Slash

SLASH Cynthia Tsai One year at 6:66 P.M. June 6th, a cat was born in a forest. He had smooth black fur with an unusual birthmark, which looked like the shape of lightning, so everyone called him “Slash” (CCX). At the same time, when the cat was born, a disaster began. The wind was so strong that it stirred the leaves, tore down the houses, and scared the animals in the forest (PL). Both Slash and the other animals were panicked and frightened (PCC). Suddenly, a warm light slightly passed through the little hole in the sky, stopping the wind and rain. With the mellow sunshine, God came and said, “My dear! My dear! This cat was born with an evil wraith that makes him unable to survive after its 3-year-old birthday.” He gave an empty bottle to Slash and said, “The only way you can avoid the scourge is to help other animals. Every time you show your beneficence to others, one milliliter of magic water will fill the bottle. When the bottle is filled with 100 liters before your 3-year-old birthday, your scourge will be recalled (CX).” After harbingering the cat, God flew away and the forest went back to serenity. 1

On the next day, Slash began his mission: helping others. The first and the most difficult one was helping Monkey Albert; Albert was too old to climb up the trees to get bananas, and he had a real temper. Albert said, “Ha! You little black cat can help me? What a great joke!” Albert didn’t believe that Slash could help. Slash felt upset, he murmured, “This old monkey looks scary and miserable. Come on, Slash, even though you’re frightened, you can do it and you must do it, you need to help him to achieve the goal!” After Slash cheered himself, he started the mission. He looked up; the tree was so tall it reached God, who gave Slash the scourge. He nervously jumped up to the tree, trying to get bananas. “Whack!” Slash fell off and heavily hit the ground. He cried out terribly and felt hopeless. He looked up again, telling himself: “Slash, go for it! You can handle this. Think about that scourge, you must beat it.” Then, another try started. He ran as fast as a cheetah and quickly used his sharp paws to hold the tree trunk. This time, Slash successfully climbed up to the trees and got a lot of bananas. Albert felt surprised; he said, “Well… seems like you’re stronger than I thought. Thank you for being so helpful.” Albert thanked Slash and went away (S). “Plink!” the first drop of the magic water dripped into the bottle. The water was transparent and as clean as jellyfish, and the smell was fresh and as lovely as the jasmine in spring. This is the first time Slash felt his importance to the forest, and he enjoyed the sense of accomplishment (C). He began to give others a hand every day and fill the magic bottle. 2

Three years later, Slash’s bottle was not even half filled. Slash’s dad was worried about his son’s life; he went to the prayer room and knelt. “My lord! Please save my son. I’m willing to switch souls with him and be punished by the scourge. Please don’t hurt him and tell him this secret” pleased Slash’s father. God accepted the request and promised to go to the birthday party to switch the souls. Time passed through quickly, it was Slash’s 3-year-old birthday. All the animals in the forest went to the party, curious about what would happen. When other animals were having snacks and music, Slash felt nervous. “Ba bump… Ba bump.” His heartbeat was like a crashed metronome, having irregular tempos. His hand was trembling and he couldn’t stop thinking about the scourge he would get in just a second. “Ring! Ring! Ring!” It's 6:66p.m; it’s time to meet the scourge. God flew down to the middle of the ground and said, “Slash, you didn’t accomplish the mission I’ve given you. According to our deal, you need to be punished by the scourge.” Slash cried out stridently and replied, “Please forgive me, my lord. I tried my best to help other animals. Please give me one more chance!” God chuckled and replied, “Don’t panic, my boy. I haven’t finished my speech.” 3

God said, “However, your dad told me he wanted to save your life and be castigated. I felt touched by his love for you, and I saw your hard work in these three years, so I decided to pardon your scourge.” Slash felt shocked about the news (S). He quickly ran over to his dad and hugged him as hard as he could. “Thank you, dad, thank you. I love you so much!” As God remitted the scourge, the sky started to rain. The rain was light as a blanket, embracing every animal in the forest. The lightning mark on Slash’s body also disappeared with the rain. Everyone gave a round of applause to Slash and celebrated this great news. After Slash’s 3-year-old birthday, Slash became a “Helper Slash.” He always signed up to volunteer in the community and helped others at least once a day. “Helping became my hobby,” he said, “I want to keep filling the bottle until it is full. Then, I can use this magic water to help other people who need it.” Finally, Slash and his friends lived happily ever after in the pacific forest. 4