Heavenly Creatures

The next day, the old man came right on time—after I had finished cleaning and praying.

“Do I have to do this every day?” I asked.

“No,” the old man said, surprising me. “I think you know how to keep your own apartment clean now. Do as you see fit.”

“O-kay,” I said, puzzled. “Didn’t you say before—?”

“That was before,” the old man said. “A test to see if you were sincere enough to teach. But a true teacher will never demand subservience. And so, I leave your cleaning up to you. However, I still insist that you pray every day, as well as take daily walks. Exercise of the mind, heart, and body—good health—are important to aid realization.”

He suddenly took a huge wooden board out of his robes, as well as two pouches: one white and one black. I giggled. The old man’s robes reminded me of Mary Poppin’s bag, and I wondered what other items were hidden in there.

“This is a game called go, baduk in Korean,” he said. Then he surprised me again by putting it back inside his robes. “Let’s play outside. It’s wonderful weather, and I know just the place.”

The walk seemed to last the perfect amount of time, and it wound through some beautiful scenery. A white crane stood in the river beside us, watching us carefully. We arrived at what appeared to be a wooden hut without walls. It had four pillars upholding a roof similar to the ones at the Buddhist temple, with a wooden platform beneath.

The old man set up the board, the stones, and two taupe cushions facing across the board. He sat cross-legged on one cushion and gestured for me to sit on the other.

“You play black,” the old man said, laying out nine black stones at the star points on the board. “Black goes first.” He explained to me the rules of the game, and that the object of the game was to gain more territory.

“Isn’t it a bit unfair for me to start with so many black stones on the board?” I asked.

“Fair and unfair are sometimes relative,” the old man said. “And I think you will agree, once we play, that this is fair.”

His confidence that he would win irked me, and I paid careful attention to the board, already intent on the day I would be able to beat him. I hoped that it wouldn’t take too long.