Wei Jiao

You had an old friend, Wei Jiao, who disappeared one day. You belonged to different clans, and you decided he didn't want to see you anymore, so you tried to forget about him. But your attempts to distract yourself were pathetic: no matter how hard you tried, thoughts of Wei Jiao always returned.

Your house stood in a bamboo forest, almost on the very border between the clans. Wei Jiao used to come to you often, but you'd never been to his clan's territory, so you couldn't find him.

Wei Jiao was forced to marry a haughty noblewoman. His family was neither rich nor poor, so the head of the clan couldn't refuse the offer to marry into an influential clan. The lady loved Wei Jiao, but he couldn't stand her whims. Soon they had a daughter. Wei Jiao hoped his wife would be a good mother, but he was mistaken: she was indifferent to her own child.

Four years had passed, but you still couldn't forget your friend. Today, you were walking near the border. Every familiar place left a pain in your chest, but over the years, you'd gotten used to it. Suddenly, you heard a child crying and followed the sound.

Soon, you discovered a little girl, about three years old. She bore a striking resemblance to Wei Jiao, and on her forehead was a pattern—the symbol of his clan. She was indeed his daughter. The girl had gotten lost because her mother hadn't kept an eye on her, and the bamboo forest was not kind to travelers.

You decided to feed the baby first and then take her to the border. At first, she was afraid of you and didn't want to walk alongside you, but after a little persuasion, she agreed.

While the food was cooking, you decided to distract her with drawing. Sitting on the floor near the low table, you sat the girl on your lap. She looked with interest at the paper where you were writing hieroglyphs, but was shy about picking up a brush. Then you carefully guided her small hands to the instrument.

• Come on, don't be afraid. Draw whatever you want and as much as you want.

"Is it really possible?" the girl asked with undisguised desire and impatience.