By: Carla M. Pacis
 The gong clanged and Becky's heart with it. The New Year parade had started! Becky ran with her bright blue carp to her place right behind the Imperial Dragon. Next year, her whu su master at the Diamond Whu Su Club promised, she would be a lion dancer too -- even if she was a girl. She just had to grow a little taller. "It is very seldom that girls are picked to be lion dancers," Master Ching reminded her. "But you are not only strong but agile too."
One of his year's new dancers was Nathan Ong, Becky's fiercest rival. Becky knew she could do a better job than Nathan but he had the height needed to keep the lion's body up.
Becky didn't really mind. Nathan was her best friend. Even before Nathan was chosen, they practiced the lion dances everyday after school, each one pretending to hold the lion's head or being the tail. They began with just being able to walk or run in tandem. As the days passed, they moved on to the more complicated steps like the two-legged dance.
Finally, the day of the New Year parade had arrived. Becky stood with the rest of the members of the Diamond Whu Su Club in the plaza listening to Master Ching's last minute instruction. She was one of the many colorful carp that would follow the glittering Imperial Dragon in its chase for the beautiful but elusive pearl. Nathan stood beside her holding his lion's body in his hands. Jackson Ng, the club's whu su champion was to be the lion head. They had the most beautiful lion costume that had been specially made in Taiwan. Its furry head shone gold in the sun and the pupils of its large black eyes bounced on tiny springs. Its white whiskers framed a large mouth that opened to a sun design. Its body was covered with silk scales in several shades of gold and yellow.
At the sound of the gong, the dragon began to chase the elusive pearl followed by several carp, a phoenix, two monks and a troupe of lions, the golden lion in the lead. In between were the drummers who banged different beats on their large drums. Up and down the streets of Binondo dashed the dragon and it retinue, its passage marked by bursts of firecracker.
 Becky often looked back to see how her friend Nathan was faring. She saw the golden lion shake its head at the delighted crowd and blink its large eyes at the children. At a cue from the drums, it stood on its back legs, together with all the other lions, in mock fury and jumped around. Suddenly, just in front of the hopia store, the golden lion lurched and stumbled, its shiny red nose topped with two gold balls, hitting the ground. It was so unexpected that the lion behind, the one with the multi-colored scales tripped over the golden lion. The neon green lion bumped into the multi-colored lion and the red velvet lion over the neon green one. Mayhem ensued as the onlookers rushed to help the fallen lions. Becky ran to join the melee. She wanted to see if Nathan was alright. She arrived in time to see him stand up from under the mess but Jackson remained on the pavement, holding his knee and grimacing in pain. Jackson's knee had finally gave in. Master Ching had warned him during practice that since he had sprained his knee while executing a particularly difficult maneuver, he should let it rest and heal itself. Jackson shrugged the advice aside and continued to practice behind Master Ching's back.
Becky helped Nathan drag the heavy lion costume to the sidewalk. They both sat down and watched as the other lions dusted the dirt from their lion costumes and proceeded to join the parade that had temporarily stopped due to the mishap. Becky turned to Nathan and said, "I don't think Jackson will be able to continue. What if you be the head and I the body?" Nathan immediately jumped up and said, "Yes, lets! You know all the steps anyway!" Nathan donned the golden lion head and Becky slipped under the silk scales. She bent down and held on to Nathan's waist and looked down at her black kung-fu shoes. She began to count, "One, two, one two..." The golden lion ran easily through the crowd flapping its ears until it found its place behind the Imperial Dragon. It stood on its haunches and shook its golden tail. The crowd cheered and clapped loudly. It did the two-legged hop and pirouetted several times. The crowd shouted in glee. "Get ready to eat!" a voice beside them said. Through the lion's teeth, Nathan saw a monk lay down a large bowl of cabbage. "Ready Becky?" he whispered. "Ready," answered Becky. The crowd watched as the golden lion took several heads of cabbage in its mouth and shook its head in triumph. It then tossed the cabbages at the unsuspecting crowd. They laughed in delight. It did this several times before romping off to the next corner. "Ready for the stairs?" asked the monk. "Ready Becky?" "Ready."
 The golden lion turned around the stairs several times as the crowd shouted, "Climb up! Climb up!" Nathan took a deep breath and put one foot on the step, then the other. "Go on," urged Becky. Nathan took the next steps while Becky climbed the lower steps. Up and up they went, both concentrating on their steps. Finally, Nathan shouted, We're on top!" "Bow to the crowd," instructed Becky. The golden lion bobbed its head to the left and to the right and fluttered its eyelashes as it acknowledged the cheers of the crowd. Then it began its descent down. All the other lions stood around the stairs waiting for the golden lion to come down. When it reached the ground, they stood on their haunches and shook their large heads. Then they all turned to join the Imperial Dragon in its chase for the beautiful but elusive pearl.
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