Mutated Tao

“Where are we going?”

Li Huowang walked down an illuminated corridor, his hands handcuffed as a nurse escorted him. They were following behind Yi Donglai.

“Somewhere nice. You will know when you see it,” Yi Donglai said without turning around.

Li Huowang had been in the hospital for quite some time and his hair had grown to the point where it almost covered his eyes. Through his bangs, Li Huowang stared at the back of Yi Donglai’s head. I wonder what Siming he is. He should be a Siming, right? Why isn’t he helping me escape if he’s on my side?

They reached their destination while Li Huowang continued making assumptions.

The nurse stood guard at the entrance while Li Huowang followed Yi Donglai into the room.

It was a simple room with several stools, a table of sand, and several cupboards filled with random knickknacks.

“Wait, a sand table?”

Li Huowang looked at the square table. Blue boards surrounded the edge of the tables while yellow sand filled the top.

There were miniature humans, animals, trees, flowers, grass, cars, boats, flying objects, stones, and monsters. Li Huowang had a sudden realization.

“Oh. I understand now. You want me to make a miniature scene? I will have to place those objects in the sand table as a way to express my inner world?”

“Oh, so you know about it? In that case, there’s no need to explain. You can start when you are ready.” Yi Donglai took out a key and unlocked Li Huowang’s handcuffs.

Li Huowang rubbed his wrists and frowned. “You trust me that much? Aren’t you afraid that I will go crazy and kill you?”

“Li Huowang, you still have the time to joke with me? You don’t seem desperate enough. Did you know that your mom cried for a very long time yesterday when she called me?”

Yi Donglai sat on the opposite side of the sand table after he saw Li Huowang’s bitter face. Li Huowang was also clenching his fist in pain.

“You are already a regular here. I won’t explain much to you either. If you want to get discharged quicker, you have to follow the treatment plan. There’s no other way here.”

Yi Donglai tapped the edge of the table with his pen and placed a small human figurine in the center of the sand table.

“Imagine that this is you. What would you do next? Don’t think too deeply and just follow your heart.”

Li Huowang looked at the figurine with a complicated look on his face. He stood silently as he contemplated before he approached the cupboards. He returned with an armful of figurines and models.

Li Huowang picked up the human figurine in the middle of the sand table and contemplated a little before placing it back. He then started placing different models and figurines onto the sand table.

Yi Donglai frowned as Li Huowang placed more and more figurines onto the sand table. What is he thinking? Why is his mental image so weird? He placed several figurines next to each other… But why are they planted upside down into the sand?

Li Huowang stopped. Yi Donglai stared at the sand table and was unsure of what to say.

Li Huowang had used the monster figurines the most, but they weren’t standing on their legs. Instead, they were either planted upside down or clumped together in a group. Li Huowang also dug a large pit in the sand.

“These things… Are they related to you?” Yi Donglai pointed at the human figurines at the edge of the pits.

Li Huowang shook his head and said nothing.

Yi Donglai stared at Li Huowang before he extended his right arm and grabbed the little figurine that represented Li Huowang. He then hovered the figurine at the top of the monsters before making a gesture of tossing the human figurine into the pit that was being observed by the monsters.

Yi Donglai observed Li Huowang’s face cautiously as he did that. He wanted to detect any changes in Li Huowang’s expression.

He did the same gesture a few times before he noticed that Li Huowang was staring at him with a weirded-out gaze. “Are you alright? I’ve already set it up. I want to go back if there’s nothing else to do.”

“Wait, don’t be hasty. We are just getting started.” Yi Donglai placed the figurine representing Li Huowang into Li Huowang’s hands before taking out all of the figurines in the miniature scene. He then reset the sand table. “Come, continue. I want to see what else you will make.”

Li Huowang sighed and did it again.

The miniature scene remained largely unchanged, except for one difference—the figurine representing Li Huowang was now positioned closer to one of the upside-down monsters.

“If…” Yi Donglai pushed the Li Huowang figurine forward until it touched the monster. “What about this? Is it better?”

“It's better if you say that it's better. Do we need to continue?”

“Yes.” Yi Donglai said, placing the figurine back into Li Huowang’s palms.

Li Huowang soon finished the third miniature scene. This time, the little figurine was buried in the sand with two monsters at the side.

Yi Donglai somehow understood something and started taking notes. “Don’t look at me. Continue. Don’t stop until I tell you to.”

Li Huowang continued to place the figurines. The little Li Huowang figurine was sometimes in the pit and sometimes at the edge, but the two monsters continued to be by his side.

On the twelfth iteration, the figurine was placed on the head of the monsters.

“Continue, don’t stop.” Yi Donglai placed the figurine back in Li Huowang’s hands.

This time, Li Huowang placed the figurine on the board at the edge of the table as he stared at Yi Donglai.

Yi Donglai asked, “What is the meaning of this?”

“It means that I’ve had enough!” Li Huowang punched the sand table, and the monsters were sent flying. Even the little plastic figurine of himself fell to the ground.

“Yi Donglai, do you think it's fun to play with me? You only need the patient to arrange the miniscape once if you want to learn of their inner heart!”

“The rules are dead. We are alive. Everyone has a different method in doing this.”

Li Huowang endured his frustration and started arranging the miniature scene again.

“Since you’re already frustrated, we can stop here for today. Go back now. It should be time for your meal too.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang stood up and approached the door.

He came to a halt at the doorway. “Yi Donglai, I will go along with your treatment plan, but I have one condition. If my mother calls you again, just tell her that my treatment is progressing smoothly and that I will be discharged soon.”