Title: Shoe
Author: kbk
Rating: PG
Fandom: BtVS
Words: 100
Notes: "Hsieh" is, iirc, Chinese for shoe.
Written for this drabble challenge community. Challenge to incorporate some element of myth or legend.

The huge bronze bell rings out, and in the echo Spike hears a whisper: "hsieh." It sends a chill down his spine, fearless as he is, and the inner William perks up, chattering about a cruel Emperor and two failed castings, and if he goes up for a look then there will be dull streaks in the bronze, the daughter's blood...

Spike, of course, has no interest in such things, and has spilled plenty of blood on his own recognisance. He deliberately walks away, back to the house Darla commandeered, and later suggests it's time they get out of China.

A Chinese Legend, the way I remember it - much detail omitted

The Emperor demanded a great bronze bell, beautiful and grand, so the craftsman took the money and worked hard, carving the mould, smelting the bronze, etc. Come casting day, the court stood and watched, but when the mould was broken, the bell broke as well. The craftsman apologised, begged for another chance, more money, and was granted it. He took still more care this time, but the same thing happened. The Emperor told him that he could have one more chance, but if it went wrong this time, he would be beheaded.

The craftsman's only daughter was understandably worried, so she went to a wise old fortune-teller to ask if the bell would be a success. The fortune-teller said that the only way the third casting would succeed would be if the blood of a young girl was mixed in with the bronze.

On the day of the casting, the molten bronze was held in a huge cauldron to be poured into the mould. As the cauldron began to tip, the craftsman's daughter ran out along the balcony, called out, "for you, father!" and dived into the shimmering metal. The servants tried to catch her, but all that was saved was one of her shoes.

The bell came out perfectly, and rang loud and true. But there was a whisper in the echo, and streaks in the metal.

Of course, everyone who had been there was traumatised, and the father certainly never worked again, but, y'know. He didn't get beheaded.