She stood in the cave entrance, the last rays of the setting sun illuminating only half her face. The light showed the dark circles under her eyes, her sun-tanned skin, and the tearstains, white trails in the dust that covered her cheeks. The rest of her was hidden in shadow.

She had been crying for her fish, her poor dead fish. For years he had been her only friend, the only creature in the world who had cared about her. She had met him years ago at the pond where she went to do the laundry. He had popped his head out of the water, golden eyes shining as brightly as his blue-green scales. He had spoken to her, offering to help her with the laundry in return for some of her rice. She had agreed, because one did not refuse a talking fish. As the years went by she had gotten to know him better and they had become close friends. But earlier that day Stepmother had found out about him and been very angry. She had tricked the poor fish and caught it. Then she and Stepsister had eaten it for dinner. They had given Li Mei the bones, which she had placed by her bed. She had helped the other two get ready for the festival and stood outside to watch them leave. That was when she had started crying.

From inside the cave a voice called, 'Li Mei? Is that you?'�

'Yes, it's me,'� she said, her voice tired.

'Come over here,'� called the voice. 'I have a surprise for you.'�

Cautiously she entered the cave and went to the place where she slept. She gasped. Her fish's bones, which had been on the floor by her mat, were gone.

'Where are you?'� she asked.

'Right here,'� said a tall man, stepping out of the shadows. He sounded just like her fish! His eyes were the same golden color too. He held out a blue-green bundle.
'Put this on,'� he said. 'Then I will help you with your hair and face.'�

She took the bundle from him but did not open it. She was still confused.

'What is this?'� she asked. 'Why do I need this? And who are you?'�

'You're going to the festival, naturally,'� said the man. 'Now put it on. We don't have much time.'�

'But'�who are you?'� repeated Li Mei. There was something familiar about him but she couldn't figure it out. Where had she seen him before?

He smiled sadly. 'Don't you recognize me, Li Mei? I am your fish, from the pond. I've come to help you, Li Mei. I owe you a favor. You were so kind to me all these years. Helping you with your laundry wasn't enough. I cannot rest in peace until I have fulfilled one of your greatest dreams. That is why you are going to the festival. Now hurry!'�

Half an hour later she looked in the mirror and could not believe what she saw. For once she did not see a small girl with dark skin and dirty clothes, her large unbound feet bare and caked with mud from around the pond. For once she did not see sadness and fear in the big brown eyes that stared back at her. For once the pale pink lips of the girl before her did not quiver as if the girl were holding back tears. For once her hair was not a tangled mess, tied back as best it could be with a dirty piece of cloth. This girl could not be here, Li Mei, daughter of the dead chief, stepdaughter to his second wife.

This girl, in her aquamarine gown and golden slippers, with her dark hair half up in a knot on her head and the other half hanging down her back, was beautiful. Her skin was pale and smooth with powder; her cheeks were rosy. Her lips curved in a smile. Her eyes were shining with delight and anticipation. The girl in the mirror did not look strong enough to do all the chores Li Mei did. She was tall and slim, her gown accenting her curves beautifully. Her feet were dainty. The golden slippers shone even in the dim light of the cave, like the scales on a fish. This was not Li Mei, slave to her stepmother. This was not the Li Mei who scrubbed out the cave each day and washed the clothes and chopped the firewood in the morning and carried it up the ladder to their cave in the evening. This girl was the daughter of a chief, dead or not. This girl was admired and loved by others. This girl was sure to find a husband at the Festival.

She smiled at the reflection and the reflection smiled back. She said a silent prayer to the spirit of her fish, who had mysteriously disappeared. She would never be able to repay him. She took off the golden slippers and carried them down the ladder to the ground. Then she put them back on her feet and headed toward the lights of the festival.

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