The Adventures of Stagger Li

Chapter Eight

The Island of Metaphorical Encounter and Hellish Nursery Rhymes

Obeying the notes from the beyond, the one came and the other stayed.

Following the dream she had that night, Viola took a flight from Denver to L.A. where she was
met by a pleasant Hmong woman of strong build (just as she had appeared in the dream).

Viola and Nu Pao took two more flights on increasingly smaller planes, then a private boat that
brought Viola to the Island of Metaphorical Encounter and Hellish Nursery Rhymes.

After a relaxed evening in a thatched hut on an isolated beach with food and initial instructions
from Nu Pao, Viola awoke to the dawn sounds of the island creatures and the susurrations of the
lapping tide. She went outside and wandered the beach.

Just as the sun was two fingers above the horizon, Nu Pao appeared and led Viola through the
island interior to its opposite shore.

On the way they passed along the perimeter of the Metaphorical Encounter training grounds. She
noticed an identifying sign posted in front of each training challenge (and they were definitely
challenges, she thought, wondering how she would fare in resolving each situation).

Each had its own ambiance. Shouts of laughter and waves of fierce exuberance poured from
Knick Knack Paddy Whack. Quiet flexion appeared to be the order of the day at Jack Be Nimble,
while total chaos reigned at Humpty Dumpty with a lone warrior in the midst of a swirling mass
of men and horses.

She noticed that Nu Pao was leading her toward a large building that blended into the island
ecosphere with its design and its decor.