Page 66 of Tiger's Quest
I unzipped my bag and pulled out Fanindra, apologizing for leaving her out of the battle in the forest. We would be better prepared next time. I set her on the new library shelf on top of a round, silk-covered pillow.
I quickly changed into my wushu clothes and headed downstairs to meet Mr. Kadam. Kishan heard me bustling around and trotted down the stairs behind me. He curled up in a corner of the room on the gym mat, put his head on his paws, and watched sleepily.
Mr. Kadam was already there. The wall was flipped open to showcase his collection of swords. He walked over with two wooden sticks.
“These are called shinais and are used in the practice of kendo, which is the Japanese form of fencing. Use these to practice forms before moving on to the steel weapons. Grip it with both hands. Reach out as if you are shaking hands with someone, then wrap your three bottom fingers around the weapon and leave your thumb and forefinger loose.”
I tried to follow his instructions, and before I knew it, Mr. Kadam was moving onto the next step.
“For advancing, walk heel-step, heel-step. For retreating, back up ball-step. This way you are always ready and won’t distribute your weight wrong.”
“Like this?”
“Yes. Very good, Miss Kelsey.”
“Now lunge. When someone attacks, swing this leg back, move your body out of the way, and bring your sword up to defend yourself, like this. If someone comes from the other side, move back this way.”
This was complicated. My arms already hurt, and the footwork was hard to remember.
He continued, “Eventually, we’ll move on to heavier swords to build up your arms and shoulders, but for now, the footwork is what I want you to practice.”
Mr. Kadam had me do footwork drills for an hour while he gave me tips. I began to move in a rhythm and crossed the floor back and forth doing lunges, advance-retreats, and deflecting moves. While I worked, Mr. Kadam watched, correcting my form from time to time and citing sword fighting instructions.
“Draw your swordbeforeyou engage an opponent. It takes too much time to do it once you’re in a fight. And make sure your feet always stay grounded and balanced.
“Don’t overextend yourself! Keep your elbows bent and close to your body.
“Fight to win. Search for weaknesses and exploit them. Don’t be afraid to use other techniques if they will help you, like lightning power, for example.
“It’s better to get out of the way than to block someone. Blocking saps your strength; moving out of the way requires less energy.
“Know the length of your sword and estimate the length of your opponent’s weapon. Then, maintain a distance at which he cannot easily reach you.
“Though it’s good to practice with bigger, heavier swords, lighter swords can do just as much damage. The big ones tire you out faster in a fight.”
By the time I was done, I was sweaty and sore. I’d been holding the shinai up the whole time I was practicing footwork. And, even though it was lightweight, my shoulders were burning.
Mr. Kadam encouraged me to work on the footwork for an hour every day and said that he would teach me more tomorrow.
Kishan changed to a man after I’d sufficiently rested. He practiced wushu kicks and sweeps with me for another two hours. By the time I climbed the stairs to my room, I was exhausted. A hot dinner was left under a warming cover in my room, but I decided to shower first.
Clean and ready for bed, I lifted the lid and found grilled chicken and vegetables. There was also a note from Mr. Kadam inviting me to help with research in the library the next morning. I finished my dinner and walked over to Ren’s room.
It was so different from the first time I’d entered his room. A thick carpet covered the floor. Books sat on top of the dresser, including a couple of the first-edition Dr. Seuss books that he’d mentioned buying. A paperback copy ofRomeo and Julietin Hindi was dog-eared and worn. A state-of-the-art CD player was set up in the corner with several CDs, and a laptop and writing materials sat on his desk.
I found his Valentine’s present, his copy ofThe Count of Monte Cristo, and tucked it under my arm. He must have sent it in the package with my special things. Knowing he treasured it made me smile. One of my old hair ribbons was tied around rolled up parchment. I untied the ribbon and found several poems written by Ren in a language I couldn’t read. Rolling up the pages and retying them, I decided to try to translate them.
I opened his closet. The last time I was here it had been empty, but now it was full of designer clothes. Most of them had never been worn. I found a blue sweatshirt that was similar to the one he’d worn to the beach. It smelled like him—waterfalls and sandalwood trees. I threw it over my arm.
When I returned to my room, I set the parchment on my desk and climbed into bed. I had just snuggled under my blanket with the stuffed white tiger and the sweatshirt when I heard a knock at my door.
“Can I come in, Kelsey? It’s Kishan.”
“Sure.”
Kishan stuck his head in the door. “I just wanted to say goodnight.”
“Okay, goodnight.”
