hours that it was open to walk. As a boy, his father Matthew had taken him to a place where monks of all types would meditate. The place was quite different from other Temples because it had a labyrinth within the floor. The design was inlaid with varying types of wood. The monks would walk it barefoot and say their mantras, meditating on whatever required introspection.
Kwai Chang walked up to a table where a young woman sat writing in a notebook.
"Excuse me. Can you tell me more about the Labyrinth?"
The person handed him a small sheet of paper. Kwai Chang read the note which stated, until 6:30 PM Saturday, I'm taking part in a Silent Retreat. I'll look forward to taking with you later. Kwai Chang checked a nearby clock. It was just after 8:00 PM. He knew it was Thursday, having overheard conversations of people looking forward to Friday and their weekend events. Kwai Chang looked again at the sheet of paper. It had been several days since he had time for reflection. Maybe participating in this retreat could be a way to re-center his thoughts and even to renew his chi. Kwai Chang went over to the table and found the information about the retreat. There was a suggested cost of $12.00. There were no restrictions as to when a person could join. Even those coming in late were welcome to attend. Kwai Chang indicated if he could write down a question and be answered without the person breaking their vow of silence. The participant nodded. Kwai chang wrote:
"I have no money, but would like to participate. Could I trade my services as a priest in some way?"
The person wrote back. "There is no charge. The fee is a suggested donation to keep the labyrinth clean and to help expand on the project."
Kwai chang wrote again, "Do you have more information on the retreat?"
The woman handed him a sheet of paper describing the retreat in detail. A person could read, meditate, write, sleep, even fast if they wished. There was also an artroom set aside if a person felt like creating something. She then directed him to another table that had a sign-in sheet and a box containing small badges with blue ribbons. The badge indicated you were a participant. Kwai Chang placed his belongings on the floor and signed in. He then picked up a badge and pinned it to his worn brown jacket. The next thing was to look for a place to sleep when rest was needed. He soon found a room containing other participants and their sleeping bags. Some looked up as he entered and they nodded in his direction.
He found a corner farther from the rest and placed his bedroll down. It felt good to finally stop and rest. He had been walking actually for several days just trying to get somewhere without really knowing why. He had not allowed himself to really sleep during that time because he had been plagued with dreams about his lost son. The dreams seemed to had taken on a life of their own. He would see Peter after the fire, in deep pain from loss, as if he had been the one to have died. Other dreams showed him within a room filled with other children of varying age groups. Peter was also getting older and growing taller. His hair had grown out. Kwai Chang had almost forgotten how much it was like his own but more curly. He had not seen Peter with hair since he was about two years old. The last dreams were most disturbing. He dreamed that Peter was part of a family, a man and a woman with two girls. Kwai Chang was beginning to question his own sanity where is son was concerned. It had been five years since the destruction. Even though he had been taken to his son's grave, there had been no body to bury. No one had been permitted to enter the ruins of the Temple; believing them unsafe. Even after all this time, Kwai Chang could not put the past behind him. The dreams would not let him.
Kwai Chang wondered at these dreams. He did not know what to make of them. Was it possible Peter's essence had found a home within another young man that looked much like himself? Kwai Chang tried to dismiss that idea. If that was the case, then why the earlier dream? Why did he continue to dream of Peter as if he had never died?
Kwai Chang pulled out his journal and wrote a short passage. He was feeling the affects of not having slept and decided maybe it would be a good time for a short nap. He would find where the labyrinth was later and begin his walk then. Exhaustion took its toll and Kwai Chang slept longer than he anticipated. When he finally woke, he could see many people had returned and were now asleep. The hour must be extremely late or very early in the morning. What windows were in the room he was at showed that it was still dark outside. Kwai Chang rose and left his shoes behind. If he understood the concept of walking the labyrinth, one did not wear shoes. Silently Kwai Chang made his way through the building. Soft light from dozens of candles could be seen. Then someone caught this eye. It was the young woman whom he met earlier at the front of the church. Her feet were bare and she had come from a side chapel. She stopped briefly and extended her arm in the direction from which she came. There on the floor was the layout of the labyrinth. This particular layout struck a cord within Kwai Chang. The labyrinth of his childhood had consisted of several sides. This one was circular. Small candles could be seen flickering from a nearby alter. Not all of them were lit. One large candle, however, continued to burn with a steady light. The labyrinth itself was inlaid into the floor. The path was made up of light gray stone while the borders were black. Around the outside, colorful scarfs had been placed, their purpose unknown. In the light of the candles, the path seemed to glow with an essence all its own. The path beckoned all to step within and explore its mysteries.
Kwai Chang removed his coat. His shoes, hat, and pouch he had left behind by his bedroll. He then proceeded to enter the labyrinth itself. He cleared his mind of all thought and he took each step along the path. The stone was cool to the touch. With each step that he took, he also slowed his breathing until he reached that state to where he was open and receptive. As he continued on the path, dream images of Peter as a young man again assaulted his mind. This time, the young man was at a sporting event. What did they call it? Oh, yes, hockey. He could see the young man's face clearly. Tears began to fall as Kwai Chang saw the young man's eyes. They were so much like his own. Then a silvery light could be felt as the image persisted. Peter? How was it possible? Before Kwai Chang realized it, he had reached the center. An overwhelming sense of joy yet sadness filled his heart. He tried to ascertain its source and found that it came from the young man. He was thinking of a long-dead loved one, his father? Kwai Chang observed the young man's gaze and it fell upon a family. It was the very family that Kwai Chang had dreamed of before. Though the young man's eyes fell on the older man, Kwai Chang knew somehow this was not the young man's father. As Kwai Chang observed this new vision, the strong essence of the young man came through and Kwai Chang again thought of his son. Could this truly be Peter? No. It was not possible. Ping Hai had told him that Peter had perished in the destruction. Yet, he could not help wonder why he still had not found his son's essence except in dreams and now here. All too soon the image faded and Kwai Chang found himself back at the entrance. Tears continued to fall as he realized that the labyrinth only served to bring him more pain, not answers. Still, respect was needed and Kwai Chang turned and bowed giving the Shaolin salute open hand to fist toward the center. He quickly gathered his belongings and fled the space, seeking the safety of his bedroll. Would he ever find his son's essence or find the answers that he dared to seek, he did not know.
End