Heavenly Cursed

By Lin Scheller

What if
A young woman’s solace lies in the hands of a stranger.
What if
A curse is a way to a man’s freedom.
What if
The enemy holds the key to the future.

Mei Yanli is in big trouble. She fails to save a counterrevolutionary friend, her boss accuse her of being a fox woman and she meets Christian Martin, a success-driven and self-indulgent American imperialist who comes to her life apparently for no other reason than to compromise her reputation.
Yet, thanks to her fox woman’s special abilities, Mei soon realizes that there is more to Christian that meets the eye. She discovers a deep-buried secret, an old curse and a shocking way to free him from the dreadful spell.
This revelation creates a very special bond between them. He ‘digs her out of a hole’ and they decide to team up together, helping each other in their endeavors. And while Christian relishes to his newfound freedom, Mei sees the opportunity to fulfill her political ambitions.
But little does she know there’s a price to pay for heaving a dream when she becomes entangled in a web of intrigue that holds the key to her future…or her ultimate downfall.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lin Scheller
• Release date: Aug 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501402838

Book preview

Book One

Chapter 1

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Every single soul in Chairman Mao’s new China was taught that liberated women must hold up half the sky.

‘Tried and true,’ Mei Yanli recalled the supreme leader’s famous mantra as she held a heavy glass door open for her boss. He walked through it, lips curled in a self-satisfied sneer. Not quite put off by his rude behavior, Mei only rolled her eyes and followed him outside.

The sky was awash in a silvery glow of the full moon. A cold breeze that had long chased away the warmth of the day crept up Mei’s skin. She hugged herself tight and gave her companion a sidelong glance. He stood on the doorstep, a cigarette pressed between his lips and hands cupped around a flickering flame. 

Young Peng, she called.

He raised his head and blew out smoke into her face. Mei coughed.

What?

Why don't you give me the seal? I’ll take it to the police station tonight. It’s on my way home.

That won't be necessary.

Please, let me help you. 

Who told you I need your help? It’s my job.

By all means! But I could lend a hand.

I said no.

Too bad you won’t even consider my offer.

That’s because I already figured out who is the owner of that seal. Her name is engraved on it.

Really? Who is she?

Master of the Divine Imagination.

You must be joking, Mei pressed her hand against her chest, that criminal? The same one we’ve been hunting for over three months?

Isn’t it obvious? And I reckon those imperialists in this hotel must’ve been involved all the time, he said with a look of triumph in his eyes.

‘Dammit!’ thought Mei. She swallowed hard and put on a solicitous face.

Do you have any idea how those American imperialists conspire against us with the help of that so-called Master of the Divine Imagination?

Not yet, but tomorrow I’ll speak to my father. He’s going to crack the whole mystery in no time.

I’m sure he will. After all he’s the general, Mei agreed and glanced nervously at her watch. Listen, it’s late and I know a shortcut from here. We might have enough time to catch the last shuttle.

Peng flipped the cigarette into the air. Well, what are you waiting for? he barked.

Mei nodded, barely restraining her anger, and went ahead of him down the sidewalk. Her thoughts drifted off to the begrudging acceptance of her reality. ‘Of all the rotten luck! Why on earth the seal had to fall into the hands of the worst possible person? Such a shame!’

It was a magnificent piece of jade the size of a big coin with an array of curious symbols and exquisite patterns that had sparked her imagination. Mei had seen it hanging on a silver chain about her friend’s neck the first time they’d met. She’d remembered crouching down, to get a closer look at the jewel, to touch its warm surface that seemed almost alive. An enigmatic inscription chiseled into the stone had gotten her attention: Master of the Divine Imagination.

For a reason she couldn't quite explain, Mei had failed in her duty to report the whole thing to the authorities. Somehow she’d felt compelled to keep it secret. And in the course of the following weeks, the more she got to know her new friend, the more she fell into a strange spell.

Then one day, her friend had lost the seal and began to waste away. Mei’s frantic search had turned up nothing and she gave up all hope of finding it when the unthinkable had happened. Her boss, Master Chief Peng had found the treasure near the Renaissance Hotel.

I’m so sorry, Mei had said and looked into her friend’s huge green irises. But I promise you, we’re going to get the seal back. Are you ready to help me?

And Mei had read the silent resolve in those shining eyes.

She’d smiled and patted her companion. They had grown attached to one another, their fragile connection evolving from the same gleam in the eye—that glittering green they shared—to form a bond of trust. And tonight, the moment had come to put it to the test.

Mei heard a cough from behind. She was standing at an intersection and Peng began to lose patience. Luckily, he kept quiet.

A wasteland stretched out before them on the other side of the street and they entered it cautiously, feeling their way down the path that winded through dense vegetation. Although some passers-by took it in the daytime, one seldom ventured out into the bushes at night. In the frigid damp air, the moonlight cut through the darkness, streamed down the branches, cast an eerie glow on the ground.

Peng stumbled on the uneven road. He swore aloud, and for the first time that evening, Mei knew that maybe she could turn this situation to her advantage. Here, her eyes caught every single movement in the dark. Here, her ears captured the faintest sounds of her surroundings.

Mei took in the rich aroma of rotten leaves, searching for a trace of her friend. Finding none, she exhaled slowly, all senses alert, and blinked as a familiar burning sensation started to build up in her eyeballs. She willed it to come, knowing that Peng couldn't see her from behind. What happened to her eyes gave her more focus, made her willpower stronger. Now she only hoped that her friend would be there, still fit enough to fight.

Her plan was desperate but what other choice did they have? They must count on surprise, on mental strength and cunning, otherwise, if they failed, a simple word from Peng would shatter the life of a meaningless interpreter like her. ‘Don't chicken out!’ Mei admonished herself as she led the way deeper and deeper into the scrawny woods.

A few more minutes went by before she noticed it. The odor, blended in with a powerful aroma of the surrounding vegetation was faint at first, but it grew stronger, wafting through the air from an old knotty tree a mere twenty to thirty yards away. 

She slowed down to let Peng take the lead. He didn’t look back. Had he taken a slight interest in her, he would have seen a green spark in her eyes as she kept them fixed straight ahead.

‘Come on, my friend, come on, take your treasure back,’ she breathed.

Nothing happened. The tree leaned over the path, maybe ten yards away now, about Peng’s reach. 

‘Please, my friend, please. I know you’re weak, but you got to help me. I can’t do it all by myself,’ pleaded Mei silently.

There was a flicker in the dark and a pair of eyes shone back, almost identical to hers.

Relief washed over her so intense it almost made her cry out. She sustained the wandering gaze and urged, all in one single suspended moment: ‘Attack! Attack!’

It was a silent command, an imperious one, and in the same breath, a hairy creature burst out of the bushes. Peng froze. As if on cue, the creature leaped forward, teeth bared and a snarl rumbling deep in its throat. Peng threw his arms forward to shield himself, but instead, he thrust them right into the open jaw. Sharp teeth dug deep into his wrist. He staggered back screaming, slipped on the canopy of leaves and fell to the ground. The creature released its hold, rolled over from the impact, yelping. A few steps away, Mei was watching the fight with her heart in her mouth and waiting for the right moment to take over.

You motherfucker! Peng bellowed. He sprang to his feet at once, face distorted with fury. Without taking his eyes off the assailant, he grabbed a large piece of wood from the ground. The animal growled, backed off a few steps, lips writhing and jaw snapping. Peng’s eyes remained glued to the predator. Half crouched, and muscles coiled up, he watched his attacker run around in circles. On the spur of the moment, he dashed forward, his makeshift club slicing the air like a sword. The animal dodged the blow with easy grace and the stick only hit the dead leaves on the ground. Yelling profanities, Peng lifted his weapon high in the air and, just before the sharp teeth closed on his leg he smashed the club down on the animal’s head.

Got you, piece of shit, he bawled, while the furry ball landed against a small tree, squealing. He leaped toward it, raised again his stick above his head, his lips tilted in an evil grin at the sight of the victim that looked at him unblinkingly, too weak to fight for its life.

No! Please, it’s only a vixen, let her go! Mei shook out of her fear and screamed.

What? For a heartbeat, he looked at her bemused, then, in one movement, he turned back and swished the club through the air.

Mei dashed forward and kicked him hard in the groin. The stick hit the tree only inches away from the target and fell harmlessly to the ground. Peng let out a howl of a beast. He bent in half, his hands clutching his private parts.

Mei stood above him, panting. ‘No, this couldn't have happened, this is unreal.’

Oh, Master Chief, I’m so sorry! Let me help you. She bent over, grabbed his arm with her left hand while groping for his pocked with her right one.

‘I must get the seal, I must. I must!’

She didn't see it coming. He slapped her hard enough to send her staggering backwards. The young woman gasped and, through the ringing in her ears, she heard a whimper. Her eyes shifted downward. The little vixen was lying on the ground. That was the end of it. They failed. Now, he’d send her to one of those camps in the north to rot for years. Mei reached out and grabbed the blood-matted fur. The poor animal licked her hand.

‘Oh, a teardrop?’ she gasped, overwhelmed by sadness she saw in her friend’s eyes. They seemed to beg for her forgiveness while the iris grew larger and its green glow intensified until the whole world shrank down to this single moment between them. The power of their connection took Mei unawares, and she knew at this very instant that the hope didn't die yet. She saw it in the vixen’s eyes: out there, there were other women like her, women whose eyes shone green, women who shared a special bond with a fox breed, women with indomitable will.

Mei gently took her friend in her arms. We must go. Now! she whispered, got to her feet and started off at a wobbly pace.

She didn't take three steps when,

You bitch! His fist landed a smashing blow in her temple, and everything around flooded at once with white-hot lava. A high-pitched scream escaped her strangled throat. She tottered, tried to catch her breath, and fell to the ground. The vixen yelped, struggled free and sprang forward toward the bushes.

Peng grabbed Mei by the hair and lifted up her head to stare into her semiconscious face.

P...p...please, she begged.

Try me again, you little slut and I’ll kill you! She heard him over the insistent hum in her skull.

Or maybe I’d better kill you right now. Good riddance to bad rubbish! He kicked her in the ribs with such ferocity that the pain like a stab of a sharp knife exploded in her chest, paralyzed her whole body. She gasped for breath.

Don't tell me you’re dead, you won’t fool me, Peng snarled. Here, here, have some more.

He kept kicking and kicking until, short of breath, he yelled: Get up immediately or I’ll break your neck.

There was no reaction. Peng lifted his feet and pressed it against Mei’s temple.

How do you like it? Tell me?

He searched her face for any sign of pain and found none, not even a twitch. With a hint of doubt, he pulled his leg off her and crouched beside. Reaching out, he applied his two fingers to her neck, found carotid artery and snorted.

You can't fool your death either, bitch.

He grabbed her by the throat with both hands, squeezing hard. His nostrils flared, his face flushed. The blood was pumping in his ears. And there, he heard a growl. His head jerked up and a look of disbelief crossed his face. A few steps away, the vixen stood, legs wide apart, bristling and snarling.

Peng jumped to his feet and looked down at Mei.

I’ll deal with you later, after I kill this piece of shit.

He dashed forward to finish off that evil little creature.

Chapter 2

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Mei came around with a splitting headache. She looked up, saw a row of scrawny trees that swam before her eyes in the dark.

Argh. Her fingernails dug into the dirt of the soil and she leaned aside, retching. ‘Focus, focus, what’s going on? Focus!" She choked then filled her hungry lungs, taking deep deliberate breath until the thump, thump, thump in her head became bearable. Like a reminiscence of a bad dream, though all too real, memories came flooding back. She felt the icy grip of fear tighten round her heart and propped herself up on one elbow, half-expecting Peng to come out of the bushes to beat her up.

She listened to the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze, to a muffled hum of the city. After a while, confident that her tormentor gave up on her at last, she struggled to her feet. The wind blew against her body, cold and dry. It whipped through her clothes and chilled her to the bones. Mei shuddered and peered through the darkness, hoping against hope to find the little vixen, waiting for her, still alive. She took a tentative step forward, her legs weak and wobbly, and tried to squeeze through the cluster of shrubs. The motion triggered a sharp, quick jolt of pain in her ribcage. She gasped, waiting for the pain to go away.

‘I’ve got to look for her first thing tomorrow. Poor thing. I hope it won’t be too late.’ Mei tried to reassure herself as she retraced her steps.

The road back home became a journey of pain and angst. Every now and then, she had to stop to fight nausea, to let the breeze soothe her feverish face. In distress, she shuffled forward, glancing over her shoulder, almost certain to find Peng following behind. Luckily it was only a trick of her imagination.

More than an hour later, she stepped over the threshold into the U shaped common yard fringed by a row of decrepit one-story houses in the Crescent Moon District. The smell of stale food and soiled diapers assaulted her nose, but for the first time, it felt wonderful. It was home.

The young woman slid quietly into the modest apartment she shared with her parents and brother. She closed the door silently behind her and stood still for a while, relieved to hear the snoring coming from the adjacent room. There was no way of explaining all that had happened to her parents or to anyone.

Mei slumped down onto the sofa. Ouch. An angry pain transfixed her ribs and she clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. She rested her head on the cushion, waiting for the ache to subside. ‘He cracked my rib—son of a bitch.’

She was seated with her coat on and now the warmth began to dull her senses. She felt so exhausted that nothing seemed to matter anymore.

But, in the stillness of the night, the images of the disastrous adventure came alive, almost unreal. There, a flash of Peng’s face appeared, a cigarette dangling from his lips that were twisted in a perpetual scorn. There, her desperate shriek filled her heart with dread, and there, the dread vanished in the abyss of ultimate failure. The blackness, the cold nothingness blanketed her soul, took her breath away. A dry sob forced its way through her cracked lips and died. Died because like a very first hint of dawn that softens the dark to give it a shade of warmth, the void lit up with pinpoints of jade green light. They grew in size, a blurry sight that came into focus, and Mei found herself staring again into the little vixen’s eyes, the green eyes that wielded the power of will, the wisdom of fox women heritage, the spirit of its race.

There seemed to be a sliver of hope in the green irises of her friend, the kind of hope one would only consider while in depth of despair. She clutched to it, drew from it her strength until she finally got to her aching feet. Her mouth was dry as a bark, her body felt like run over by a truck, yet she forced herself not to give up without a fight.

Careful not to disturb her family, Mei crept out from the living room to the kitchen. Each step sent a jolt of pain into her and she could only take shallow breaths because of the fractured rib. In the dark, she drank a glass of water then cracked the window open. Moonlight poured in, cold and bright. She stood still for a moment, staring into space. She’d lost herself in foolish hopes. In a few hours, it would be too late—too late for anything. So why her mind was playing tricks on her? The vixen’s enticing eyes or a mysterious jade seal couldn't save her from the doom. The seal belonged to an ancient myth, and the myth belonged to the Old China—the forbidden world that sank into oblivion.

Believing in superstitions was a crime nowadays. Hadn’t Chairman Mao, at the very beginning of the Cultural Revolution, called for the ‘four Olds’—Old Customs, Old Habits, Old Ideas and Old Culture—to be destroyed? When the morning came and she met Peng again, no mystic aura would prevent him from sending her to the north to face the People’s Justice. And yet, despite the obvious, despite her apprehension, she yearned for the impossible: escape the ordinary, discover the truth, fulfill her destiny. It seemed to be a reckless, silly dream but for a reason that eluded her, she had to give it a try.

Mei crossed the kitchen to the back where stood an old iron stove. Gnashing her teeth, she reached behind the stove and felt a large interstice in the wall. The incense sticks and a tiny ancient jar were still there, hidden and almost forgotten. She knew her parents had managed to conceal small things in the wake of the Cultural Revolution—a crime by all means if found by the Red Guards. Oddly enough, today she needed this tiny piece of the ancient China though she couldn't fathom why. Mei grabbed a handful of sticks and the jar and put them on a stool near the wall. They were dusty and greasy, and she wiped her hands before taking a box of matches from the stove.

Mei knelt before the rudimentary shrine, watching the incense sticks crackle under the flame, inhaling the sweet-smelling wooden scent that seemed to hold in itself the essence of her country’s millenary civilization.

Thin wisps of smoke rose into the air, and, as she watched them drift under the ceiling, she wondered how to pray. Maybe someone would listen. Or maybe she only retreated into a world of delusion. Not that it mattered anymore for the morning of doom was only hours away. Mei exhaled a spurt of silent sob,

Oh, Heaven Almighty, she mouthed, Please tell me where is my little friend, tell me she’s alive. I’m so worried... we shared a lot in the past few weeks. She’s given me hope, and strength to believe. I need her. Please... her throat constricted with a dull ache and she stared dejectedly ahead, lost for words.

Bitter cold crept inside through the window. Mei rubbed her arms. She shook her head, refusing yet to yield to the inevitability of tomorrow and began to pray again with the stubbornness of someone who had nothing to lose. Her mouth moved like in a trance, and she forced her mind into focus.

Help me, please. I need to know if she’s still alive. I’m so miserable, so lonely. Oh, why each morning starts with pain and each sliver of hope ends up in despair? What horrible things have I done to deserve this ordeal in life?

She prayed and prayed, in relentless fervor and determination. The incenses sticks burned halfway, her whisper became raspy; the cones of ashes stood high in the still air, the room became hazy with smoke that curled slowly around her. No sound penetrated the thick bluish mantle. Mei watched it absent-mindedly, her dry, cracked lips moving on their own accord. 

‘I’m here,’ a woman’s soft voice echoed in Mei’s head.

What? Mei inhaled, taken aback.

‘Open your mind and listen.’

I’m hallucinating, murmured Mei crestfallen.

‘Don't be afraid. Believe, your prayers have been answered.’

This can't be real. My mind is only playing tricks on me.

‘Believe. There’s more to the world than you can truly see.’

Who...who are you?

‘I’m your vixen friend. You implored me to come. Here I am.’

Oh my goodness! Oh, Heaven Almighty!

‘Hear the voice, it’s mine, not a figment of your imagination.’

Yes, I can hear you! Mei said.

‘I’m your vixen friend. You don’t need to speak aloud, I can read your mind.’

‘But...where are you?’ Mei thought.

‘I’m here though you can't see me.’

‘You’re alive! I’m so relieved... Where can I find you?’

‘In Heaven I’m afraid.’

‘Oh no, don’t tell me that Peng killed you. I’m so sorry I didn’t save you from...’

‘He didn’t get me. I’m out of his reach now, in a far better place and under Goddess Nuwa’s protection. It’s my spirit you’re hearing at this very moment.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘My time in this world has come to its end. I knew it when I lost my seal.’

‘I tried to recover it but failed. I’m so very, very sorry!’

‘You did your best. But even though, I have to fulfill my destiny. I’m Master of the Divine Imagination.’

‘I know you’re the master. I read the inscription engraved on the seal. But why you must die?’

‘Because I was already dead before being reincarnated into a vixen, that how we first met.’

‘I don't—,’ Mei stopped short as pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, unbelievable, troublesome. She shifted on her knees while the next thought slowly took shape in her mind,

‘I dare not say it but I read stories about people who were able to...shape-shift?’

‘You’re a step in the right direction. I only wish things were that simple. Do you remember when we first met in the mountains? I’ve fled the labor camp and hid for weeks, trying to escape my tormentors. The Sacred Crown Mountain range was the last obstacle before I rejoined my sister-friends from the Vixen Spirit Order. But the cold proved too much for me. I fell asleep in the snow. And yes, I died. I died as a human being and I woke up as a fox, reborn but weak and hungry and barely alive. That’s when you’ve found me.’

"Vixen Spirit Order!" Mei exclaimed in awe.

‘Shh! Remember, I can read your mind.’

The smoke thickened. It started to swirl around her in large wreaths. The air became noticeably warmer. Mei realized that the pain became bearable and her mind as clear as ever. She bent her head to the floor.

‘I’m unworthy of your trust, Master. I failed to get your seal back and