Chapter 3

In light emerges hope
In darkness hides
A ferocious wolf
Dialogue
Pierces through
The wall of memory
Leaving a scar
Of the haunting past


Elementary school life was full of adventures because every Wednesday afternoon we didn’t have school at all. After finishing homework, Yang Dong-Yu and I would ‘summoned’ other buddies to embark upon the forbidden forest nearby, a place we called “Hunting Woods”.

The early autumn in the southern part of Formosa was still very warm. Along the “Monkey River” stood an array of farm houses. Almost each one of them was surrounded by two or three ponds in which many fish were fighting to get fresh air on the hot days. Reeds were everywhere on the small trek winding through the “Hunting Woods”. We loved to explore the unknown territory and build fire to grill sweet potatoes. Sometimes we were lucky to find watermelons in the open field and delicious wild berries in the bushes. The most exciting part would be water fight in the natural swimming pond formed after typhoons.

“Tell us what you used to do in Ping-Tung, Yang Dong-Yu!” said Lin Yi-Yi. “Oh, the usual things, playing baseball, going swimming, jumping rope and playing ping-pong, but I have never played like this in the woods, so this is really fun!” replied Yang Dong-Yu. As we were about to jump into the pond and catch some tadpoles, Lin Yi-Yi shouted “Ahhh, what is that on your back?” pointing at Yang Dong-Yu as he took off his T-shirt. “You look like a backbeater in the yearly Taoist parade! What happened?” asked I. “Hmm, nothing, I…I didn’t obey my dad’s words and he…” said Yang Dong-Yu. “ Never mind, let’s go swimming now, don’t worry, okay?” A silence ran across every one of us but soon we were playing joyously in water.

At dusk, we headed home and passed by Yang Dong-Yu’s house first. As we were at the entrance where banyan trees stood, Yang Dong-Yu’s father was waiting with a thick rattan stick in hand. The blood-shot eyes and an impatience look showed his cranky temper was at the boiling point. We were scared and flinched. The next day, I didn’t see Yang Dong-Yu at school, so I went to the teacher and told him what we saw yesterday. Our teacher got very worried and decided to pay a visit to Yang Dong Yu’s family in the evening. “Can I come too? I live only two doors away?” asked I. “Sure thing, you come with teacher at 6 o’clock before the dinner time, okay?” said the teacher.

“What did you say? That dead rabbit did not go to school today?” said angrily Yang Yu-Fong. The air in the house was full of rice wine; and a dozen of empty bottles scattered in the living room. I could hear Yang Hui-Ching and Yang Hui-Ming whispering in another room but soon fell into dead silence. “I gave him 20 dollars to buy me breakfast in the morning and afterwards he was off for school…” said Yang Yu-Fong. Now this got all of us very concerned. Where could he go? Did he get hurt yesterday? Did he run away?