The Magic Brocade Bedtime Story

Tonight's storytelling is called 'The Magic Brocade' from the picture book A Tale of China, retold by Aaron Shepherd and used with permission as part of The Gifts of Story Series. In order to save his mother’s life, a young man named Chen must reclaim her exquisite brocade from the fairies of Sun Palace. Chen goes on a challenging journey over a fiery mountain and the icy sea. Even if he succeeds in finding his way to Sun Palace, will the fairies give back the magic brocade? Let’s find out!

Transcript

Tonight,

I will be reading a Chinese tale called The Magic Brocade from the picture book A Tale of China.

This is a retelling by Aaron Shepard.

In order to save his mother's life,

A young man named Chen must reclaim her exquisite brocade from the fairies of Sun Palace.

Chen goes on a challenging journey over a fiery mountain and the icy sea,

But even if he succeeds in finding his way to Sun Palace,

Will the fairies give back the magic brocade?

Well,

Let's find out together.

And so,

As always my friend,

Settling comfortably under the covers,

Take a full,

Comfortable breath,

And as you exhale,

Relax and let go.

Allow any tension to just melt away,

Letting your body sink deeper and deeper down into the softness of your bed.

There is nothing else to do,

And nowhere else to be,

So just lay back,

Relax,

And enjoy the story.

Once in China,

There lived an old widow and her son Chen.

The widow was known all over for the brocade that she made on her loom,

Weaving threads of silver,

Gold,

And colored silk into her cloth.

She made pictures of flowers,

Birds,

And animals,

So real they seemed almost alive.

People said there were no brocades finer than the ones the widow wove.

One day,

The widow took a pile of brocades to the marketplace where she quickly sold them.

Then she went about buying her household needs.

All at once she stopped.

Oh my!

Her eye had been caught by a beautiful painted scroll that hung in one of the stalls.

It showed a marvelous palace,

All red and yellow,

And blue and green,

Reaching delicately to the sky.

All around were fantastic gardens,

And walking through them,

The loveliest maidens.

Do you like it?

Asked the stallkeeper.

It's a painting of Sun Palace.

They say it lies far to the east and is the home of many fairy ladies.

It's wonderful,

Said the widow with a shiver and a sigh.

It makes me want to be there.

Though it cost most of her money,

The widow could not resist buying the scroll.

When she got back to her cottage,

She showed it to her son.

Look,

Chen,

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

How I would love to live in that palace,

Or at least visit it.

Chen looked at her thoughtfully,

Mother,

Why don't you weave the picture as a brocade?

That would be almost like being there.

Why Chen,

What a marvelous idea!

I'll start at once.

She set up her loom and began to weave.

She worked for hours,

Then days,

Then weeks,

Barely stopping to eat or sleep.

Her eyes grew bloodshot and her fingers raw.

Mother,

Said Chen anxiously,

Shouldn't you get more rest?

Oh,

Chen,

It's so hard to stop.

While I weave,

I feel like I'm there at Sun Palace and I don't want to come away.

Because the widow no longer wove brocades to sell,

Chen cut firewood and sold that instead.

Months went by,

While inch by inch the pattern appeared on the loom.

One day,

Chen came in to find the loom empty and the widow sobbing.

What's wrong,

Mother?

He asked in alarm.

She looked at him tearfully.

I finished it.

The brocade was laid out on the floor,

And there it all was,

The palace reaching to the sky,

The beautiful gardens,

The lovely fairy ladies.

It looks so real,

Said Chen in amazement.

I feel like I could step into it.

Just then,

A sudden wind whipped through the cottage.

It lifted the brocade,

Blew it out of the window,

And carried it through the air.

The widow and her son rushed outside,

Only to watch the brocade disappear into the east.

It's gone,

Cried the widow,

And she fainted away.

Chen carried her to her bed and sat beside her for many hours.

At last her eyes opened.

Chen,

She said weakly,

You must find the brocade and bring it back.

I cannot live without it.

Don't worry,

Mother,

I'll go at once.

Chen gathered a few things and started to the east.

He walked for hours,

Then days,

Then weeks,

But there was no sign of the brocade.

One day Chen came upon a lonely hut.

Sitting by the door was an old leather-skinned woman smoking a pipe.

A horse was grazing nearby.

Hello,

Dearie,

Said the woman.

What brings you so far from home?

I'm looking for my mother's brocade.

The wind carried it to the east.

Ah,

Yes,

Said the woman,

The brocade of Sun Palace.

Well,

That wind was sent by the fairy-ladies of the palace itself.

They're using the brocade as a pattern for their weaving.

But my mother will die without it.

Well then,

You had best get it back,

But you won't get to Sun Palace by foot,

So you'd better ride my horse.

It will show you the way.

Thank you,

Said Chen.

Oh,

Don't thank me yet,

Dearie.

Between here and there,

You must pass through the flames of Fiery Mountain.

If you make a single sound of complaint,

You'll be burnt to ashes.

After that,

You must cross the icy sea.

The smallest word of discontent,

And you'll be frozen solid.

Do you still want to go?

I must get back my mother's brocade.

Good boy.

Take the horse and go.

Chen climbed on,

And the horse broke into a gallop.

For long,

They came to a mountain all on fire.

Without missing a step,

The horse started up the slope,

Leaping through the flames.

Chen felt the fire singe his skin,

But he bit his lip and made not a sound.

At last,

They came down the other side.

When they left the flames behind,

Chen was surprised to find that his burns were gone.

A little later,

They came to a sea filled with great chunks of ice.

Without pausing a moment,

The horse began leaping from one ice floe to another.

Waves showered them with icy spray so that Chen was soaked and shivering,

But he held his tongue and said not a word.

Finally,

They reached the far shore.

At once,

Chen felt himself dry and warm.

It wasn't long then till they came to Sun Palace.

It looked just like his mother's brocade.

He rode to the entrance,

Sprang from the horse,

And hurried into a huge hall.

Sitting there at looms were dozens of fairy ladies who turned to stare at him,

Then whispered to each other excitedly.

On each loom was a copy of his mother's brocade,

And the brocade itself hung in the center of the room.

A lady near the door rose from her loom to meet him.

My name is Lien,

And I welcome you,

You are the first mortal ever to reach our palace.

What good fortune brings you here?

The fairy was so beautiful that for a moment Chen could only stare.

Lien gazed shyly downward.

Dear lady,

I have come for my mother's brocade.

Also you are the widow's son.

How we admire that brocade.

None of us have been able to match it.

We wish to keep it here till we can.

But I must bring it home,

Or my mother will die.

Lien looked alarmed,

And a flurry of whispers arose in the room.

She stepped away to speak softly with several others,

Then returned to Chen.

We surely must not let that happen to her.

Only let us keep the brocade for the rest of the day so we can try to finish our own.

Tomorrow you may take it back with you.

Thank you dear lady,

Said Chen.

The fairies worked busily to finish their brocades.

Chen sat near Lien at her loom.

As she wove,

He told her about his life in the human world,

And she told him about hers at Sun Palace.

Many smiles and glances passed between them.

When darkness fell,

The fairies worked on by the light of a magic pearl.

At last,

Chen's eyes would stay open no longer,

And he drifted to sleep on his chair.

One by one the fairies finished,

Or left off,

And went out of the hall.

Lien was the last one there,

And it was almost dawn when she was done.

She cut her brocade from the loom and held it beside the widows.

She sighed,

Mine is good,

But the widows is still better.

If only she could come and teach us herself.

Then Lien had an idea.

With needle and thread,

She embroidered a small image onto the widows' brocade,

An image of herself on the pallesteps.

She softly set a spell.

Then she left the hall,

With a last long smiling gaze at Chen.

When Chen woke up,

The sun was just rising.

He looked around the hall for Lien,

But saw no one.

Though he longed to find her to say goodbye,

He told himself,

I must not waste a moment.

He rolled up his mother's brocade,

Rushed from the hall,

And jumped onto the horse.

He raced across the icy sea and over the fiery mountain.

When he reached the old woman's hut,

She was standing there waiting for him.

Hurry,

Chen,

Your mother is dying.

Put on these shoes,

Or you'll never get there in time.

Chen put them on.

One step,

Two,

Three,

Then he was racing over the countryside faster than he could believe possible.

In no time,

He was home.

He rushed into the cottage and found the widow in bed,

Pale and quiet.

Mother.

Her eyes opened slowly.

Chen.

Mother,

I brought it.

He unrolled the cloth onto the bed.

My brocade.

The widow raised herself to look.

Color came back to her face,

And she seemed already stronger.

Chen,

I need more light.

Let's take it outside.

He helped her out of the cottage and placed the brocade on a rock.

But just then a sudden wind came and the brocade rose slowly in the air.

It stretched as it rose,

Growing larger and larger,

Till it filled their view completely.

The palace was as large as Chen himself had seen it,

And standing on the steps was the fairy lady Lien.

Lien was beckoning with her hand.

Quickly,

She called,

While the wind still blows,

Step into the brocade.

For a moment,

Chen was too astounded to move.

Then he took hold of his mother's arm,

And together they stepped forward.

There was a shimmering,

And there they stood before Sun Palace.

Lien rushed up to them,

And the other fairies gathered around.

She said to the widow,

Welcome,

Honored one.

If it pleases you,

We wish you to live with us and teach us the secrets of your craft.

Nothing could please me more,

Cried the widow.

But,

Chen,

Is it alright with you?

Chen looked in Lien's eyes and smiled.

Yes,

Mother,

It's just fine with me.

So the widow became teacher to the fairies,

And Chen became husband to Lien.

And people say there are no brocades finer than the ones they weave at Sun Palace.

As you,

The listener,

Can let this story slowly fade away,

As you become even more relaxed than when you first started to listen.

Sleepier,

Drowsier,

Calmer,

And more relaxed.

And you can now easily drift into a sound and restful sleep.

And you sleep all through the night in a sound,

Undisturbed,

Restful sleep.

Your breathing is calm.

Your body is soft and relaxed.

Your thoughts slow down and become still.

You drift and float,

Float and drift,

Dropping down into a sound and restful sleep.

You…

Reviews

Beautiful story. I have to listen again. I went to sleep. Thank you

That was very moving. Thankyou. It added to the enjoyment of my afternoon walk in the country side.😘 🐨🍃🐱😺Léna.

O my! You have such an angelic voice! And what a beautiful story!

Very very beautiful. Intriguing. Will listen to many times more

I thoroughly enjoyed the story thank you soo much 🌹🙏🏻

Oh your voice is like a voice if a fairy 🧚‍♂️ so beautiful story
Merci!