I Called You Friend
Chapter 7
Written by Michael Mark Maquilan

Menkyu and Poch sat at opposite ends of a thatched bamboo table with only a pitcher and two porcelain cups of green tea between them.

Poch rotated his cup. "So you acted rude with Valerie yesterday."

"Of course I did!" Menkyu justified himself. "She made me wait quite a while. And she wasted my time. And she didn't like what I did a bit. Heck, what kind of friend is she?"

Poch waited for a few moments. And then he grinned.

"Can you repeat what you said?" the dog taunted, stroking his chin with a paw.

"I SAID, 'OF COURSE I DID! SHE MADE ME WAIT QUITE A WHILE. AND SHE WASTED MY TIME. AND SHE DIDN'T LIKE WHAT I DID A BIT! HECK, WHAT KIND OF FRIEND IS SHE!?' So, are you happy?"

Poch grinned again. "So, I take it that you're concerned about her?"

"Huh?" Menkyu thought for a moment. Then he hung back in shock.

"I knew since you two met that ya had something for her." Poch laughed an old man's taunting cackle.

"Bro, shut up, will you?" Menkyu narrowed his eyes and placed his arms on his waist.

The next few seconds, Poch continued hackling while Menkyu eyed the dog with a strange look.

"I see you have a grave problem. You have earned the ire of a woman. Now that's a problem for ya!" Poch snickered.

Menkyu looked down at his glass. "That's not really my problem, bro." he explained. "You see, I had a strange dream last night. Valerie spoke to me, saying she was leaving, and that she might not come back..."

"Really, now. 's only a dream. What's the big deal?"

"It felt... real."

"C'mon, brother, cheer up. She's still staying in the Temple of the Unknown Gods, I'm sure."

"But... but..."

Poch made his way inside his house and fished a wireless headset. "How 'bout we ask the temple if she's still there to make you feel a little better?"

Poch dialed the number of the Temple of the Unknown Gods. A ring can be heard.

"Yes, Patrick here," Poch answered.

"Eh, it's just you," he answered again.

"Of course I know who you are: you're Aggie, the High Priest's best scribe."

"Come on, I don't have an eye for you, okay? Get me Lord Racchi."

"Racchi's not available?"

"Meditation chambers?"

"Oh, whatever. Is the distinguished guest available?"

"Valerie."

"She's there?"

"Okay, she's there."

By now Menkyu was trying his best to snatch the headpiece from Poch, but Poch merely held him back with a paw to the chin.

"No, thanks. I don't need to talk to her."

"No, sorry, I don't have the time to talk to you."

"Sorry to bother you then. I see you're pretty busy."

"Have a nice day."

"What? Like you? Never!"

"For the last time, I don't have to say it again!"

Poch pressed the talk button. "Damn that secretary!"

Then he noticed that Menkyu's face became more depressed. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead. "Well, um..."

"Hmm... so she's there after all. It must only be a dream..."

Menkyu gave a slight nod of approval. But Menkyu looked downwards and said, "I want to talk to her."

Poch eyed Menkyu sideways. "To apologize, I suppose." he taunted.

"No, not to apologize." Menkyu sighed.

"Really, now!"

Menkyu banged a fist on the table. A rattling sound can be heard as Menkyu stood up indignantly. "Come on, Poch!" he snarled.

Poch lifted his hands towards Menkyu. "Relax, kid. So when do we go..?"

* * *

Resting above an elevated mesa, partially hidden by clouds, was the Temple of the Unknown Gods. While the old cobblestones in its circular courtyard have seen little water, the plants around its border were always blessed with everyday care. Here and there, beside the greenery, or under the red archway, or near the fountain, stood a score of spirits-some meditating hermits (coincidence that most of the so-called 'hermits' were turtles), others conversing heartily with each other.

To the north, a short flight of red stairs led up to the halls of the temple. A raised wooden patio encircled its walls and windows. The railings, the edges of the roof, and the tops of the windows were decorated with ornamental sculptures of green, snakelike figures-which some would call snakes, and most would call dragons. The heavy balsa doors to the entrance hall would always be partially open with a gap half the size of the doorway.

"And finally," Agatha the young dragon spirit told Valerie, "this is the main hall of the Temple. Quite everyone passes here to get to the other rooms. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've seen this room."

Agatha pointed out the wooden doors with gold-colored exquisitely-carved frames lining the halls. Valerie saw the green concrete pillars, similarly fashioned as the jade altar behind her, built to honor dragons and the many forms they take in world literature. From the snake-like Chinese models to the bipeds to the winged quadrupeds which stood on hind legs.

"So," Agatha told Valerie, "I guess that's quite all you have to see here. Outsides, insides, the entire mesa. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"I've seen quite a lot." Valerie replied. "Thanks for showing me around."

"You're quite welcome." Agatha answered.

Valerie and Agatha picked up the sound of a jet engine coming closer. Everyone else turned towards the sound and saw a blue-green painted flying metal cylinder with a glass canopy hover over the temple courtyard. Slowly it descended, the whir of the jet engines growing stronger as it approached the stone-paved ground. When it finally landed, and the engine shut off, everyone else dismissed it as a disturbance, and returned to their pondering and conversation.

The glass canopy opened, and a dog spirit jumped out of it. He looked inside the capsule and said, "Whew, it was not half as hard getting here than getting Wani to lend us the bike."

"Yeah," another figure replied, jumping out of the cockpit, holding a few objects in his right hand. "I wish we had something like this so that we won't have to put up with that old snake..."

"Menkyu!" Valerie exclaimed, pointing at him. Then she walked from the main hall, down the temple stairs, towards the temple courtyard.

"Oh, no!" Menkyu reacted as he heard Valerie's voice. He faced her, then hid his right hand behind his back.

"Hey, Menkyu! Long time no see!" Valerie greeted, followed by a giggle. "How are you? What brings you here?"

Poch nudged Menkyu. "come on," he whispered, "she seems quite glad to see you. now's your chance."

Menkyu's face turned red. "Um, er," he fumbled, looking downwards, stroking the ground with his feet. "I-I dreamt; I mean, I was afraid that you were leaving... so, I've come here to..."

Valerie smiled at Menkyu. "To..?"

"...to say sorry for the way I-I treated you yesterday. Um... I was..."

Menkyu paused, trying go on to the next word.

With a nudge from Poch, the next word came out. "...rude. I was rude. I'm sorry."

"Oh, Menkyu," Valerie answered, "I'm sorry I acted that way yesterday. I haven't even thanked you for showing me around... you won't know how much I appreciated it."

Valerie turned away from Menkyu, trying to hide her own blushing face.

"Patrick!" a voice called from the main hall. "So you're here too!"

Poch noticed the voice coming from someone... familiar going down the temple stairs. He whispered to Menkyu. "Darn, I've to leave you. Don't really want to speak to this woman who's coming towards me."

Poch made his way towards the dragon, leaving Menkyu and Valerie with each other.

Menkyu felt the objects behind his back. Should I? he thought. Will Valerie like these..?

Menkyu looked at Valerie. Her back was turned towards her. Her hands seemed close to her heart, her ten fingertips touching the tips of the fingers of the other hand. Her tail seemed to swish slowly from left to right, then wrapped around her waist.

Menkyu summoned up all his courage and said, "Valerie, I-I'd like to give you-these..." He pushed out his right hand and offered Valerie what was in it.

Valerie looked over her shoulder then turned towards Menkyu. She saw five yellow carnations in his hand. "F-flowers?" she stammered. Valerie blushed even more. "But-but, so quickly? We just met the day before yesterday..."

Suddenly, the sky became overcast with gray clouds. Thunder boomed in the distance. Menkyu's eyed caught a single raindrop, though it wasn't raining. And the flowers wilted.

Menkyu looked downwards. He opened his hand and watched as the flowers idly floated to the ground, until they were all in one neat pile. "I-I thought you'd like them." Menkyu bluntly stated, unable to look at her.

Menkyu climbed into the cockpit of the jet bike, closed the glass canopy, and started the engine. Hot air blew into the temple grounds as the cylinder lifted itself into the air, and then zoomed off into the distance.

Valerie stood still, unable to react, watching the events which happened so quickly.

Another thunderbolt broke the silence.

Poch returned to where he thought the bike was. He was telling himself, "My, that's rid of her. I thought I could never convince her I don't like her..." Then he noticed the absence of a certain cylindrically-shaped object. "Wait a minute; where's the bike; where's Menkyu? Valerie, have you seen..."

Valerie was still frozen.

"Oh." Poch said, stopping himself. "That snake's going to be really angry if anything happens to the bike."

"I have to stop him." Valerie told herself. She jumped upwards, landing on her personal cloud. Then she zoomed off in search of Menkyu.