Composed by MiROiR
Translated by Yuki Neco
It was the mid-winter, 1st of 11th month, the year of male branch of Metal and Monkey.
| Syaoran | The date was the lunar calendar, so the 11th month is in the mid-winter, that is roughly December in our calendar. |
A girl found a boy dying in the meadow west of the village. Thunder was rambling the day before, and he may have been struck by a lightning. She decided to take care of him back in the village.
| Sakura | That's how it all began... |
The girl, named Chen Ling Hua, was an ordinary pretty girl apparently, but she had one thing uncommon. That she had a wizard power.
| Syaoran | Wizard power is like the magical power that we have on our own. They used to call that way with the meaning “the power of a wizard.” |
Ling Hua hardly used to walk out of the village. That day, it was just a happening she walked out in the meadow and found him. Exterior field was too dangerous for girls to hang around, in case a tiger attacked them, or a fox bewitched them. But such danger was no longer a big deal for Ling Hua—she can walk out of the village safely since one fateful day.
| Sakura | Since one fateful day she got that wizard power. That's why she could walk out of the village, right? |
| Syaoran | Good guess, Sakura. |
As a matter of fact, it was not the first time she found someone laid down in the meadow, however, in all of the previous cases she found them dead, so all she could do was to pray for their sleep in peace for good, joining her hands together, just the same way as ordinary people can do. But that day was different. The boy was still breathing; her kindness to resist abandoning him brought her to the decision that she had to take care of him.
She took him to her house. She unfortunately had her parents dead a while before, and was adopted by Ouyang Nuan, mayor of the village, who appreciated her wizard powers. She was probably cherrished for her powers because of the belief that a person with wizard powers was the protector of the village. There were very few who possessed such powers, and Ling Hua was one and the only one in the village.
| Sakura | So Ouyang Nuan cherished her so good... |
| Syaoran | Right, this article says that he adopted orphaned Ling Hua, and took care of her tenderly. |
Dusk of the 3rd of 11th month, the light was almost out. When Ling Hua was nursing the boy, a man walked into the room and asked, “How is the boy?” That was Mayor Ouyang Nuan.
“He hasn't waken up yet,” the girl replied sadly.
“Hmm. But I believe your wish will come true, Ling Hua,” Mayor said.
“Thank you.”
It was a while after the mayor walked out of the room when the boy got back to his conciousness.
“Where am I?”
“In Mayor Ouyang Nuan's house. I live here, too,” the girl replied to the boy with a sigh of relief.
“Thanks...” the boy sighed.
“What's your name?”
“Li... Gu Luo,” said the boy.
“Li... uh, I'm Chen Ling Hua.”
| Kero | Hmm, this Li Gu Luo guy was Clow Reed, huh? |
| Syaoran | Possibly. |
Ling Hua told him that she had found him almost dead in the meadow and that she saved him into the village. It was totally after dark when she finished all the story she had to tell him. “It's late so we better go to bed,” Ling Hua spoke to Gu Luo. They slept the first night after Gu Luo got back to himself in the same room.
| Kero | In ancient times, people used to wake up with the sun rise and went to sleep at the sunset. They don't have lights like we now do, so all they could do was sleep. |
Next morning, 4th of 11th month, Gu Luo was not in the room though he had been in the bed until the night before. Ling Hua didn't know what had happened.
“Huh? Li? Li Gu Luo, where are you?” she called but there was no answer. “Li Gu Luo!”
No matter how many times she called, there was no answer at all. She got upset, running to Ouyang Nuan's room.”
“Mr. Ouyang Nuan, we are in trouble!”
“What's the matter?”
“He's... Li Gu Luo is gone!!” she said panting.
“Li Gu Luo? You mean the boy you've been nursing?”
“Yes, when I woke up this morning he's gone!!”
“That is no good,” Mayor replied.
“I'm going to look for him,” Ling Hua said decidedly.
“That's OK, but Ling Hua, don't forget to come back before the sunset,” Ouyang Nuan said nodding his head.
“I promise.”
“Good girl, Ling Hua. You can go now, and you can find him for sure. You can make it,” Mayor said seeing her off.
Ling Hua dashed out of the houser before hearing out the encouragement from Mayor. Little did she think of the mysterious fate she was to be involved with later...
To be continued...