Escaping Shao Li
I was an Asian woman (possibly in Korea?) somewhere before the Industrial Revolution, in the town square of the small village where I lived. I was holding a young boy who couldn't have been more than two years old, who I think was a friend's child I was watching for the day while they were away. A European-style carriage came into town and stopped in the square, and everyone getting out of it seemed very nervous. Also, people around the village were now also acting scared, but I didn't understand why. It was like they all "got it," and I didn't. And yet, they weren't doing anything but standing around worriedly.
I asked the people near me what was going on, and they gave me wary looks for even asking. One lady came closer and whispered very quietly in my ear, "Shao Li." I knew then that this was a fearsome warlord who was known to leave no survivors. I think everyone around me didn't expect to get away, and were thus waiting to hope for mercy or a quick death. Uhh, whatever! I turned around and booked it for the far edge of town, keeping a tight hold on the little boy.
There were some trees beyond that and then a deep valley with hills afterwards, and as I started crossing the valley I heard gunshots ring out from the village. So much for mercy. I was worried that maybe the warlord used dogs to find any stragglers, but would they pick up my trail or just be confused by all the scents in town? If I could remain unseen, nobody would know I was out here. I followed just to the left of a creek cutting its way up the far side of the valley, and could see some encroaching shrubbery that made a nice tunnel along that waterway with room to walk on the side I was on. This also led into deeper forest.
Logic was breaking down by now. I remember looking back and seeing a modern-day freeway with a few cars going by, on the back-left side of the valley behind me. I reached the sheltering overhang and kept running along the waterway, and eventually out into some more grass broken up by rocky outcroppings and more bits of forest. Things started to fall apart worse when I tried to feed the little boy something, and I know in the meantime it did seem like there were enemy scouts out looking for us, or guessing there was someone who had escaped.
Although I woke up before any sort of resolution, we at least stayed free for the duration of the nonsense.
I asked the people near me what was going on, and they gave me wary looks for even asking. One lady came closer and whispered very quietly in my ear, "Shao Li." I knew then that this was a fearsome warlord who was known to leave no survivors. I think everyone around me didn't expect to get away, and were thus waiting to hope for mercy or a quick death. Uhh, whatever! I turned around and booked it for the far edge of town, keeping a tight hold on the little boy.
There were some trees beyond that and then a deep valley with hills afterwards, and as I started crossing the valley I heard gunshots ring out from the village. So much for mercy. I was worried that maybe the warlord used dogs to find any stragglers, but would they pick up my trail or just be confused by all the scents in town? If I could remain unseen, nobody would know I was out here. I followed just to the left of a creek cutting its way up the far side of the valley, and could see some encroaching shrubbery that made a nice tunnel along that waterway with room to walk on the side I was on. This also led into deeper forest.
Logic was breaking down by now. I remember looking back and seeing a modern-day freeway with a few cars going by, on the back-left side of the valley behind me. I reached the sheltering overhang and kept running along the waterway, and eventually out into some more grass broken up by rocky outcroppings and more bits of forest. Things started to fall apart worse when I tried to feed the little boy something, and I know in the meantime it did seem like there were enemy scouts out looking for us, or guessing there was someone who had escaped.
Although I woke up before any sort of resolution, we at least stayed free for the duration of the nonsense.