Dragon of the Red Dawn: A Merlin Mission

Puppeteers wearing black clothes moved a giant dragon puppet around the stage. A man stood to the side and told a story to the audience. From the back of the crowd, it was hard to hear him.
“What’s he saying?” said Annie.
“He is telling the legend of the Cloud Dragon,” said Basho. “The Cloud Dragon is one of the guardian animals of the four directions. She has the power of flight and commands the rain clouds.”
“Cool,” said Annie.

Basho led them on past rows of stalls where craftspeople sold beads, cloth, kites, and paper lanterns. Some boys were holding up yo-yos for sale. Jack was surprised to see yo-yos in old Japan.
Beyond the craft stalls was a row of inns and cafés. The smell of spices and grilled fish filled the air.
“Yum,” said Annie.
Jack was hungry, too.
“Would you like to stop at a teahouse?” Basho asked them.
“Yes!” Jack and Annie said together.
Basho led them toward a small building with an open front. At the entrance, Basho slipped off his sandals. Jack and Annie did the same. They placed their sandals in a row of shoes that other people had left by the door.
Inside the teahouse, cooks stirred steaming pots over a wood-burning stove. People sat at long low tables, eating with chopsticks and drinking from small cups. Several customers smiled shyly and bowed before Basho.
Basho must be a really famous teacher of the samurai , thought Jack. It made Jack feel important to be with him.
Basho led them to a table and sat cross-legged on a straw mat. Jack and Annie did the same. A waiter with a kerchief around his head hurried to the table. “Welcome to our humble teahouse, Master Basho!” he said.
“Thank you,” said Basho.
Everyone is so polite in Japan! Jack thought.
The waiter handed Jack, Annie, and Basho warm wet towels. “Thank you,” said Jack and Annie.
Jack watched Basho wipe his hands on the towel. He and Annie did the same. Then they all gave their towels back to the waiter.
“I would like plates of sushi for me and my two students, please,” said Basho.
“Thank you,” said the waiter, bowing.
While they waited for their food, Jack studied the people in the room. Jack noticed that even little kids were eating with chopsticks. He andAnnie had never had much luck using chopsticks in Asian restaurants back home.
Soon the waiter brought over three plates of small cakes of sticky rice wrapped in dark green, paper-like strips. He also brought napkins and three pairs of chopsticks.
When the waiter had gone, Basho spoke to Jack and Annie in a soft voice so no one else could hear. “We call this sushi,” he said. “It is rice with pieces of raw fish in the middle.”
“Raw fish?” said Jack. He gulped.
“And what’s this part?” Annie pointed at the papery wrapping.
“Seaweed,” said Basho.
“Seaweed?” said Jack.
“It is very good,” said Basho.
Jack was so hungry he was willing to try anything, even raw fish and seaweed. His only problem was the chopsticks.
“Try it this way, Jack,” said Annie. She carefully picked up a piece of sushi between thewooden ends of her chopsticks. Jack copied her. But as they both tried to bring their food to their mouths, their pieces of sushi fell onto the table.

Jack and Annie laughed and tried a second time. Annie was successful. But Jack dropped his sushi again. Without thinking, he grabbed it with his fingers and popped it into his mouth.
“Mmm!” said Jack. The vinegar-tasting rice, the raw fish, and the green, salty seaweed were delicious!
But Jack stopped in mid-chew. Two samurai at another table were glaring at him. One of the men had a big scar on his face. The other had fierce dark eyes.
Jack’s throat was dry as he swallowed. They saw me mess up with my chopsticks! he thought. They can tell I’m not from Japan! He picked up another piece of sushi with his chopsticks. He glanced again at the samurai. They were watching him like hawks.
Jack’s hand felt shaky. He tried to stay calm. He remembered a passage from their research book: Samurai did not show their feelings. They had great powers of concentration.
Jack tried very hard not to show his fear. Heconcentrated on holding the sushi with his chopsticks. He raised the sushi to his mouth and ate it calmly. He lowered his chopsticks and picked up another piece of sushi. He ate it calmly.
When Jack looked back at the samurai, they were no longer watching him. Jack let out his breath. He picked up his last piece of sushi with his chopsticks and ate it