In the Pupal Stage (standard:Creative non-fiction, 3678 words)
Author: Mookoo Liang	Added: Feb 13 2006	Views/Reads: 3505/2407	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This is a real story about Moodee, a young man in his 20's, presented in five sections: (1) Burning off the diaries, (2) The previous experience, (3) Trying hard to escape, (4) A sharp turn in life, (5) Wishes for a new day.

In the Pupal Stage 

by Mookoo Liang 

(1) Burning off the diaries 

It was a tiring afternoon in the fall. There was little wind near the
earth's surface; the sun, partly covered with the floating clouds in 
the sky, seemed to be setting earlier than usual. Moodee, a tall and 
thin man in his early twenties, was staggering toward the small canal 
that passed by the front yard of his parents' cottage. 

He was extremely upset at the moment, holding a number of notebooks in
his hands. The autumn wind, though gentle and cool enough, failed to 
make him comfortable. He dragged his feet as if the written stuff in 
his hands had been too heavy; but it was clear to him that there was 
something much heavier in his heart, his mind, and his body. 

For several months he had not added anything new to his personal notes.
If he had, there would have been a lot more to clear up now. He thought 
of those "good old days"---especially the five-year period when he was 
far away from home, staying and studying in Green Garden. But recalling 
the most beautiful things in his life did not prevent him from 
returning to reality. He had been in great pain, physically and 
mentally. He had to do something to improve his miserable situation. 

Indeed, it was time for him to be decisive. He made up his mind to go
back to the hospital the next day; if possible, he would ask the doctor 
for a once-and-for-all medical operation, however dangerous it would 
be. Of course it was necessary to convince his parents that such an 
operation was a must. They had been shocked to learn that the famous 
singer Su Pei-Ching could no longer stand or walk after having an 
unsuccessful operation of this kind. 

Now, to promise himself a brand-new start, what should Moodee do in
advance? He thought of burning off all his old memories, good or bad. 
When he came to the irrigation canal, he carefully sat down on the 
bank, and then he started to tear his personal notebooks apart. At 
first, he just tore them page by page, as if he were reluctant to 
destroy all of them; then he sped up, for the pains in his waist and 
his buttocks became severe. 

These notebooks were Moodee's diaries. Before going to Green Garden,
Moodee had been asked by one of his junior-high-school teachers to keep 
a diary; that's why he had formed the habit, and consequently he had so 
many notebooks in which his private affairs were recorded. He would be 
embarrassed if such secrets of his should be let out---suppose he could 
not return from the hospital to deal with these notebooks, who would 
see them and what would they do about them? 

Moodee struck a match and set the heap of torn pages on fire, as if a
solemn ceremony were in progress! He continued to tear the other 
notebooks. He added the torn pieces to the heap that was burning. What 
a strange scene! It seemed that Moodee was formally saying "Good Bye" 
to all his yesterdays. Could he free himself in this way? 

Meanwhile, the very same scene was a bit familiar to him. It seemed that
he was worshiping En-Chu-Kung, the deity that his parents had long 
believed in, by burning the particular kind of "paper money." Could 
what he was now doing bring him better luck in the future? 

Anyway, all that had taken Moodee a long time to write was going to burn
up in just a few minutes. Some of the paper ashes, lifted up in the hot 
air around the flame, looked like tiny black butterflies, flying here 
and there attractively---until falling down to the ground again. With a 
bamboo stick, Moodee pushed all the burned stuff into the irrigation 
canal, hoping that the water down there would carry everything away. 

(2) The previous experience 

You may recall your childhood; you may recount a past event or
reconstruct a fading dream; you may even actually go upstream to the 
source of a river; and yet, it is impossible for you to become 
younger---in terms of age. Life is a no-returning matter, just as the 
water in the irrigation canal (Moodee has done something special beside 


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