"Hahaha, not so fast now!" Grandpa Bing Bing laughed as the roots began to snare Che Ju's ankles in serpentine swirls.
Ah Won gave a fierce cry and dove at the roots, pulling at them to free her friend, but the roots only wrapped tighter around Che Ju. Some of them began to ensnare her hands, and soon, Ah Won too found herself bound in Grandpa Bing Bing's roots.
"Help, Yong Tae! We're stuck!" Ah Won cried out.
Yong Tae saw the danger his friends were in, and a complete calm settled over him. Time seemed to slow, and his vision sharpened. He would save his friends, he had no doubt.
Quickly, Yong Tae dropped to his knee and hefted a small stone. Moving toward Grandpa Bing Bing, he let the stone fly from his hand. It found its mark, landing with a solid Thud against Grandpa Bing Bing's forehead.
"Ya!" Grandpa Bing Bing shouted, "You hit me!"
A thin line of blood ran down his head into his eyes and he stumbled back, pulling one had from the dirt to cover his wound. Many of the tangling roots left Che Ju, and Ah Won was freed.
Yong Tae launched another stone, this one missed, but a third followed and struck Grandpa Bing Bing in the shoulder. Grandpa Bing Bing pulled his other hand from the ground, freeing Che Ju, and turned his attention to Yong Tae.
Yong Tae threw another volley of stones, three quickly, one after the other, but this time, Grandpa Bing Bing was ready. His skin hardened into thick bark, and his fingers and toes became gnarled wooden claws. The stones bounced harmless and landed at his feet.
His laugh was the sound of splintering wood. "Foolish boy! I will hang you from my trees by for ankles for that!"
As Grandpa Bing Bing strode toward Yong Tae, he grew taller and taller and waved his twiggy claws in slashing strokes. Yong Tae's heartbeat remained steady and his mind clear, no fear clouded his thoughts. Just as before, he was certain of what he needed to do.
"Ah Won! Che Ju!" Yong Tae called to his friends. "Split up!"
"We can't...the trees are blocking the path!" Ah Won said. "I can't find a way through!"
"My trees won't let you go! You try to steal my bamboo...throw stones at your elder! You three should be punished!"
"And they will be..." a voice came from behind Che Ju, "but not by you."
Che Ju recognized the voice even before his Sah Boo appeared along the path. "Yoo Sang!"
A gentle breeze parted the branches, and the village elder stepped through the trees that had blocked Che Ju's escape. Dressed in his morning robes, he placed a hand on Che Ju's shoulder. In the chill morning air, his hand felt warm.
"You three go ahead." Yoo Sang addressed the children, but his eyes did not leave Grandpa Bing Bing. "Complete the task you set out upon this morning. Come to my Do Jang when you have finished."
"Yes, Sah Boo Nim!" The three friends answered in unison, and with parting glares at Grandpa Bing Bing made their way down the path to gather the silver bamboo.
With one eye on the slowly rising sun and the other on the trail before them, the three friends made their way to Dae NaMu Grove. Che Ju led them to the silver bamboo. Yong Tae pulled a few long blades from the base of the plant and turned his gaze to the top of East Mountain. The sun had all but risen. Only the very top of the mountain still cut an arc into the bottom of the sun.
"Ten years of good luck!"Yong Tae called to his friends.
They smiled, and he was happy to be with them. In the back of his mind he still worried about their meeting with Yoo Sang.
What kind of trouble had they gotten into and what had happened with Grandpa Bing Bing?
Yong Tae decided to let it go for now and enjoy the moment with his friends.
As they returned to the path, the top of East Mountain shifted smoothly, and a dragon stretched silver wings, rose up, and flew away into a fully risen sun.
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