The lamp came on, and the way appeared.
A Basket for the Shore
Wei saw the lamp before he saw the landing.
It glowed among the reeds, a small warm light above the water. He rested his paddle across the boat and looked towards it. The sun was low, and its reflection stretched in a broken gold line over the lake.
“That should be Auntie Shan,” he said.
A basket sat near the front of the boat, covered with a folded cloth. Auntie Shan had asked him to bring it back after his visit to the neighbouring shore. He had kept it beside him for the journey, checking now and then that the cloth had not slipped.
Wei dipped the paddle into the water again. The boat moved quietly towards the reeds.
Several Ways Through
From the open water, the spaces between the tall stems looked much alike. One narrow opening lay to the left of the lamp; another appeared a little farther along. Beyond them, the shore was hidden by leaves and feathery heads of grass.
Wei slowed the boat. He knew the landing lay near a bend in the bank, where the reeds grew around a low wooden post. In the fading light, he could not yet see the post.
A breeze moved through the stems. For a moment, the opening on the left seemed to widen. Then the reeds leaned back together.
Wei looked at the lamp again. It hung from a pole just inside the reeds, its light touching the leaves nearest it. To its right, a darker line marked the familiar bend in the bank.
“There you are,” he said.
He turned the boat towards the open water beside that bend. The paddle lifted a small line of ripples that travelled ahead of him.
The Lamp Among the Reeds
As Wei came closer, the wooden post appeared between two clumps of reeds. He could also see a figure waiting beside it.
“Auntie Shan!” he called.
She raised a hand. “Did the basket enjoy the trip?”
“It has had the best seat in the boat.”
“And did it stay awake?”
“I checked. It kept its blanket on the whole way.”
Shan laughed and came to the edge of the landing. Wei guided the boat alongside, then waited until it rested against the post before handing her the covered basket.
She folded back one corner of the cloth and looked inside. “Everything is here. Thank you.”
Wei stepped out and held the boat while Shan set the basket safely on the landing. Together they secured the boat to the post.
“I lit the lamp when the path began to disappear in the evening light,” she said.
“I saw it before I could see the post.”
“I wondered whether you would. The reeds have grown high this season.”
A Welcome Before the Landing
They carried the basket towards the path, Wei holding one handle and Shan the other. Behind them, the lamp shone between the stems, and the boat rocked gently beside the post.
“The light went out to meet you first,” Shan said.
“It gave the basket a fine welcome.”
“And you?”
“I was allowed to bring it the rest of the way.”
At the turn in the path, they stopped and looked back. The lamp was still visible, though the boat had nearly disappeared behind the reeds. Farther out, the last sunlight lay on the water.
Shan shifted her hand on the basket handle. “Shall we take our traveller home?”
Wei nodded. They continued along the path together, leaving the little light to shine beside the landing.
Livora Gracely ♥
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