He is over sixty. Old enough where his joints lock and his bones are feeble, yet young enough to keep a clarity about him—a usual mental sharpness. And indeed, the strategist, bedridden he has started to become, can still handle the force at which such a small body would throw itself at his person. Yet it is with a measure of warmth so rarely seen and a brief glance in his son’s direction, does he speak:
“Oh? And does your father normally let you entertain such fantasies?” It is with a practiced ease does Sima Yi quell the overactive squirming and excessive motion of the child—indeed, a father to eleven, some still barely past their youth. “Perhaps if you slow down your grandfather can help you divine these dreams of yours. A wise mind seeks out meaning in every vision.”
“No. He tells me to calm down cuz I get really excited sometimes and don’t breathe.” He explained simply, and once the hug was given, he settled very quickly down into a position that wouldn’t hurt his Grandfather at all. After all, nothing could hurt Grandpa! He was too smart, too quick, too skilled to ever be beaten by anyone! At least... that’s what he believed in his little fantasy. “But he did tell me that I could run off ahead cuz work caught up with him so I’m here and he’s there. He told me also to tell you ‘sorry’ cuz he’s all busy and he didn’t mean to be.” He explained, before clasping his hands together and trying to remember exactly what he said... but instead something completely different that he was saying on the spot. Visions were imagination, right? Well, he could surely imagine.
“So there’s a dragon and a princess and she’s really really pretty, right? And we were all having tea together and then a big storm cloud comes in and goes pshoo pshoo! CRASH! RUMBLE RUMBLE! And there’s lighting everywhere! So we’re all trying to keep dry and you come up all magicstally, and you just push the clouds away and have the dragon come back! And a phoenix comes too and sits on your head and it’s great! Ah! Uncle Shi is there too! The dragon goes to him, and greets him, and Uncle Zhao comes up the mountain too, and we’re all there and having fun... and Cousin Yan greets the dragon next, then we all sit down and have a picnic with the Princess and admire the wide blue sky and the stars for the longest time before we gotta go home. So the dragon goes... ‘So you need a ride, little ones? Well, hop on my back!’ and we go on his back and fly down the mountain! Papa nearly falls off, but you kept him on really well, and we made it down and waved goodbye before going back home! The end.”
