The Circus Master called the children together and told them to run through the town shouting out that the circus had arrived. Gradually the figures emerged, wary, suspicious. They started at the acrobat with blank bewilderment, as if to say, 'what are they doing? what is it for?' The conjurer was greeted with murmurs of 'Demon!' When the trick riders appeared, the audience reached for their young and made as if to take them safely home.


The Circus Master strode to the centre of the square, signaled for the riders to withdraw and raised his voice in an announcement: I bring you now Sun Swallow, who rides the wind, who soars with the birds, who can travell among the spirits of your ancestors!' Still the crowd was silent, but now it was another kind of silence: stunned, watchful. The kite with the Sun Swallow strapped to it was hurried into position. Quickly the circus hands threw the Sun Swallow into the air like the ball tossed to amuse a baby and, like a baby the crowd was suddenly enthralled. They did not grin or break into applause. their faces were serious. As they looked up, dozens of caps fell on the ground, unnoticed. The Circus Master breathed a sigh of relief.


Meanwhile, high in the sky, the turbulence around the Sun Swallow was fearful; a torrent of wind flowed like the river below. The lining of his stomach seemed to him to be screaming, and it was a long time before he realized that the noise came from the bamboo howlers attached to the kite: a desolate ghostly howling, which seemed to echo off the doom of the sky. It was a dismal, mournful, supernatural noise. The people on the ground heard it. They listened, heads up. Hands strayed to the lucky charms aroud their necks .They thought they were hearing the voices of their ancestors. When two hundred feet above them, Sun Swallow was sick, they thought they were seeing their ancestors take on material shape and drop in among them with a splash.
At the end of his flight, although he was nauseous and miserable as the rope-men reeled him in, Sun Swallow saw that something odd was happening far below him. The crowd were all running towards the hill where he was to land, surging around the rope -men and snatching at the rope. Were they angry with him for being sick on their heads? They were all shouting , faces jostling as close as frogspawn, every mouth open. He struggled to separate words from general hubbub as they pressed forward with questions about their ancestors. 'Did you see my mother?' Did Great-grandfather Xian give you a message?'


Finally the spectators caught Sun Swallow out of the air with reverant hands, concieved still further by his white face and stained clothes that he had indeed been among the spirits. They pressed around him in such numbers that none of the circus hands could reach him to cut him free, and he remained spreadeagled on his back, pinned down by the hysterical crowd as they demanded more information. Did Hop Li Yung poisen my chicken? ''Who did Chang want to inherit the business?' Then the Circus Master whip cracked . The people stood stock still, eyes wide, silenced. 'If you would be answered, let Sun Swallow speak!' he declared in the tones of an emperor .
But Sun Swallow did not speak. Sun Swallow had nothing to say.Suddenly a high imperious voice cut through the tense atmosphere. 'The spirit speak a language all of their own! The dialect of Heaven is not the dialect of Earth. My messenger does not speak the tongue of the spirits. But I, Tongue of Fire, will translate for you!' It was Mipeng, Sun Swallow's cousin, speaking from the crest of the hill, her figure a silhouette against the sky. 'Come here, Sun swallow, and tell me what you heared!'
Sun Swallow scrambled free of the kite and up the slope to join her. Panic-Stricken, he stood on tip-toe to whisper in her ear. 'I didn't hear anything!' 'The incestors of this place rejoice in their children, and their children's children!' Mipeng's voice came out so loud that Sun Swallow almost jumped out of his wits. ' but there wasn't anyone there!' he whispered desperately.' They say that a time of great peace is comming... but that there is danger in the river!' Mipeng continued.'i was sick'
'Honor the gods with a thousand lanterns, and do not drink from impure waters!' Mipeng announced, and then concluded, ' These are the words of your ancestors!'The crowd stared. They made kowtow and fell back, overwhelmed and astonished. The acrobats began their tumbling tricks. The musicians began to play. The animal-handlers considered bringing the elephants up from the river bank. But the people were not interested in thrills and marvels.They had just established contact with their ancestors, and it would take more than elephants to budge such a thought from their minds.


'How did you know' cousin?' asked Sun Swallow, as they sat later, pasting paper overs the tears in the kite.'Know what?' 'Know what their ancestors wanted to say. i didn't tell you. I thought you said you waren't a medium. I thought... His cousn looked at him with her head on one side, 'Oh, Sun Swallow! Be glad the gods gave you the gift of clever hands, ' she said, 'because they certainly held back on your brains!'.