FOLK TALE
by Julian
Long, long ago, where Buddha's spirt runs free, between heaven and hell,
lives a boy named Ah Te. Ah Te lived with his grandmother whose age was
94. He loved her and she loved him more.They did not have much money but
could still survive. This is a story of two peoples' lives down by the Yangtse
looking at boats, seeing the junks and wondering how they float, watching
calligraphers doing their art. Please read on for the story will start.
It was in the afternoon, when Ah Te found out
that a flood was heading down the Yangtse River. Grandmother hearing this
told everyone to pack and leave as soon as possible. She said not to 
take everything for it would take too long.
Grandmother and Ah Te packed only sensible things like clothes and money.
Some listened to Grandmother but others didn't and they tried to take everything
with them including clothes, money, books, ginger jars,and etc... Grandmother
and Ah Te were the first to evacuate, while others followed right behind.
But the people who tried to take everything not only took too much but took
too long and were about to be trapped in the flood.
The flood had started and the water was ankle
high. Then it rose to waist high. There were screaming voices. People were
afraid of losing their lives and their families. More than one quarter of
the people died not because of the water but from the fright.
Grandmother was happy to be alive but sad to see that friends and family died trying to save possessions that could be replaced. Then one time Grandmother told Ah Te, "When your horse is on the brink of a cliff, it is too late to pull in the reins."
