“Is very good. Will make you breathe better. Will make cough go away.”
That’s what the large Chinese man who looked like a Sumo Wrestler said to me. His large meaty hands lay firmly on the glass counter next to the bag of medicinal herbs.
The incense that was burning in the shop was only making my cough worse, and I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could.
“Sure, sure. I’ll take it.” I had said, staring at the enormous aquarium that took up almost the entire back wall of the store. It was quite impressive for a shabby herbal shop in Chinatown; the tank was inlaid in the wall, and had enormous goldfish swimming in it. There was something amazingly captivating yet disturbing about these fish. They were huge in size and vibrantly colored in bright orange hues. But their eyes spoke to me in a way I did not want them to.
I walked home thinking about how nice a hot bath would feel. I would make myself a hot tea with the herbs, and have a relaxing soak in the tub.
The tea didn’t smell very good, but I drank it anyway in precise sips, as I felt the tension in my muscles seep out into the water surrounding me. I finished the tea, and let myself slide all the way to the bottom of the tub so that I was completely submerged in water. Miraculously my chest felt looser already, and as I held my breath under water, I had no urge to cough. I opened my eyes under the water and was startled to see someone there. I recognized the face….it was the face of the man at the herbal store. Its funny, but it did not bother me to see him standing above me. My breathing slowed, and I felt the tub grow in size around me. I suddenly felt at peace. The man grabbed me with just one hand and I was thrown into a pail of fresh water.
My eyes can speak now too.
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