McGraw©Hill/

Focus/

The Flying Machine p.49/

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R7N5/

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In the year A.D. 400, the Emperor Yuan held his throne bythe Great Wall of China, and the land was green with rain,readying itself toward the harvest, at peace, the people in hisdominion neither too happy nor too sad.

Early on the morning of the first day of the first week ofthe second month of the new year, the Emperor Yuan was sippingtea and fanning himselg against a warm breeze when a servant ranacross the scarlet and blue garden tiles, calling, "Oh, Emperor,Emperor, a miracle!"

"Yes," said the Emperor, "the air is sweet this morning."

"No, no, a miracle!" said the servant, bowing quickly.

"And this tea is good in my mouth; surely that is amiracle."

"No, no, Your Excellency."

"Let me guess then©the sun has risen and a knew day is uponus. Or the sea is blue. �Thatœ now is the finest of allmiracles."

"Excellency, a man is flying!"

"What?" The Emperor stopped his fan.

"I saw him in the air, a man flying with wings. I heard avoice call out of the sky, and when I looked up, there he was, adragon in the heavens with a man in its mouth, a dragon of paperand bamboo, colored like the sun and grass."

"It is early," said the Emperor, "and you have just wakenedfrom a dream."

"It is early, but I have seen what I have seen! Come, andyou will see it too."