We sat there, a small circle of people closer than anything ever found before. The very best mixture of teens; differently aged of course. It was a simple summer day; bathing suits and no shirts mixed-and-matched our little Indian circle. “So wait mark, I know it might be a bit “out there” but why is that you are the BIGGEST Chinese person? I mean aren’t Asians known for being thin and slim?” my sister’s tiny voice chimed in. “Actually, you know it’s been said that the largest person in a Chinese family is said to be housing the spirit of the great Big Brother, or Gijait.” He explained. We knew that this was going to be good, and even in the heat of the sun and staring at the cool water of the lake, we sat around him waiting to hear about this “Big Brother.”
He began…
Many years ago, in ancient china there lived a great spirit called Big Brother. He was said to have been brother to the elements, an entity stronger than the cosmos, his power…protection, strength, and love. He was known to be the one at one with the world. The people saw him as a sing of peace, of equality; he was a sign of unity, of family. He once had a much younger creature, a nephew, to take care of, Cayenne a beautiful jade dragon crafted and perfected by the fire element. With deep onyx eyes, surrounded by silver rings. His skin was a glossy green, which glistened every time he swam or flew. Big brother was said to have taken vow always to care and protect for this creature, but little did he know that he was going to pay dearly for the care and protection. Being the one that cares for all, he was the one who had the most to loose.
The years passed on and Cayenne grew stronger. He could now fend for himself, flying past the mountains at raging speeds. Mixing through the trees and shimming through the water like a fish could never. Every once in a while he was said to have been seen flying around big brother, even at his advanced stage. This made the other elements very jealous and from there they began to plot against Big Brother; a plot not only to harm him, also to ultimately get rid of Big Brother. The rainy season had come early, mother earth had allowed sister water to raise huge waves far in the ocean making the water splash up into the clouds.
From a distance big brother could see that she was not herself, he saw the monstrous waves come crashing down upon the mirror that was their home. Atop a high mountain, a beautiful woman stood, taller than a tree; she dressed in blue robes glistening with baby blue diamonds. Her hair whiter than clouds and deep emerald eyes, she was fair skinned and yet she had more tone to her life than anybody else he knew. “LiJuan, dear sister, what troubles your heart? Why such passion in tossing around your possessions? Please beloved sister open up to me, I am your big brother I will protect you and help your…no matter what.”
Big brother asked gently as he danced closer to her trembling body. She looked up at him as tall as she was, he was much bigger; tears came to her eyes. She cried, “Ah gijait, most honored brother I have wronged you. I, your sister, have destroyed your future, please brother forgive a young fool!” Her emerald eyes dulled to a pale brown, and her long white hair lost its shimmer. She was changing and he knew it.
He feared the worst, “Speak now, and speak honestly what has happened? What have you done? What do you know? Tell me know! SPEAK!” he boomed.
His hand glowed a deep red and out of the corner of his eye he caught a mixture of clouds threatening far in the distance. He stopped. She froze, never before had he ever treated anyone like that. She turned to face a way from him, ashamed of her misjudgment. “Please sister, if you love me like I know you do, you will tell me what dark thorn poisons your head? He reached for her, holding her close to his heart; an eternal embrace between siblings. She sobbed as she slowly brought her face up, she replied blankly, “I cannot tell you the future, and even to you it is forbidden. I’m sorry brother. I cannot.”
And with that she vanished. Big brother stood silently, a dark purple aura danced around him, taunting him, jeering and laughing at his predestined demise. He gazed at the earth and sky; the tricky twins echoed in the distance, “Big brother,” his brothers called, “Speak please Gijait, what ails you?” Heng and Jian appeared, dimly at first then fully. They were twins like no others, they were indeed copies of the other. Long black hair, green and gray eyes mixed as sing of life and unknown wisdom. They were both tall and lean; their bodies glowed in accordance to their origin. Green and gray; earth and wind.
“Oh siblings, fear and doubt cloud my vision today. I know not what the future holds, even as strong, and wise as I am, still I fear the unknown.” He called in despair, “LiJuan aims to harm and yet her heart is shattered. She knows not why she did what she did and still repents. She curses herself for being foolish. Oh I don’t understand.” He looked down at his hands, pondering whether or not he was ready for what was coming. His brothers served not comfort and receded into the picturesque valley, as quickly as they came they were gone. Gijait fell to his knees pleading to his elders, “Please mother earth, father sky, look after me. Grant me the strength to push through. The power to protect those in harms way, and the wisdom to make the decisions.” He cried with rage, with fear. His tears were golden against his mahogany skin, a treasure lost every time they hit the ground. The sky darkened with night and big brother knew that tomorrows’ life would be a different one.
With the rising of the sun he saw treacherous shadows run from its rays. Suspicions arose when he saw Duyi and Jian whispering deceits and planning catastrophe. “Gijait, Gijait,” came the cries of Cayenne, “Oh gijait I have missed you, where have you been?” he caressed the small dragon, his heart hurt but he still managed a smile. “Haha cayenne, I have not moved from this spot, it is you who has shifted impatiently through the air. Now, to what do I owe such great attention?” Gijait questioned. Cayenne began to speak, a sudden chill whooshed past them as Gijait turned his head, “Tricky Jian,” he thought. He looked down to fin nobody in front of him. “Cayenne!” he called but no response, “Cayenne!!” Still nothing. He darted towards the mountains, past rows of Chinese blossom trees, “Cayenne!!!” where are you?!”
Thoughts crammed his brain; where would he go, why would he just disappear. Please let him not be harmed. Seconds, minutes, hours ticked by and still no sign of Cayenne. He had searched all of China; each diamond incrusted cave, each emerald green field, tree and valley. He descended near a bamboo forest, he could hear the stalks laugh and whisper. They swayed and gossiped, he stopped in front of them, “plea..” suddenly…WHOOSH! Fire. Flames incinerated the whole lot. Gijait was tossed back; caught unaware by his attacker. He could hear them scream. Painful cries filled the valley, agony called out father than the rice ponds and the waterfalls. “Oh foolish brother, never did I understand what made you so goddamn special,” he boomed with a quick blow to his side. Diyu stood, just as tall as LiJuan, in front of Gijait. His body was bright red with arms the length of logs and boulder like shoulder. His strength showed in each crevice of his face and each line that contoured his tone body. Steam rose from his lips as he spoke, “Oh Gijait you were always the beautiful one, the favorite one both to man and nature. You never understood your powers. We were meant to be more!” He screamed, “ we were meant to rule this earth!” He stopped, leaning in closer he spoke, almost sarcastically, “You always had to be the helper, the protector; you were always the best one…but no longer. Oh dearest Gijait…why?” he turned his face away. Gijait caught this chance, and leapt to his feet striking his brother in the chest. The 5-point-stun; two hits above the heart, two below it and the last one in the center; frozen he stood. His ember eyes stared right at Gijait.
“Speak now you traitor. Vile being, you were a god to humanity. Now this?! For all this!? For what? Speak now miserable creature, where is my dragon? What is it that you have done with him?! SPEAK!” he exclaimed. Before Diyu had a chance to respond the clouds mixed and trembled above him. The wind picked up speed, swashing trees like feathers on a fan; they stood no chance. The breeze picked u and the cool grasp of brother wind choked him. A vicious turbine released the next opponent, “Jian, brother!” Gijait called to the void, “listen to my heart, and understand my soul. Please let yourself be guided by my actions, my true words; don’t be fooled by Diyu’s lies. We earn all we deserve, and we are here not for ourselves but rather for all others who have nothing. Please calm your fury!” The wind whistled a hymn of death and darkness. “Tsk tsk tsk, gijait, why must you make things so difficult? Here we are trying to make things easier for you and you try to fight back.” The voice asked, and there stood the Jian. In comparison to his lavishly dressed sibling, he struck more simple tone. Mixtures of gray and white in his robes made him look older. He was tall and pale but his youth showed through is speech. He swayed half-disappearing along side the breeze. He saw Diyu, stunned, behind Gijait. Slowly he spoke, “will you do the same to me? Will you also incarcerate me in a frozen state? How will you defeat what you cannot touch?!” he pushed off from the ground dodging Gijait’s quick hands. “Surrender Gijait,” he laughed, “you are no match for four elementals.” He looked around him, in the pond LiJuan stood silently; in the forest Heng and now, no longer frozen, Diyu stood behind the Jian. They all looked at Gijait; unchanged.
“Gijait,” came cries of thousands. They shifted in magnitude every time they called. He scanned around, he feared for humanity as he looked toward the darkened horizon. He could make it out now who it was, not a thousand, not people; but Cayenne. He looked around frantically for any sign of him near the elements. Nothing. Then he spotted a small amber water bubble, suspended over a pit of fire; trapped inside it was Cayenne. His skin was no longer green, he had matured into his final coat; a blue scaled coat with a silver streak. He was beautiful. “Brothers, sister, my precious siblings; never was it my intention to cause you any harm. To cause spite nor jealousy amongst any of us…but here I warn you, let any harm come to him and you will all have much to lose.” He warned. No response came from his siblings, and then thunder, Crack!, against the water. The bolt veered and headed directly towards GIjait. Quicker than the bolt, he dodged it. Grabbing it from its finial, returning it towards Jian. GIjait stood still; rigid now. He no longer was a brother, but instead a threat. Uncaring of his own life, he stood his ground. His once purple aura turned hot red, anger had never filled his veins as it had that day. He closed his eyes. “Ahhhh!!!!!” came the screams in unison. Fireballs, ice spikes and boulders flew at him from all directions. He breathed slowly, and then he opened his eyes. They burned bright orange and his skin glowed a deep maroon. He stuck out his arms, in a mix of movements he intertwined his hands and at last he thrust them forward with a motion wave stronger than a thousand explosions.
Almost instantly the objects hurled at him, fused together. Suspended in mid-air, the mass glowed almost angelically; behind it small rocks floated along side Big Brother. He was staring straight at his siblings, his eyes slit up making it easier for him to focus. He launched the floating weapon toward his siblings and before reaching them, it sent out ice spikes, pinning each element to the nearest surface. Immobile, they tried to control their surroundings but Gijait was much too strong. He raised one hand and cracked the earth in half. Searing lava spat everywhere, threatening to engulf them all. Then he looked up at the skies, screamed at them causing clouds to form gigantic cyclones. Tornadoes touched down both on land as well as at sea. Again he focused on his brothers, “you will feel my wrath! Not in this world has there ever been a stronger force than I. Torment to you fools!” he bellowed. Waving his hands again he lifted the water clear off from the earth…chaos reigned. Gijait called to the skies, “Liars, deceivers, false truths have you all spoken. Ill will to plot against me,” he struck Diyu crushing him under a giant rock. “I am more than this. I am more than you.”
Volcanoes seemed to sprout out from the cracks and more explosions trembled the trees. He was unstoppable; he was deadly. The skies turned red and fire rained down, beads at a time. The once strong Diyu was trapped, soon to be killed by that which he was gifted and sworn to protect. “Please brother,” a faint muffle called to him, “forgive us.” Slowly Gijait descended and noticed his sister frail, leaning against a tree. Her dress drenched in blood, a gaping wound remained where she had been struck. She spoke lightly, “Please Gijait, we have wronged you. Let our judgment be not your wrath. For I wish that upon none alive nor dead.” She paused only to leave Heng laughing. Instantly he crunched up his hand, watching as his brother was crushed. Twisting and transforming into a tree; blood seeped from his empty hands as the being changing before him cried in agony. “Nooooo!” came the cries of LiJuan; he turned to her, almost laughingly; he raised the rock from Diyu and struck it on the side of a mountain causing a huge uproar of fire. The deadly rain engulfed his brother. He screamed as the flames stabbed every part of him. He then clapped his hands and the huge cyclones dancing in the water seized brother air and stretched him. Twirling him around, disintegrating him slowly with each turn.
His cries echoed in the sky and it rumbled with the taste of fresh blood. He looked at the chaos he was causing. The water had destroyed most of the surroundings. The fire had eaten up the luscious life that once flourished in the valley. The beautiful map that was once China had been erased and redrawn as a barren, decaying paradise. With the blink of his eyes, Gijait returned everything to normalcy; the chaos subsided. The water returned to a calm sea, the earth healed its gash and skies dimmed down to cool blue tone. Everything was back to normal except for the pain. Gijait returned to his natural purple aura, his eyes died back to their deep black enchanting glance. Slowly he walked to the pond where his sister lay, dying. “Oh brother, how could we have been so foolish? Doubting your strength and power.” She cried; the tears trickled from her face as she smiled. He grabbed her face and gently kissed. He pulled her up by her hands as more blood spilled from her wounds. He whispered loving words into her ear and watched her rise. A streak sunlight reflected the blood diamonds on her dress and with a last cry to the winds she burst into a million water droplets, drizzling over the blossom trees.
As they were in life, so they are in death.” He spoke to the world. A small rumble caught his attention as the amber bead that caged Cayenne cracked, releasing the creature. He flew towards Gijait, swimming through the sky with ease. When Cayenne reached Gijait, he was looking off into the sunset, “Cayenne I will always be here to protect you.” And with that he grabbed the dragon, flew up to the highest point in the sky and dispersed himself, like glitter, all throughout China. “All of me will rule inside whoever has the courage, strength and devotion to protect all who need to be protected.”
“The end,” he called to a hypnotized audience. “Wow, that was awesome. What happened to the dragon though?” my sister asked him. “He lives in the night sky and reigns over the day sky. He was embedded in the clouds to live forever.” Mark added. “it is said you can still hear the explosion that dispersed the soul of Big Brother to every first born. Some say that if you can hear him speaking to you, then you are your families big brother.” I looked at the sky wishing to be there, to see the magic that filled those days. And almost as if on cue, a figure flew across the sky. Blue skin with black eyes, I knew for sure he was following Mark; my family’s Gijait.