Moth and Moon

Calabash

Xie Lian and San Lang worked together, and their efforts paid off. They had finished the well. Upon its completion, Xie Lian couldn’t help but feel a little proud of what they’d accomplished. When he looked at their little well, with the stone wall encircling its hole and its simple pulley system, he was amazed that, with his awful luck, not only had they managed to finish it, but it was well-made and functional. He was pleasantly surprised that the well hadn’t collapsed and that the groundwater wasn’t poisoned. Maybe San Lang’s excellent luck had the effect of balancing everything out, like a charm.

For the following weeks, San Lang and Xie Lian fell into a comfortable routine. They ate meals together, tended to the garden, and talked about all manner of things. It felt so easy, so right, and Xie Lian was afraid that the illusion could shatter at any moment.

Through it all, San Lang’s past remained shrouded in mystery, although he left hints here and there; his sharp eyeteeth, the tattoo on his forearm, his quick reflexes… His dark eyes glinted with a fiery danger within, with something wild and untamed. Xie Lian had no way to know for sure who San Lang really was, what he really was, but he wasn’t going to ask him outright. They got along well together, didn’t they? That was all that mattered, in Xie Lian’s eyes. If San Lang wanted to divulge more information about himself later, then Xie Lian would happily listen to anything he had to say- in the meantime, he wasn’t going to force anything out of him.

Xie Lian’s own past was something that he didn’t enjoy thinking about or discussing, but San Lang never overstepped his bounds or pried. He seemed to intuitively know when to change the subject or to stop doing something, recognizing Xie Lian’s discomfort instantly. Instead, they talked about literature, martial arts, and even magic.

San Lang was like a fountain of knowledge, constantly surprising Xie Lian with the extent of his understanding on so many subjects. He knew all the names of the plants in the forest and their properties, all of the creatures in the area, big and small, magical and not, and could give detailed accounts of any historical event Xie Lian could possibly think of. Xie Lian felt like he could spend time with San Lang for thousands of years and never get bored of him.

The moon waned until it was a thin slice of silver ornamenting the sky, starving thinner every night. Xie Lian thought about the tiangou, black as pitch, taking bites out of the moon until nothing was left. The moon then began growing fatter and fuller, and it would soon be a perfect orb again. Xie Lian’s time with San Lang felt brief, but in reality it had been almost a month already.

San Lang often told Xie Lian mythological stories from other cultures that he had learned about in his studies. Xie Lian, having travelled around a lot, knew some of them, but San Lang also told him tales that he had never heard before. He knew such specific details that it almost felt like he had visited those places before. Xie Lian loved to hear San Lang’s insights, but really he just loved to hear him say anything.

San Lang was always so gentle and loving with Xie Lian, and treated him with such care and respect that Xie Lian felt wholly undeserving. He wasn’t used to having another person listen to him, care about his opinions and boundaries, and show him personal gestures of kindness. He had no idea why a stranger would come spend time with him, doing menial household tasks like fixing up the house and cooking, but Xie Lian had a feeling in his chest that San Lang harbored no ill intentions towards him.

He still had not entirely let his guard down, but he just felt so at ease when he was with San Lang. Even if his new friend was secretly a dangerous monster waiting for the perfect opportunity to eat him, Xie Lian could not help but feel like he should cherish their time together, while it lasted.

Afterall, nothing good lasted for long for Xie Lian. All of the people in his life left him eventually, so he was already mentally preparing himself for San Lang’s departure so that it would hurt less. And if San Lang did sink his teeth into him, eat him alive? So be it.