Red Phoenix

said quickly. ‘I thought you weren’t ready.’
    Simone dropped her head and didn’t say anything.
    ‘You’re not in trouble, sweetheart, we just need to sort this out,’ I said, squeezing her around her waist. ‘So you went in there to do a sword set. Then what happened?’
    ‘The door opened and there was a monster there.’ I suddenly understood. ‘Was it big and black and like a huge lizard with a strange body?’ Leo glanced sharply at me.
    Simone nodded, and grinned widely. ‘You saw it too!’
    ‘Was it a big black turtle, Simone?’ I said.
    Her eyes went wide again. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.
    I dropped my voice. ‘Do you think it’s possible that you saw your daddy the way he really is?’
    ‘My daddy is not a monster, Emma.’
    ‘He is a turtle, though, sweetheart,’ I said. ‘I think that’s what you saw.’
    ‘But what about the other one?’ she said.
    ‘What other one?’ Leo said.
    ‘After the… turtle opened the door, I screamed. And another monster came in.’ Simone gestured towards Leo. ‘And then you came in, Leo, and I went to you.’
    ‘What about me?’ I said. ‘I came in before Leo did.’
    She shook her little head. ‘No, Emma, you weren’t there.’ She explained patiently. ‘The door opened. There was a big black turtle monster. Then a big black snake monster pushed past it and came towards me. It stopped and said something. Then Leo came in. I went around the snake monster and ran to Leo.’
    The bottom fell out of my stomach. ‘Did the snake monster say something like “Don’t worry, it’s only us”?’
    She nodded. ‘But I wasn’t listening very well, Emma. I was really scared.’
    My voice sounded dead. ‘That was me.’
    Leo studied me appraisingly. Then he smiled gently. ‘All beyond me, Emma. Wait till Mr Chen comes out; he’ll probably have some perfectly normal supernatural explanation for it.’
    ‘For a moment I thought you were about to say “scientific explanation”,’ I said.
    ‘I’ve given up hoping that things will make sense around this place,’ Leo said. ‘You survive from day to day in this crazy house.’ He pulled himself to his feet. ‘Listen,’ he said from somewhere near the ceiling. ‘Wind’s started again.’
    ‘Daddy hates it,’ Simone said. ‘He won’t say, but it really hurts him.’
    ‘Leo, could you mind Simone for me for a moment?’ I popped Simone off my knee and guided her towards Leo. ‘There’s something I need to do.’
    ‘Sure,’ Leo said.
    ‘Okay now, Simone?’ I said kindly.
    ‘I’m okay, Emma,’ Simone said. ‘You’re probably right. The turtle was probably just Daddy, and the snake was probably just you.’
    Leo stiffened and glanced down at me.
    My stomach fell out again. I rose. ‘Mind her, Leo,’ I said, my voice strained. Leo nodded, but he watched me, his face expressionless.
    I quietly went through the door to my room. I sat on my bed. I ran my hands through my hair. ‘So I’m a snake, am I,’ I said. There was no reply.
    I banged the ring on the end of the bed and the stone squawked. ‘I was asleep!’
    ‘Yeah, sure you were,’ I said, not believing it for a minute. ‘Am I a snake? And if you tell me I’m a perfectly normal human being, you’ll do the grand tour of Hong Kong’s shiny new sewerage system.’
    ‘Lord Xuan has been waiting for this to happen. The child opened her Inner Eye. She has done it a good year before it was expected. She is extraordinarily talented, even for a half Shen. She brought it about by doing the sword kata alone.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘She saw those around her with a heightened vision. She saw her father’s true essence.’
    ‘She saw me as a snake, stone.’
    ‘Perhaps she saw your true essence as well,’ it said.
    ‘So I’m a snake? I asked you that a moment ago, and you still haven’t answered me.’
    ‘That’s because you don’t want to hear the answer. And I don’t want the grand tour, thank you.’
    ‘Okay, let’s try this from a different direction. Would it be possible to look at a perfectly normal human being, see their essence, and see it as a snake?’
    ‘Yes, of course,’ the stone said. ‘Quite possible. Many people have a very strong animal nature. Like a totem. I’m surprised she didn’t see Leo as a black lion, and Michael as a gold tiger.’
    ‘About time you made some sense. So I have a very strong snake essence. Like a snake totem. Funny, I don’t feel very…’ I searched for the word,