The Crystal Chinese Music Box

Short Story

In the teak room there was one shelf that was made of glass and on it stood a Chinese music box. And there were four small ornately figures each one looked the same: a stylized representation of the Empress of the Middle Kingdom. The Empress was of course impeccably behaved at all times.

The music box was lavishly decorated in the Ming style with woven dragons and curls of waves that seemed frozen in an instant of time. And on the crest of the music box, there was a symbol: “四” and there were four small drawers for the figurines. Each one was made of purple velvet and the velvet was original, not redone.

From below the young child BaiBo looked up above her just barely reaching the music box if she truly tried. But she remembered how her Ma told her not to play with something so delicate as the music box because it was the most valuable thing that they owned. Her mother often went off by herself mumbling in Chinese what a bad little girl she had.

She did not know what the symbol was, but she knew it was Chinese and that eventually, Ma would teach her how to read characters. But most of the time she did not want to touch the music box or the small figurines, but just stared at them in their graceful finery.

One day there was a hurricane, and school was canceled, and everybody had to stay inside. BaiBo decided that she wanted to play with everything and so she began removing the figurines and then the music box. She knew it was naughty, but she could not help herself for the glistening symbol just called to her.

One by one she removed each of the figurines and then girded herself to the music box. But it was difficult because she was quite short, and the glass was extremely slippery. But actually, she saw a teak footstool and maneuvered under the class shelf and thereby was able to grab the music box.

But as she came down, she slipped and fell. The music box skitters out of her grasp and fell on the rug. The music box was not broken, at least not very much so, but one of the dragons was out of place. The entire music box was akimbo and there were a few dents in its form.

From the kitchen, her mother heard the crash and immediately went up the back stairs and across the hall and looked into the study room - because that is what it was, meant for Ba to review his papers. BaiBo was allowed to enter this place but only with her mother’s say-so.

“What did I tell you about playing with the music box?”

“That I shouldn’t do that.”

“And do you remember why?”

“Because it is the most valuable thing we have.”

“Don’t you realize that I don’t say something unless it is truly important?”

“Yes, Ma.”

“Have I told you this before?”

“Many times, Ma.”

“You need to be as well-behaved as the Empress of the Middle Kingdom. Isn’t that so?”

“Yes, Ma.”

“You do realize that I’m going to punish you now.”

BaiBo thought that she was going to receive a spanking, and probably on her most sensitive part. But instead, Ma reached over and picked up the music box and hit BaiBo over the head causing her daughter to scream.

Then her Ma slid the figurines back into the drawers of the Crystal Chinese music box.

From that forward for about a year, BaiBo was an exquisitely behaved young girl obeying her mother at every turn. But BaiBo towards the end of a year, she began to make mischief and her mother thought that perhaps something needed to be done.

So Ma took the figurines out of the Crystal Music Box.

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In the teak room there was one shelf that was made of glass and on it stood a Chinese music box. And there were four small ornately figures each one looked the same: a stylized representation of the Empress of the Middle Kingdom. The Empress was of course impeccably behaved at all times.

The music box was lavishly decorated in the Ming style with woven dragons and curls of waves that seemed frozen in an instant of time. And on the crest of the music box, there was a symbol: “五” and outside there were five small figurines all of the Empress of the Middle Kingdom.