Dragon of Blue Winter
- Operator
- May 18
- 8 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Year 0-6 years old
1976-1982
6 years of Winter Cold
Seoul Korea
Stranger Monk
School never ends
A knock was heard at the door.
The three Matron mothers told the orphans to remain, while they found out who the unannounced visitor was.
The Dragon of Blue Winter decided to break the rule after they left.
This was a Break in the Pattern.
This was the first knock on the door that his Mothers did not know who it was.
His brothers and sisters shook their head to tell him to obey.
The orphan ignored and was careful not to make a sound.
He slowly walked up the low steps to see who it was.
He heard voices of only the Matron Mothers, but not a word from the visitor.
He went closer around the corner to see who would visit this remote place.
The orphanage was hidden from the modern, a place where Time stood still.
The orphan dragon was shocked.
It was monk.
He was dressed in a long flowing black robe, and he moved with grace.
He was placing a gift in the hands of the eldest Mother.
He looked calm and at peace.
This was the first monk the orphan had ever seen, besides the statue of the One Buddha.
He would never forget this moment.
Remaining silent, he watched his movements and learned his ways of silence.
His Ancient Ways was passed down from mentor to student, since the time of the One Buddah.
He suddenly recalled a voice, from his Eternal Dream,
"You are not supposed to know the beginning until the end.”
Without thinking, since the Dragon of Winter thought he was seen, he bowed as he did before the Winter Baths.
His first bow to a monk that was not to the One Buddha.
The Silent Monk, who did not see the Child of Fate until he saw movement, noticed him.
It was one of the orphans bowing, thought the monk amused.
The black robed monk was shocked.
He was not a follower of the One Buddha.
It was bow of challenge.
The monk, who did not want to impose any destiny, made a mistake, and gave a nod.
The Child was blessed with the most minor of blessings, we part in peace, with a denial of the challenge.
What would a child so young know about the Void, the monk thought.
The Child of Winter walked back slowly and returned to his brothers and sisters with a smile.
They did not ask, for that would make a sound.
The orphan was not caught with breaking the rule, and waited among his brothers and sisters, still remembering the first person he ever copied his movements.
Grace and elegance was his new way to move from then on.
The 3 Matron Mothers were trying to decipher the Test given.
The black robed Buddhist monk would not respond.
The oldest Matron Mother opened the box and saw a picture to be silent and below, another picture to close the box.
Underneath the page were instructions written in elegant handwriting.
"Please put this box in front of the children, and record their names, with how many days to look inside.
When all the children have looked, please return the box and list.
I search for a student to teach."
The Matron Mothers bowed but he was gone.
The strange monk had already walked away in search for a pupil, on his way to the next orphanage with the same Test.
Test
Immaterial releases, material holds
The Matron Mothers placed the gift, with beautiful wrapping, upon the mantle for all the orphans to see.
The first night, the most courageous orphan went to the mantle, when all were asleep, and a Matron Mother watched out of view.
With excited hands he opened the box.
His joy was shattered when he saw the empty box and the image to remain quiet and return the box in place.
The next day all the children looked at the box with desire, except the most courageous.
The Child of Fate noticed and glanced at the gift with curiosity.
It was the box from the monk, the first monk he ever shared space with.
It was an experience his mind focused on.
He admired his grace in moment, even if he was denied his bow in return.
A nod was different from bow that he received from the One Buddha, who he challenged before the Winter Baths.
A nod was a dismissal, and that puzzled him.
The Test must be the gift that was empty, as he figured from the courageous brother's disappointment.
Then the test must be taken to prove he was worthy of a bow in return.
As the orphan was getting scrubbed, without suffering from the pain, the Child of Winter thought of the gift on the mantle.
A gift was a gift.
He had to figure out how to use an empty box that would not lead to disappoitment and suffering.
At night, as he layed down in the shadow of the Eternal Black Sky, and heard the creak of another reaching for the gift, the Child of Fate thought how to use the gift that had no gift inside.
In silence he woke the next day and looked out the window
He could see his best friend, the Blue Mountain, that he gazed at every day.
The orphan wished he could climb that mountain and feel the breeze.
And then the Dragon of Blue Winter laughed.
He had figured out the Test.
The other orphans looked at him with curiosity, but dared not speak.
The Child of Fate placed his dream within the gift, inside the empty gift of the material.
A place to put his dreams.
The Dragon of Blue Winter's world became bigger with each immaterial placed, within the empty Void.
A puzzle had been solved with humor.
The Child of Fate would later return
from his Test of the Immaterial,
of the Winter Baths,
where he was cleansed of all his suffering
with the material brush.
Destiny was shocked as she saw Chaos' son Fate expand.
She panicked and returned to the Red Queen to give the news that her son was doing something that she had never seen.
His Fate was emerging out past his Self
and creating destiny of his own.
Mother of Grey
Experience is the greatest teacher.
After two weeks the 3 Matron Mothers were losing sleep.
All but one refused to open the gift.
The quiet orphan showed no interest, though he smiled whenever he looked at the gift.
The 3 Matron Mothers, who sheltered the orphans under the Roof of the World, decided to hire two modern maidens to help.
They did not serve the One Buddha.
The orphanage had grown and it was time.
One maiden was of Choson descent, while the other was of Red descent.
A month went by, and each night the Choson maiden would volunteer to watch the quiet orphan at night.
The boy would not look and she watched him sleep with regret.
The Choson maiden was the orphan's mother.
Grandmaster
Willpower is perfected with constant repetition of effort
The black robed monk noticed the Break in the Pattern.
There was no response from the first orphanage.
It had been over a month, and all the other orphanges had given the Test back.
Was it that strange boy?
The boy with no Faith in the One Buddha seemed odd.
How could that be?
What was his faith if not the One?
He searched for the answer in deep meditation.
A child curious to break a rule, but not curious of the material, was unknown to him.
Could he be a student worthy,
a boy that challenged his Faith?
The monk tried to remember the moment and think back on what he saw.
He showed courage to break a rule.
He was obedient enough to return after his nod.
He did not seem bitter, but only curious.
The monk was troubled.
He should have taken the bow more seriously.
But what could one so young know about the Void.
He was only an orphan.
And then he saw it.
He saw a blueness about him, that held the Winter within the bow.
Was he studying on his own, without a teacher?
He was worried that he made a mistake, for fate was strong within a blue that was turning purple.
He wanted to Test him on what he knew.
There as nothing left to do but wait.
The boy seemed to know something he did not know.
Destiny of Fate
Release who you are,
allow who you can be
While the children were eating by themselves, all but one Matron Mother ate lunch together.
"The boy will not look, do you think we should just send the list?"
"Can we suggest he open it?" the Red maiden asked.
"No, that would be wrong," said the Choson mother, who watched over her son at night.
The Red maiden, who had an instant dislike of the one causing trouble, said, "Perhaps a punishment to make him want to take the gift?"
The 2 Matron Mothers immediately said no.
"That is not our way. We teach them when they are wrong. The boy has done nothing," the oldest Matron said.
She always felt the boy was odd, since he did not believe.
His bow to the statue was of his own style and she did not approve.
It was hard enough to get him to bow, so they did not correct.
"What should we do?" the Red maiden asked.
The Choson maiden said, "The boy will not break. He has his father in him."
There was silence since they did not know how it ended.
"The issue is resolved," said the late Matron Mother, who overheard and returned.
"He has been chosen to go to the States. A Roman family."
The Choson mother did not show, but her heart sank.
She wanted to redeem her wrong and take the boy back somehow.
She wanted to see how he had grown.
After her years in silence, she returned to try to reclaim a mistake made.
She never went near him in shame.
But the boy did not know, but only smiled when he saw her.
The Choson mother did not smile in return, for she felt guilt every time he smiled towards her.
The boy was not offended and continued to be kind.
She knew she had no right to dispute the claim.
She accepted that she would not have a son to repay her Great Shame.
"When does he leave," she asked passively.
"In the next month," said the most patient Matron Mother, "Will you tell Key Young Sun?"
She shook her head.
"It is better if my son never knows."
"I do not forgive myself and it would only make the boy want more than I can give."
"He will have to accept that I abandoned him."
The eldest Matron shook her head, "You shoudl tell the father at least."
She said simply, "No."
A long moment of silence fell over the meal.
The mood changed when the Red maiden said, "Do you think he will follow the Roman Faith?"
They all chuckled with humor, even the Child of Fate's mother.
"The boy does not have Faith.
"He will not break," said his mother.
"What faith do you think he holds?"
They all shook their head.
"I do not know," said the eldest Matron Mother with sadness, "but he does not follow the One Buddha and never will."
