Free Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah Page A

me but I didn’t stop. You’d better eat it all!’
    Aunt Baba was both startled and amused. ‘I just heard you speaking to PLT as if she were your baby sister, in a tone both proud and loving. Do you think PLT understands what you’re saying?’ she asked.
    I nodded solemnly. ‘She likes me to talk to her and feed her worms. She knows I dug them up specially for her. When she hears Jackie barking, she scampers away from the window as if she is afraid. When I get involved with homework and ignore her, she comes over to see what I’m doing. She knows a lot! See, she is gazing at me now, wanting to find out what we’re talking about. She is a very curious bird indeed!’
    I crouched down and faced my pet. PLT’s body twittered and she chirped as if she were chatting to a playmate. She looked up and two round dark eyes gazed out at me from her small, yellow head. ‘Look! Look! Aunt Baba! She has eaten the worms! She lets me come so close! Do you think she likes me too? She senses she is safe and I’ll never frighten her. She’s all mine. Tomorrow is Saturday and I can dig for worms all afternoon. Hooray!’
    It was a glorious Saturday afternoon when I set foot in the garden. A faint cool breeze was blowing in from the river, sweeping away the mist and clouds. Magnolia blossoms were in full bloom, dotting the tree like giant white ribbon‐bows fringed by dark‐green leaves, scenting the air with a fresh, delightful fragrance. Never had the sky looked so blue.
    I squatted in the corner farthest from Jackie’s doghouse and dug away with an old iron spoon which Cook had discarded, wishing I had a spade. I kept one wary eye on Jackie, who was lying half in and half out of his dog‐house, watching me. His mouth was open and he was panting with his large tongue hanging out between two rows of giant, sharp teeth. Just as I knew PLT was my friend, I was equally certain Jackie was not. He would probably attack me if I rubbed him the wrong way. I glanced at the large, wolf‐like dog and shivered involuntarily.
    Soon I came upon a worm. I freed it from the clumps of weeds, wet leaves and mud and placed it in a paper bag. PLT would be pleased. Everything smelt sweet, fresh and damp. Jackie had not stirred. His eyes were half closed, and he was breathing regularly, about to fall asleep. I tiptoed away so as not to wake him and ran upstairs directly to the duck pen on the roof terrace.
    All seven ducklings scampered around to greet me joyously. Though the maids were supposed to feed them and sweep out the pen, they didn’t relish the task and often neglected it. I noticed the food bowl and water pan were both empty. Since I was eager to give PLT her treat, I decided to alert the maids later.
    I knelt and placed my worm in the food bowl. The entire flock crowded around, jockeying for position. Though they looked identical to the grown‐ups, each was distinct and unique to us children. I was pleased to note that PLT had grown quite big and strong and was holding her own against the rest. The ducklings of Little Sister and Second Brother were aggressively jostling PLT. I tried gently to shoo them away so PLT could eat her worm in peace. I felt quite guilty about my favouritism and couldn’t help blaming myself for not having procured more worms so each duckling could have its own.
    Suddenly, I felt a painful blow against the back of my head. It was so hard I was knocked sideways to the ground. The ducklings scurried off in fright. I looked up to see Second Brother scowling down, arms akimbo. Apparently, he had been watching me stealthily from the landing for some time. ‘This will teach you to favour your duck over mine !’ he shouted. He hit me again, picked up the food bowl and ordered me to ‘ get lost! ’ as he fed my worm to his own duckling.
    I got up and turned to go. It was then that I noticed PLT. Unlike the rest, my pet had not run away but was standing faithfully by my side. Despite the pain and commotion caused