FAIRY TALES (text) - 99. THE PANACEA

THE PANACEA

There is an ancient village in China called Hanja. Nobody would have heard about this village, if there hadn’t been born many centuries ago the peasant boy called Pin Fu. At the time he was born, a new blue star flared in the sky, while at the forest nearby, the bad thief tiger, was choked of rage.

The young Pin Fu, day by day became wiser. When he was fourteen years old, he left the village he was born and after he said good-bye to his father, he said:

I am going to fight against the Mongols. They have invaded our country and they work the land with the Chinese lads, cut behead the people who do not obey to them, while the subservient ones become their slaves. I will throw the enemies out of China. And when it got dark, Pin Fu left home. The father followed his son with the eyes when he was leaving, but just as he looked up to the sky, he saw that above their house there was a blue star glowing. The star moved across the sky immediately, following Pin Fu, enlightening his long and difficult way. Every evening, Pin Fu’s father went outside the house and looked for the blue star in the sky. Every time he saw it, he could figure out that his son was alive, because the star didn’t disappear nor fade away. On the contrary the star became brighter and brighter day by day.

Pin Fu arrived at a big city where he began to learn reading and writing. When he learned the hieroglyphs, he began working as the assistant of an old doctor. Once the doctor asked Pin Fu:

You are a smart and healthy lad. You know to read and to write too. What makes you come here and work for me?

Pin Fu answered: Sir! The one who loves his country must do only two things: kill the enemies of his nation and save his friends’ lives. I work with you so that you can teach me the art of healing. When the old doctor died, Pin Fu was the only one who knew to heal all the diseases. There were too many sufferers because the invaders made people work in the snow, in the rain, even in the heat and the cold. 

The young man Pin Fu noticed all these things and his heart filled with hatred for the enemies. He was thinking it was time to learn how to kill the enemies of his nation. Once his father went outside the house to look for the star and he didn’t see it at the usual place in the sky. It was far away in the horizon, because his son was hiding in the high mountains. All the people of his country, heard about the avenger Pin Fu. He gathered up many young and brave lads and they prepared to ambush the enemies during the night. His revenge was ruthless and the enemies shivered all night long from the whisperings and the loud sound. The enemies were too many, there were countless soldiers. They didn’t want to leave China and tortured the wonderful country like they had done before. Pin Fu understood that he couldn’t free the country just because of a small army like the one he had gathered. The whole nation had to stand up at the same day and at the same hour to attack the enemy all together, but to do this wasn’t that easy. He couldn’t think anything to gather the whole nation in a day at the same hour. Suddenly the terrible plague outspread all over China. It was spread all over the country at the same time and every day the death took away thousands of lives. Then Pin Fu remembered about what he knew on curing the diseased people. So, for many days and nights he gathered at the mountains rare healing plants and prepared some miraculous medicines. When everything was ready, he told his friends to wear white clothes and delivered them all over the country. They would give the Chinese medicines to deflate the plague. His people gave to any diseased and healthy person two boxes: a white box and a red one. On the white box it was written: ‘‘Open it, take the powder and you’ll recover. ’’ On the red one was written: ‘‘Begin the autumn day with the moon, right at the moment when the sun rises.’’

He who took the medicine was recovered and became powerful. A month hadn’t passed, and the plague disappeared. The fifteenth of august came it was the day when they celebrated autumn. Millions of Chinese people were waiting so eagerly the sun rise. At last, the first rays of sun touched the ground. All the Chinese at the same hour opened the boxes and they found a letter that read: ‘‘When the blue star shines tonight, throw yourself against the enemy.’’

Thousands of Chinese holding in their hands swords, bows, arrows and knives went outside their houses in the evening. Just when the light of the blue star flashed in the sky, they all threw themselves to attack the enemy. There wasn’t just a small group of braves, but all the people, and the enemy can’t hold out a whole nation.  Therefore, the invaders disappeared once and for all. So it was a simple peasant who saved his country from captivity.