When art period began, we were able to walk around the room to get materials. I carried a shallow tray of water in front of the room complete with watercolor paint containers and the folder containing two samples of my pictures.

"What does she think she's doing?" I heard Ah Lea say to Lili.

Won't she be surprised, I thought, as I faced the group? Immediately, everyone became quiet. They could tell something out of the ordinary was about to happen.

Mrs. Chan watched my silent preparations with more than a little curiosity. She leaned against her desk and commented, "I think Ji-jing has something to show everybody. Let's give her our attention for a minute, shall we?"

I dug into my folder and pulled out a picture my spider friend and I did together. It was one of my favorites, much better than the ones I gave Ah Lea. We had improved our technique since our earlier work. Slider was good with the thin lines and those about the thickness of his round little stomach. The wider splashes of color and some shading, I more easily provide.

The moment I held it up for the class to see, one of the boys greeted it with, "Fantastic! I know what it is... Africa on a sunny day with long grass blowing in the wind and a lion crouched behind the bushes."

A girl from the right leaned forward to take a closer look and announced, "That's not what I see. It's a suspension bridge over a bright colored canyon with little birds or butterflies all over the place."

"Don't see that at all," came from a tall boy in the back. "Looks like those that Ah Tu showed us yesterday out in the school yard. They were crazy blotches of paint and not pictures at all!"

Then I pulled the second picture from my folder and held it up for all to see. It was a gentler piece. Slider and I mixed light color with darker lines. It was the best yet of our joint-efforts.

"What an unusual treatment of light and dark," Mrs. Chan remarked. "That's a wonderful piece of work! We never realized you could do things like this, Ji-jing."

"What is it?" cried the tall boy again from the back. "Not much of a picture, if no one can tell what it is."

"I see the fairy Maku gliding over the land and scattering golden leaves over the earth," remarked another girl from the left. "Looks like she just came from her home. See the big clam shell behind her?"

"No, that's not right," complained a boy with his chin in his hand. He took a moment as if to make up his mind, then said, "It looks like a stork or crane flying over a valley looking for its nest. See, it's carrying something like a fish in its mouth to feed its babies. Never saw a bird that color before."

"Great art is seen a little differently by everyone looking at it," observed Mrs. Chan. "That's why they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"Don't see no beauty there," complained Kho-teng, the tall boy again. "Just see blobs of color and a whole lot of random chicken-scratching."

"That is what a lot of people first said about modern art," Mrs. Chan observed. "People saw what they wanted to see. Often they saw more than what was in the artist's mind."

I brought out my blank sheet and spread it on the floor. Out of my desk came the tiny box holding my friend, Splashy Slider. I brought out my brushes and used them to moisten the shallow watercolor paint tins.

"Are you going to show us how you did these unusual paintings?" asked Mrs. Chan.

I gave her a nod and proceeded to remove the lid of the box. Students crowded closer, curiosity causing a silence matching my own. With lid off, I turned the box on its side and out crawled Slider. He stood for a moment taking in all the children gathered around us.

Gasps of astonishment came from all sides. Everyone edged in closer. "Wow! Look at that," whispered one to another.

As he had done dozens of times before, my spider friend then hopped into a paint pot of his choice and jumped over to the white paper. Lunging to the right and then to the left, he skated across the blank sheet and became the splashy Slider I hoped he would be. The paper was soon filled with amazing geometric shapes and forms. Back to the paint pots and again to the paper, he made his truly amazing designs.

"Would you look at that!" came from over my shoulder.

"Can't believe any little critter would do such a thing," came from another.

"Haven't you ever seen those tiny dashing insect skaters that dart across the ponds? I have. Same thing, I think," the tall boy commented.

I picked out one of my favorite brushes and followed behind Slider, filling in some colors of my choice. It gave the picture even more form and content. Our watercolor scene was slowly taking shape. Now the class could observe the artistic part I played in this co-operative effort.

"That's very good, Ji-jing. Certainly an original way to do your art work." Mrs. Chan's face wore a look of rapt interest.

At one point, I interrupted my work to look at her. She closed one eye in a fast wink and nodded her head. It was done so fast; it set my mind reeling. Had I imagine it; did she really wink at me? She did, I thought in delight. Her conspiratorial wink filled me with a warm sense of delight.

When I looked at her again, she was back in her teacher form and announced, "Class, I think Ji-jing has demonstrated a lot of imagination not only in her drawings, but in her rather unique method of artistic production. She has shown us there is more than one way of expressing oneself."

Suddenly the classroom door opened. In came Ah Tu. "The bells aren't working and the principal sent me to tell you that when lunch time comes just dismiss your class, Mrs. Chan."

I was still hunched over the sheet of art paper when I saw the big feet of Ah Tu approaching. He was wearing the largest pair of black and white sneakers I had ever seen.

"What's going on?" asked Ah Tu, curiously. He saw our work spread across the floor with everyone looking on. "Hey girl, watch out for that spider on your paper!" His foot came down with a tremendous thud.

CRUNCH! Slider was squashed flat.

"NO!!!" I cried in a shout that must have almost deafened The Pig. I grabbed hold of his foot and tried to lift it away from Slider, though I knew it was too late. No spider could survive The Pig's big foot and thick-soled sneaker.

Everyone in the room gasped in shocked surprise. Eyes widened and bodies stood or sat frozen in place. A pet spider with an artistic skill had just been crunched. Not only that, but the girl who never talked once in class during all her years had just opened her mouth and gave forth an ear-splitting scream. No one could believe what had just happened; especially not Mrs. Chan who was responsible for all her charges. For some minutes the spider had been part of her class. What happened still had not fully registered on her mind.

While their eyes were fixed on me in fascination, mine were glued in horror on that big foot. The tennis shoes looked larger than life as it lifted to reveal a big black spot in the middle of a multi-colored squish. Splashing out from the black circle were several bright colors. The dark center had been Slider. He never knew what mashed him into a sticky pulp.

" Ah Tu--- you ... you pig and murderer! You killed Slider. He was in my care, my innocent little friend, and you killed him dead," I cried. "You... You... You're a murderer!"

"Ji-jing spoke," someone yelled from the back of the room.

If I had been quiet before, I was in that condition no longer. My hand reached for anything handy. It was the tray holding all the little paint-pots. The other hand scooped up the pan of water for cleaning brushes. I stood and bought them all together with The Pig's face in the middle. Then I gave his guilty leg as hard a kick as I could manage.

"You killed a real artist, something you could never be. He was not only my friend but also my partner in painting, and you killed him dead. You're nothing but a cruel killer!" I shouted at him as he staggered a step or two backwards.

"Enough," ordered the teacher.

Ah Tu recovered his balance and stood in front of the class with a face of many colors, most of which were red. The paint slowly dribbled down from his head to his shirt.

"It was only a lousy black spider," mumbled the embarrassed boy.

"Ji-jing, keep in mind you are in the classroom," Mrs Chan said sharply. Turning to Ah Tu, she went on, "I think you have done enough harm. Thank you for your message. Now, go to the boy's lavatory and clean yourself off before going back to your own classroom."

"But I got that little bugger, didn't I. It could have bitten anyone. Someone could die from it, you know. You should be thanking me. How can I be a murderer? It was only a stupid spider. Who cares about silly spiders," muttered the slightly miffed Ah Tu when he walked out the door.

"I am sorry about your spider friend," Mrs. Chan said kindly when she saw my distress.

Her kindness made tears come into my eyes, I gulped noisily but kept quiet. "Now, don't revert to your silence again," she teased. "It took us a long enough to get you to talk. You'd better not stop now." She looked at the misery on my face and offered softly, "Let's choose to interpret what took place in another way. Your spider friend did not die in vain. He died so you would be shocked into talking."

"Yes, but ... but I still would prefer him not to die..." I said sadly and fell silent again, sad over losing Slider.

Much later, at recess time, The Pig made a big show of shuffling up to me, walking as though he was in great pain. As he passed me, he threatened, "Cousin or not, I will get you and make you sorry for all that you did. You've crippled me. My father will be quite angry when he finds out what happened and who did it. You're in big trouble."

I raised my usually silent voice and called out, "Killer. Didn't have to do that, you know. That spider was my pet friend and part of my class project. You could see I was doing a class demonstration with that spider. You had no reason to kill it. That makes you an assassin!"

"Assassin?" The Pig snorted in disgust, "Next you'll be calling me a terrorist. It was nothing but a silly old spider. How can anyone make such a big deal of such a little matter? People kill spiders all the time. Ugly things. Only the fighters are worth anything." He grunted as he walked away.

My classmates acted excited as they crowded around me. "You talked! We heard you talk," one of them observed.

The tall boy from the back of the room actually looked at me differently and said, "Never thought you had a voice. Thought you were born that way or som'thin'."

His sidekick friend joked, ""How about that. Guess we can't call you a dumb mute anymore. Now you're just a silly girl like all the others."

Their teasing warmed my heart. I didn't mind a bit being thought of as, "a silly girl like all the others." Didn't I wish for that even while keeping my habitual silence?

Ah Lea looked at me proudly and said, "You really showed that mean old Ah Tu he couldn't get away with stomping on your pet. I almost clapped my hands when you kicked him. Sorry I showed your pictures to him."

"Why did you do it?" I asked.

"Actually I showed them to Lili. She called Ah Tu over to see them," Ah Lea explained.

"Thought you were my enemy when that happened. You still my friend?" I asked.

"I was all along. Now, with you talking, it'll be even more fun. Rather hard keeping a lop-sided conversation going, you know," she teased, a glint in her eyes.

At the end of the day, Mrs. Chan called me to her desk. "I heard that boy Ah Tu had been mean to you. Making fun of you and your pictures in the schoolyard yesterday. I will report on that boy's behavior to his teacher. I'm sure she will discuss it with his father," she reassured me.

I appreciated what this sympathetic woman was doing for me and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Chan, for your patience with me. Sorry to be a problem. Don't want to make you any trouble with Ah Tu's father. He's my uncle and not very nice."

Not nice was putting it mildly. More like a crazy deluded maniac, I thought to myself. He would do anything to anyone who touched his precious Ah Tu. What lies would he hear about me? Oh my, I was in for it now. My heart sank in dread. There would be trouble ahead; I just knew it. It didn't take a sixth sense to know that.

Looking at the kind face of Mrs. Chan, I felt tempted to share other secrets I had with her. Would she ever believe the way my deva tree spirit and wily dragon friend revealed themselves to me? I wished I could tell her about the part they played in helping me overcome my non-talking condition. She might believe me. Then again... This whole business was so preposterous, who could believe such a thing?

Better play it safe.

School was over. I waited till all had left before making my way to the tree. Throwing the painting down, I realized I'd never be able to make another with the inspired spider. I looked at it in disgust and directed my comment to myself. "I hope you know Slider just gave his life for you."

Saga stood shrouded in silence, except for the usual gentle swishing of her leaves. What was her message to me? Approval? Could Old Saga know I finally succeed in talking? I climbed up and knocked at the hiding place of the dragon-essence, nothing happened. Were they deserting me now that I had over-came my biggest problem in life?

"Hey, tree spirit, open up and let Flambo out. You told me you would when I overcame my problem. I did. Today I talked. Not only that, I stood up to a bigger and older student. Surprised everybody, I did, myself included. Come out and appear for me. I want to tell you all about it."

Silence.

"I know you blame me for taking Slider to school and causing his death, but things happen." My words were again met with silence.

Could they be in mourning for Slider? I knew he was special, but how could they blame me for his death. Besides, among the lower life forms like insects, didn't death happen all the time? There must be a million spiders. Hundreds must die of various causes every day. They must have enemies who ate them to feed themselves. I knocked again, hoping to tell both Diva and Flambo my side of the story.

Still silence. Didn't I hear them say they wouldn't appear until I changed? Well, I thought I had changed. My talking wasn't a one-time accident. My confidence level was high. Why were they avoiding me? Didn't make sense.

I sadly climbed down and went home. Maybe if I came back later, they would reveal themselves? "There's no school tomorrow. I'll come back then," I said loudly, hoping they would take note.

When I came the following day, an awful sight met my eyes. "Oh no!" I cried, standing frozen on the path.

Old Saga was being denuded! My tree friend stood pitifully bare with limbs cut and lying scattered on the ground. The school gardener was busy cutting off any and all branches he could reach from his short stepladder.

"What are you doing?" I asked, urgency causing a sharp rudeness in my voice. Rather remarkable for someone who never talked before, I thought.

"What's it to you, little girl? Go and play elsewhere. Can't you see I am busy cutting off branches? Maybe you're blind. Now go and mind your own business," the school gardener said gruffly.

Every hack he gave the tree made my heart bleed. My eyes anxiously searched for the spot where the dragon-essence was hidden. Would it be found? Would his pounding make branches move by accident. What could happen if the hole was revealed? Hopefully, it was too high for his small stepladder.

"Why are you trimming this old tree way out here?" I asked.

The man ignored me. One of his swings with the hatchet missed a branch and struck a piece of bark out of the trunk by mistake. I winced and closed my eyes, fearful of what I might see or hear.

Whack! Whack! Whack! His blows echoed off the surrounding trees.

Opening my eyes slowly, I found to my relief the secret opening was still out of sight. The tree was doing its work, protecting my dragon friend. From the sounds and looks, Old Saga was being slowly hacked to death, or so I believed.

Again I asked, "Why? Why do this to a beautiful old tree?"

"If you must know, the headmaster told me to make it safe. Apparently, someone reported young people have been seen climbing around here."

Oh no, I silently cried. It's my fault and Diva knows it. That's why they wouldn't appear. Somehow they knew what was coming.

"With the lower branches cut away it will be safer. Now, stupid children won't be able to climb up and fall down on their dumb little pumpkin heads. Children have no sense about such things. Someone has already fallen. That boy from the Fong family was hurt just yesterday afternoon. Said he climbed this tree looking for bird-nests and fell. Claimed he felt some mysterious force push him. Seemed as though someone actually tried to make him fall. He lost his balance and fell some distance to the ground. Didn't break his neck but did break his arm."

"Looking for bird-nests and broke his arm?" I asked suspiciously.

"Must have. His father has demanded that a company with chain-saws come here when they finish their present job," informed the worker. "He wants this big tree cut down. Says it's a danger to the whole neighborhood."

"No! Oh please no. They can't do that can they? This tree is a part of the school grounds. It's a beautiful part of the countryside and serves a good purpose. Look at it! How could anyone think of destroying such a magnificent thing?"

I was talking as though it were the easiest thing in the world. A few days ago it would never have happened. Even though I felt nervous and still self-conscious, it was an improvement. However, the situation was as grim as it could possibly be. Diva and Flambo must realize their situation.

The gardener continued. "According to Fong, it has to go. This morning I take off only the lower branches to keep you young rascals safe on the ground. Old Fong says any tree this close to the school is a menace to the children."

"He's my uncle. Not only that but our whole family knows he's been acting crazy lately. How can he order such a thing? He doesn't own this property. It belongs to the town," I protested.

"He says that his son being hurt is proof it must be destroyed. He would make the school either pay his son's hospital fees from the school budget or pay to have the tree removed. I'm but the gardener. That's why the principal told me to take off the lower branches. Hopefully, that will keep you youngsters from climbing and endangering yourselves. I don't know when the tree cutting people will come to do their job."

"Cut it down? Without even a hearing in front of the town elders? Someone must tell them! The tree is very valuable alive. It is a beautiful living thing," I sputtered.

The gardener gave me a strange look, which seemed to say little children have no say in such adult matters. They should be content to stay with their childish games and not give their elders a hard time. He went back to his work.

After stacking the branches in a nearby pile, he left, taking with him the school ladder. This was unfortunate. Now, all I could do was stand next to that sliced and scared trunk. I tapped my knuckles on the bark. Would I be able to attract the deva's attention?

"Come on, show yourself," I pleaded. My tapping continued as I hoped either one or the other would respond. They wouldn't confuse my signals with the hacking of the hatchet man, would they?

[actual sounds heard]
"Plea-th, one th-mall tap would th-erve your purpo-th," came the familiar lisping voice I had not heard for what seemed like ages. "Th-ave the knock-th for your tree-th-layer uncle Fong."

"What took you so long? This is no time for you to be shirking on the job," I said, in my panic. "Your house is in danger and you're not answering my calls? What are you going to do about it? They're going to cut down Diva's throne. She's the queen of this area's forest. You must do something." I looked at him accusingly. "Her throne is in danger!"

My peculiar reptile friend came out of his secret hole high above my head and came down to me in a thin wisp of white smoke. The cloud swooped low and a form now materialized in front of me. He was the same familiar green-yellow dragon with usual blazing eyes. His feelers nervously waved on either side of his long snout as though testing the air. Once again a ball of bright green light hovered over Flambo's head slowly settling. When it dimmed, I could make out Diva, the tree sprite. Her light faded, and I could make out the expression on her face. It was not encouraging. Then her head drooped sadly. It was not a happy sight.

"Do something, Flambo. You act like you don't even care!" I said, accusingly.

(dragon's words translated)
"Sure do... sure do..." Flambo hissed, and flicked his tail in a resounding "CRACK". "Is this how you want me... standing tall and snapping to attention? Try that around the gardener and probably scare him to death. Is that what you wanted out of me?"

Flambo was still being his cantankerous self, asking idle questions when answers would have been more welcome.

"Are you all right, they cut your limbs," I cried. "Do you hurt when they do it? Do you feel pain like humans do?"

"No," Diva replied. "You must understand it is not me they are cutting up but my host. My host body is material made up of fibers and juices such as sap. It can feel the moisture of rain and the energy of the sun. As for pain, it is not the same as what human bodies feel. There is only a feeling of separation, and that can be devastating if enough lack of nourishment is involved. Leaves help provide energy from sun just as roots help provide food from the soil. Take away enough of either one and the trunk must wither away and die."

I shook my head. Diva caught her stride, and her words flowed. "However, chopping away bark is rather insulting and leaves the tree vulnerable to insects and other tree-bores. Cutting through the entire trunk? That's the end. The tree's life is totally destroyed."

"So trees don't feel pain and can't feel if they are hurt by an axe?" I asked again, not getting the whole picture.

"What do you mean by saying trees do not feel their hurts. You think trees have no feelings about retaining their life?" continued Diva, talking right over the top of my words. "That's the very part that does hurt."

Lung-mei felt it necessary to add, "Life is a remarkable celebration of itself. All life is a sacred holy thing in constant struggle against its arch enemy death. No matter the care taken along the path, it always leads to the same conclusion. There is something that happens when the path ends and your energy changes form."

Diva continued. "It is no frivolous matter taking a life. My host, Old Saga, as you call her, has been fighting the elements and surviving for hundreds of years. Humans are so stupid about such matters. You called her a queen. Of course she is, and she deserves better treatment, let me tell you!"

"I agree," I quickly answered and then added, "That's why I am so bothered by all of this. They intend to cut your host tree down."

"I know, I know," the tree sprite said in a depressed sounding voice.

I looked at Diva more closely and realized she sat there on Flambo's head and had not bothered dressing. She must have been really worried. Why else would she not trouble herself about clothing? No leaves or flowers graced her body on this day. Instead, it appeared she had rolled around in green moss. It clung to her form like a strange looking skin. Green moss is plentiful in wet rainy Sarawak. It grows abundantly in Borneo, not only on the north side, but around the entire tree.

"The question is, what can you do for us?" asked Diva in her direct style. "If humans are so complacent about nature as to destroy such a mighty oxygen producer as Old Saga, do tree sprites such as myself have long to exist?"

"Man would cut off his own nose to spite his face," scoffed the rather serious sounding dragon.

"Cut down the tree and where am I?" asked the tree sprite. "Cut down all the trees and where are you? At the rate humans are having babies while destroying all the rain forests, all humans are going to be gasping for fresh air quite soon."

"Sounds like we are all in this together," I answered, realizing what she said was all too true.

I suddenly realized that when tree sprites had no more host trees, we were all in trouble. Without air to breath, humans would also turn green matching the true color of a deva. Then they would clutch their throats and probably turn blue as life went out of their bodies. Slowly, all the earth's oxygen would be used up. The forests and the ocean's algae produced it. The lowest and the highest in the food chain were in danger of being wiped out from the face of the earth.

"You will have to fight our fight for us," puffed the dragon. "We have no ready magic that can do such a task."

"It's up to you Ji-jing. Perhaps that is why we helped you so earnestly in finally making that first step and actually talking in front of strangers," suggested Diva. "Again, you must muster your courage and think of something to help us," the tree sprite pleaded.

Before Diva and Flambo could say more, a hateful loud voice came to my ears. I recognized it instantly. The Pig was back, his arm in a sling and his voice on the ready to ridicule or take advantage. He and his sidekicks came to confront me.

They could not see my two rather peculiar friends. Only I was able to channel their special inception scale and match it to my vibration energy. However, I saw the dragon carry Diva upward. They disappeared among the branches overhead.

"Ha," Ah Tu snorted, "just what I thought. I've spied on you, you miserable little wart. Now I think I know why you are always around this tree. I think you have a secret hiding place somewhere in it. This is where you hid my father's antique glass jar. Admit it, you little thief. I know I would have found it had I not lost my balance and fell. You set a trap, pulled back a branch, and tied it with a thread or string or something. When I climbed up there, I must have broken it free. That's what pushed me off balance. All your fault that I broke my arm. I'll get you for that and other things as well."

I turned to dash off. The path back past the school would carry me home. Ah Tu and his gang tried to block me, but I hoped they wouldn't be fast enough. I tried not to let them get anywhere near me. As quickly my legs would carry me, I ran.

It wasn't fast enough.

"Hey! Come back here, you little twerp!" yelled The Pig, closing in on me and reaching with his one good arm. "We are not through with you, not by any means. Thought you'd get away did you? Well, we got you now!"

I was cornered and he was right. His arm reached out and he caught me by the neck. I was now dead meat. He might do to me what he did to Slider. His feet were big enough.

I might have been a groaner before, but now I was definitely a goner.

(c)copyright 2000 Beimers All rights reserved.

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