Mateo hummed as he switched on the oven. At the counter, he decorated little face-shaped cookies with red frosting, adding a mouth here, two eyes there, and a nose somewhere in between. Fifty-two unmade cookies smiled up at him.
"There! All done," he said cheerfully to himself, smiling. "Now all I have to do is wait for the oven."
He wiped his hands on a cloth and cleaned up his cooking utensils before sitting down at the dining room table. He slid into an old wicker chair, the wood groaning under his weight. It was so old, he hoped it didn't break.
"Now, let's see," he murmured to himself, spreading a pile of papers around him at the table. "I don't think I started grading sixth period's papers yet... have I? --No, I haven't. Hmm, who do I start with…?"
He pulled one of the many papers close and bent over it. His hand absently reached out for a pen amongst his mess. Once he found one, he popped off the cap and started to edit the essay. Fairly quickly, the white page was peppered with red writing, and just as quickly he moved on to another paper after stamping a grade score at the top of the page.
When he was halfway through the second student's paper, the oven timer dinged, sounding its readiness. Mateo paused in his work to head back into the cramped kitchen and pop in his cookies.
He open the over door and stepped back as heat rushed over his body. He waited a moment before grabbing his cookies on the baking sheet and carefully sliding them onto the first rack. Once in place, he snapped close the oven door.
"Ten minutes should do it," he thought aloud, setting up the oven timer. "I hope it doesn't burn."
"Papa?"
Mateo paused, looking behind him at the little girl who had called him. "Yes, sweetheart?"
The little girl switched her gaze toward the oven door and the prize inside. "Are you making cookies?"
Mateo smiled, turning towards his daughter. "Yes I am." He ran his hand through her short brown hair affectionately. "But you can't touch it, all right? I just put them in."
He gently titled her head back with a small push of his hand.
"All right, Miyabi?" he repeated.
The little girl nodded quickly, crooning, "Ye-es!"
Mateo chuckled and ruffled Miyabi's hair as he walked past her back to the table. Behind him, Miyabi followed, her short legs shuffling together quickly in order to keep up with his long strides.
She sat in another rickety and loud chair at the table and watched Mateo bend over more papers. She did this often, especially whenever she couldn't sleep. She would sit by her father at the table and watch him work. Mateo often tried to coax her back into bed on those days, but Miyabi never complied.
Her gaze dropped to a paper that her father had yet to touch. She tried to read what was on the paper, but she didn't understand what it meant.
A little hand landed on Mateo's arm, shaking it. Mateo lifted his gaze from the paper he was grading and looked at his daughter questioningly. "What do you need, sweetheart?" he asked kindly, sitting up a little.
Miyabi waved one of the papers inquisitively at Mateo. "What is this, Papa?"
Mateo carefully took the paper from her little fingers. "It's a student's homework, sweetheart. Be careful with it, now. I have to give them back."
"No, that's not what I mean!" A little wrinkle formed on Miyabi's brow. "What I mean-- what I mean, is-- What's it about? What's a- a- a zo- zodierk?"
Mateo chuckled. "Zodiac?" he asked, smiling. When Miyabi nodded, he said, "It's like a calendar." He paused, thinking over his answer. "Like the seasons? Spring, Summer, Fall... A zodiac is like a calendar, but instead of seasons, symbols are used, like animals. Doggies, kitties, fish and birds represent the different months in the year."
Miyabi wrinkled her nose. "So Mr. Fish in Papa's room is a month?" she frowned.
"Uh..." Mateo shook his head, smiling awkwardly. "Not exactly, sweetheart. Mr. Fish isn't a month, it's just that a fish can represent a month." He broke off to rethink that; that didn't sound right. "Well, let's say this: have you learned about the Chinese zodiac in school yet?"
Miyabi pursed her lips, thinking really hard. "No, I don't think so."
"Well then, there's a story that goes along with the Chinese zodiac. It's a story that is passed to every family member, every person in China; this story tells them what year they're living in." He paused to see if Miyabi had any questions before continuing. "Now, a long, long time ago, as the story goes, there was an emperor: the Jade Emperor of the Heavens, who ruled over all of China. He was an old emperor, but always jolly, always loving, especially to animals.
"On his birthday, he wanted to share his celebration with everyone, so he invited all the people of China. He also invited thirteen special animals that he believed were necessary for his party. Of these thirteen animals was a mouse, a buffalo, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a goat, a monkey, a rooster, a dog, a pig and a cat.
"To these thirteen special animals, the emperor declared a little race to see which animal could make it to his party first. If all the animals would agree, the emperor said, then he would grant the winner of the race a special prize once they reached his palace. All the animals agreed to this race, so off they went, searching for the quickest way to the emperor's palace."
Mateo noted his daughter's wide eyes as she gave him her full attention. Grinning at her expression, he continued. "The animals raced and raced, some of them helping each other out along the way. The mouse and the cat, best of friends, stuck by each other's side all along the way until they came to a wide river.
"Now, neither the cat nor the mouse would swim very well, so they were stuck! They had to wait until the buffalo came by and asked for a ride off his back. The buffalo agreed and swam across the river with the mouse and cat on his back.
"As the buffalo swam, the cat said to the mouse, 'I wonder what the emperor will give us when we win the race.'
"The mouse, of course, didn't know the answer to that, but he was very curious. 'I wonder,' he said, 'if he will grant us any wish we have.'
"'I don't know,' said the cat, looking worriedly at the river surrounding him. 'I just hope I don't fall into this river before we make it to the other side. I would love to know what he will give us. I hope we can share it together.'
"The mouse agreed, but in his head, he knew that the emperor would not give a prize to all of them; it wasn't possible. So, as he rode atop the buffalo, he made up a plan, so that he would be the winner. He may have loved the cat, but he wanted the emperor's prize more than anything.
"When the buffalo made it to the other side of the river, the mouse pushed the cat off the buffalo's back, making him fall into the river. The cat splashed in the water as it carried him off downstream.
"The mouse, ignoring the cat's troubles, jumped off the buffalo's back, landing on the ground on the other side of the river, and ran all the way to the emperor's palace, leaving both the buffalo and cat behind him." Mateo tried not to frown openly as he noticed Miyabi's expression start to depress.
"The mouse, of course," he continued, "was the first to arrive at the palace. As his prize, the emperor allowed him to represent the first year in the zodiac, making him the most important of all the thirteen animals. After the mouse came the buffalo, then the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and then the pig. Each of them got their place in the zodiac and together represented a full cycle.
"The cat, who was neglected and forgotten, was never added in the cycle, never given a part in the zodiac. He couldn't join the other animals and be granted a place amongst them. Sad, the cat left the party without even explaining himself to the emperor, and hated the mouse for betraying him. He never spoke to the mouse again.
"…And that's how the Chinese zodiac came to be. The twelve animals that made it to the emperor's party now represent a full cycle of years, each animal ruling over their year."
Mateo cut off as he studied his daughter's teary face. Alarmed, he leaned forward, cupping her cheek and using his thumb to wipe her face.
"Miyabi? What's the matter?"
Miyabi sniffled. "The cat's all alone!" she cried. "The mouse didn't want him anymore!"
Mateo smiled inwardly at his daughter's kind heart. "Oh, honey, it's just a story." He didn't know a simple fairy tale would affect her this much. "You don't have to cry."
He was about to draw his daughter out of her seat and hug her when the oven beeped, signaling the end of the timer. Quickly standing up, Mateo walked over to the oven and turned off the timer, opening the oven door at the same time. A wave of heat him again, and when he stepped back this time, a crooked smile crossed his lips for a moment as he took in the sight of his creation.
Carefully, he pulled the tray out with mitts, and set it atop the counter. He nudged the oven door close with his hip before looking over his shoulder to his daughter who was still sniffling at the table. A sympathetic crease formed on Mateo's brow.
"Miyabi," he called to her softly, walking over to her. He knelt before her chair and cupped her cheek again. "Miyabi, it's all right. There are happy endings to everything, you know."
Miyabi sniffled loudly. "How? The cat got left out of the party," she cried.
"Because," Mateo said, smiling gently, "even though the cat didn't get to be with his friends at the party, and even though the mouse had treated him badly, the cat didn't let himself get too sad. He moved on without the other animals, raised little kittens, and lived happily on his own, with other cats who loved him."
Miyabi rubbed at the snot trailing from her nose. "Just like Papa?"
Mateo froze, caught off guard. "W-what do you mean, sweetheart?" he asked carefully.
Miyabi looked Mateo in the eyes. "Like Papa and Mama. Mama is living in another man's house, instead of with us, with me and Papa. Mama doesn't come by anymore, and Papa doesn't go see her."
Mateo forced a smile. "Y-Yes, sweetheart. Papa is like the cat in the story; he had to leave so that he could take care of his little girl whom he loves very much." He cleared his throat and stood up, running his hand through Miyabi's hair again. "Come on, I have something to show you."
Miyabi sniffled again but latched onto her father's hand and followed him into the kitchen. She waited as he went to the counter and scraped at the cookies on the tray.
Mateo picked up two cookies and set them on a plate before handing it to Miyabi. Miyabi looked down at the plate and the cookies.
"Papa?" she said, looking up at him. "They're cats!"
Mateo smiled warmly at his daughter. "Yes, they are. One for you, one for me." He picked up the baking sheet and tilted it for his daughter to see the other cookies. "See? All the animals in the story."
"But why did you make animal cookies?"
Mateo put down the baking sheet and picked up one of the cat cookies on the plate. "Because," he said, "we're talking about zodiacs and different fairy tales at school." He knelt down before his daughter and wiggled the cookie in his hand. "Also, I wanted to make special kitty cookies for me and my favorite daughter."
A cheery smile brightened Miyabi's face; her tears were dry on her face. "Papa! I'm your only daughter!"
Mateo chuckled and nodded. "That's right, you are, sweetheart. My one and only kitten; and don't you forget that. Our little fairy tale has a happy ending."
"There! All done," he said cheerfully to himself, smiling. "Now all I have to do is wait for the oven."
He wiped his hands on a cloth and cleaned up his cooking utensils before sitting down at the dining room table. He slid into an old wicker chair, the wood groaning under his weight. It was so old, he hoped it didn't break.
"Now, let's see," he murmured to himself, spreading a pile of papers around him at the table. "I don't think I started grading sixth period's papers yet... have I? --No, I haven't. Hmm, who do I start with…?"
He pulled one of the many papers close and bent over it. His hand absently reached out for a pen amongst his mess. Once he found one, he popped off the cap and started to edit the essay. Fairly quickly, the white page was peppered with red writing, and just as quickly he moved on to another paper after stamping a grade score at the top of the page.
When he was halfway through the second student's paper, the oven timer dinged, sounding its readiness. Mateo paused in his work to head back into the cramped kitchen and pop in his cookies.
He open the over door and stepped back as heat rushed over his body. He waited a moment before grabbing his cookies on the baking sheet and carefully sliding them onto the first rack. Once in place, he snapped close the oven door.
"Ten minutes should do it," he thought aloud, setting up the oven timer. "I hope it doesn't burn."
"Papa?"
Mateo paused, looking behind him at the little girl who had called him. "Yes, sweetheart?"
The little girl switched her gaze toward the oven door and the prize inside. "Are you making cookies?"
Mateo smiled, turning towards his daughter. "Yes I am." He ran his hand through her short brown hair affectionately. "But you can't touch it, all right? I just put them in."
He gently titled her head back with a small push of his hand.
"All right, Miyabi?" he repeated.
The little girl nodded quickly, crooning, "Ye-es!"
Mateo chuckled and ruffled Miyabi's hair as he walked past her back to the table. Behind him, Miyabi followed, her short legs shuffling together quickly in order to keep up with his long strides.
She sat in another rickety and loud chair at the table and watched Mateo bend over more papers. She did this often, especially whenever she couldn't sleep. She would sit by her father at the table and watch him work. Mateo often tried to coax her back into bed on those days, but Miyabi never complied.
Her gaze dropped to a paper that her father had yet to touch. She tried to read what was on the paper, but she didn't understand what it meant.
A little hand landed on Mateo's arm, shaking it. Mateo lifted his gaze from the paper he was grading and looked at his daughter questioningly. "What do you need, sweetheart?" he asked kindly, sitting up a little.
Miyabi waved one of the papers inquisitively at Mateo. "What is this, Papa?"
Mateo carefully took the paper from her little fingers. "It's a student's homework, sweetheart. Be careful with it, now. I have to give them back."
"No, that's not what I mean!" A little wrinkle formed on Miyabi's brow. "What I mean-- what I mean, is-- What's it about? What's a- a- a zo- zodierk?"
Mateo chuckled. "Zodiac?" he asked, smiling. When Miyabi nodded, he said, "It's like a calendar." He paused, thinking over his answer. "Like the seasons? Spring, Summer, Fall... A zodiac is like a calendar, but instead of seasons, symbols are used, like animals. Doggies, kitties, fish and birds represent the different months in the year."
Miyabi wrinkled her nose. "So Mr. Fish in Papa's room is a month?" she frowned.
"Uh..." Mateo shook his head, smiling awkwardly. "Not exactly, sweetheart. Mr. Fish isn't a month, it's just that a fish can represent a month." He broke off to rethink that; that didn't sound right. "Well, let's say this: have you learned about the Chinese zodiac in school yet?"
Miyabi pursed her lips, thinking really hard. "No, I don't think so."
"Well then, there's a story that goes along with the Chinese zodiac. It's a story that is passed to every family member, every person in China; this story tells them what year they're living in." He paused to see if Miyabi had any questions before continuing. "Now, a long, long time ago, as the story goes, there was an emperor: the Jade Emperor of the Heavens, who ruled over all of China. He was an old emperor, but always jolly, always loving, especially to animals.
"On his birthday, he wanted to share his celebration with everyone, so he invited all the people of China. He also invited thirteen special animals that he believed were necessary for his party. Of these thirteen animals was a mouse, a buffalo, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a goat, a monkey, a rooster, a dog, a pig and a cat.
"To these thirteen special animals, the emperor declared a little race to see which animal could make it to his party first. If all the animals would agree, the emperor said, then he would grant the winner of the race a special prize once they reached his palace. All the animals agreed to this race, so off they went, searching for the quickest way to the emperor's palace."
Mateo noted his daughter's wide eyes as she gave him her full attention. Grinning at her expression, he continued. "The animals raced and raced, some of them helping each other out along the way. The mouse and the cat, best of friends, stuck by each other's side all along the way until they came to a wide river.
"Now, neither the cat nor the mouse would swim very well, so they were stuck! They had to wait until the buffalo came by and asked for a ride off his back. The buffalo agreed and swam across the river with the mouse and cat on his back.
"As the buffalo swam, the cat said to the mouse, 'I wonder what the emperor will give us when we win the race.'
"The mouse, of course, didn't know the answer to that, but he was very curious. 'I wonder,' he said, 'if he will grant us any wish we have.'
"'I don't know,' said the cat, looking worriedly at the river surrounding him. 'I just hope I don't fall into this river before we make it to the other side. I would love to know what he will give us. I hope we can share it together.'
"The mouse agreed, but in his head, he knew that the emperor would not give a prize to all of them; it wasn't possible. So, as he rode atop the buffalo, he made up a plan, so that he would be the winner. He may have loved the cat, but he wanted the emperor's prize more than anything.
"When the buffalo made it to the other side of the river, the mouse pushed the cat off the buffalo's back, making him fall into the river. The cat splashed in the water as it carried him off downstream.
"The mouse, ignoring the cat's troubles, jumped off the buffalo's back, landing on the ground on the other side of the river, and ran all the way to the emperor's palace, leaving both the buffalo and cat behind him." Mateo tried not to frown openly as he noticed Miyabi's expression start to depress.
"The mouse, of course," he continued, "was the first to arrive at the palace. As his prize, the emperor allowed him to represent the first year in the zodiac, making him the most important of all the thirteen animals. After the mouse came the buffalo, then the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and then the pig. Each of them got their place in the zodiac and together represented a full cycle.
"The cat, who was neglected and forgotten, was never added in the cycle, never given a part in the zodiac. He couldn't join the other animals and be granted a place amongst them. Sad, the cat left the party without even explaining himself to the emperor, and hated the mouse for betraying him. He never spoke to the mouse again.
"…And that's how the Chinese zodiac came to be. The twelve animals that made it to the emperor's party now represent a full cycle of years, each animal ruling over their year."
Mateo cut off as he studied his daughter's teary face. Alarmed, he leaned forward, cupping her cheek and using his thumb to wipe her face.
"Miyabi? What's the matter?"
Miyabi sniffled. "The cat's all alone!" she cried. "The mouse didn't want him anymore!"
Mateo smiled inwardly at his daughter's kind heart. "Oh, honey, it's just a story." He didn't know a simple fairy tale would affect her this much. "You don't have to cry."
He was about to draw his daughter out of her seat and hug her when the oven beeped, signaling the end of the timer. Quickly standing up, Mateo walked over to the oven and turned off the timer, opening the oven door at the same time. A wave of heat him again, and when he stepped back this time, a crooked smile crossed his lips for a moment as he took in the sight of his creation.
Carefully, he pulled the tray out with mitts, and set it atop the counter. He nudged the oven door close with his hip before looking over his shoulder to his daughter who was still sniffling at the table. A sympathetic crease formed on Mateo's brow.
"Miyabi," he called to her softly, walking over to her. He knelt before her chair and cupped her cheek again. "Miyabi, it's all right. There are happy endings to everything, you know."
Miyabi sniffled loudly. "How? The cat got left out of the party," she cried.
"Because," Mateo said, smiling gently, "even though the cat didn't get to be with his friends at the party, and even though the mouse had treated him badly, the cat didn't let himself get too sad. He moved on without the other animals, raised little kittens, and lived happily on his own, with other cats who loved him."
Miyabi rubbed at the snot trailing from her nose. "Just like Papa?"
Mateo froze, caught off guard. "W-what do you mean, sweetheart?" he asked carefully.
Miyabi looked Mateo in the eyes. "Like Papa and Mama. Mama is living in another man's house, instead of with us, with me and Papa. Mama doesn't come by anymore, and Papa doesn't go see her."
Mateo forced a smile. "Y-Yes, sweetheart. Papa is like the cat in the story; he had to leave so that he could take care of his little girl whom he loves very much." He cleared his throat and stood up, running his hand through Miyabi's hair again. "Come on, I have something to show you."
Miyabi sniffled again but latched onto her father's hand and followed him into the kitchen. She waited as he went to the counter and scraped at the cookies on the tray.
Mateo picked up two cookies and set them on a plate before handing it to Miyabi. Miyabi looked down at the plate and the cookies.
"Papa?" she said, looking up at him. "They're cats!"
Mateo smiled warmly at his daughter. "Yes, they are. One for you, one for me." He picked up the baking sheet and tilted it for his daughter to see the other cookies. "See? All the animals in the story."
"But why did you make animal cookies?"
Mateo put down the baking sheet and picked up one of the cat cookies on the plate. "Because," he said, "we're talking about zodiacs and different fairy tales at school." He knelt down before his daughter and wiggled the cookie in his hand. "Also, I wanted to make special kitty cookies for me and my favorite daughter."
A cheery smile brightened Miyabi's face; her tears were dry on her face. "Papa! I'm your only daughter!"
Mateo chuckled and nodded. "That's right, you are, sweetheart. My one and only kitten; and don't you forget that. Our little fairy tale has a happy ending."
originally created and finished 26 September 2006
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