Noah

Noah Hong-Lum Cheung.

A noise by the stream

It was the early days of Communist China. Traveling by foot to another village had to be applied for and approved. Neighbors watched over each other both for protection and to notify the government of Counter Revolutionary behavior, food was scarce, (religion, traditional cultural activities, and any counter revolutionary behavior was forbidden, including gatheriong in groups of three or more. Leaving was also forbidden.

One night as villagers slept people heard screaming. Loud riotous sound coming from the direction of the stream as if there were hundreds of people or hundreds of somethings, wreaking havoc. The voices were angry, distraught and continuous for a period of time and then would suddenly stop.

The next morning rumors began to spread about the noise as everyone had heard it. What was it. People had thought there might be a riot or who knows starting, but then nothing happened, only noise.

"Ghosts calling out", came the answer, and soon that rumor spread. In the old days that would be a very reasonable answer, when people believed in such things and were allowed to believe in such things. This was an unlucky omen and would have to be dealt with by Excorcism, perhaps by lion dance and offerings, Taosit priest, Buddhist monk, or simply regular people giving offerings to the gods.

But this was the time of Mao. No ancestors or gods were in peopel's houses, only pictures of the Chairman, and believeing in anything like ghosts could get you reeducted or perhaps between to death by the neighbors whther they believed in such a thing or not. But clearly there was a noise. What was the noise.
Maybe there were ghosts, would that mean that... they old ways weren't wrong?
Would the people start questioning communist power? The local officials were getting nervous with what they thought people might start thinking.
This nonsense had to be stopped, because it wasn't stopping by itself.

Finally one night they caught a coupld of men walking late into the village a while after the noises were heard. They had come into the village from the direction of the sounds of crowds of people.
"Ha! Trying to start an uprising? Confess your crimes and your punishment will be more lenient!"
They were heavily beaten, the blows releasing frustration of a situation beyond modern understanding into these human sacrifices. They were jailed for torture until they explained how they started these events and watched carefully as they were clearly threats to the country and to the party, Capatilist roaders wishing China to revert to its dark abnd corrupted past.

But then that night, the loud racous was heard yet again. After it continued on for about an hour, the two men were released. Clearly the noise was created by something else.
This went on for quite some time. Rumors of the two men being beaten spread and people made sure to stay in their respective homes and not mention anything about the noise. Just ignore it and never takl about it. In fact deny hearimg it and scold others for spreading false rumors. Throw in a few words, like Capitalist roader or something and show that you are the real Communist and that you are perfectly happy and have never heard any noise whatsoever.

Some did this planning to stay. Others did this, planning to eventually escape down to Hong Kong.

Eventually the noise did stop. Mao also eventually died. People are allowed to travel more freely nowdays and reforms have taken place, under the same one Party rule.

Traditional and Foward thinking knowledge are both accepted and encouraged under supervision of the Party and the State. A better explanation for the noise has never been found or really sought after much. In an interesting twist of events, the most powerful country in the world, came to owe this previously dirt poor country a great deal of money and still begs it for money to this day.

Crazy Bull steals a bike

The Japanese occupied China and the regularly shot the Chinese for any reason. They used chinese for manual labor regularly pretty much like dogs. China the country was weak and the people, disorganized and without proper weaponry to really push the Japanese out easilt.
It was this time period that Crazy Bull lived.
Crazy Bull was born a fearless and naturally strong beast of a man. He caught poisonous snakes grabbing them as if they weren't even snakes, never hesitating. His face blank and with little emotion or reaction. His Kung fu was half and half but
he made up for that in strength and ferocity. When he fought with a stick using the basic moves he had he would growl like some sort of cross between a bear and a wolf swinging the stick so that nobody could get near him. Supernaturally strong and terrifying, what skilled fighter would really want to fight him?
His fearlessness went beyond his power over people, his strength, bravery and even reason.

He was sqatting with one of his friends by the river looking at fish when his mentioned he needed a bike to ride to town but there was no way he could get one.

"Oh you need a bike?" said Crazy Bull. "I know where to get one." and walked away.
He went to where some Japanese were overseeing Chinese workers. They noticed him walking up nonchalantly and with authority.
He walked right over to where the Japanese Soldier was standing next to his bicycle.
The Japanese soldier watched this man calmly walk over and take the bicycle without a word and walk back with it. The Japanese soldier, though it was his bicycle , hesitated but then said nothing, neither did any of the other Japanese. After all, the Soldier who was the owner of the bike said nothing so, uhe must know what's going on. No Chinese would just take a bike or dare even look at a Japanese wrong or he would be instantly shot.
This Chinese must have been told by a higher officer to come over here and get the bike for him. This is what they said within themselves as Crazy bull walked past them with the bicyle as if it was his. He walked all the way back to the village like this, without being bothered.

Crazy Bull lived to around his 60's.
When he died so many people had been amazed by his presence that those in power, now the Communists, did an autopsy and opened him up, finding that his spine was different than a normal person's spine. Thicker and formed in a different shape.

Veronica Peters childhood.

My mother was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first child to father Richard Peters and her mother, whom she was named after, Veronica Peters. When my mother was born they say that her face was so pretty that it looked like a doll. Thus they called her Dolly and the name stayed as a family name throughout her life, her nieces and nephews even calling her Aunt Dolly, though I called her mom of course.
My mother was born and then shortly afterward Grandpap, Richard Peters, went of to Germany to fight in World War II.
Of his experience I only know that he happened to be at the liberating of one of the concentration camps. He saw a man basically starved to death. Feeling compassion fro him he gave him a piece of food to eat. THe man ate it very quickly but was unable to digest it and died pretty much right there. Grandpap only told this story to his wife and it was only long after he was dead that Grand mom happenend to mention the story one night when I was a child, everyone in the room including my mother hearing it for the first time.

My Grandfather returned and then had five more children, my Uncles and Aunts.
Francis, Richard, Kathleen, Tommy, and Charlene.
My mother being the oldest, helped to raise the younger ones. She was also somewhat of a tom boy growing up, climbing trees etc.
She had many bloody fights because of the nature iof the neighborhood she grew up in and in Catrholic school as well. Once after a girl tripped her down the satirs and began betaing her, she was able to end the fight by ramming the other girl's head repeatedly into the concrete, there was quite some blood.
Apparently, such was Catholic school.
My mother's ethnic background consisted of German Irish Polish and some French and English. However she always told people she was German-Irish as that was the acceptable race and Polish people seemed to always be made fun of in thiose days, despite the fact that they may have been more Polish than anything else and her Grandmother used to speak to her in Polish and she remembers understanding as a little girl.

I have a great Aunt Dolores who once , near her ending days, told me some stories about the Polish Catholic traditions they used to have when she was a girl.
Something about having a meet with the fat having a design of a Saint and the Priest travelling door to door to bless it. I forgot for which holiday, but I remember liking that these type of traditions existed on my White side as well as my Chinese side.

My mother grew up was educated as a chemist and went on to Travel the world.