'Allah has spoken?' Abdul's words burst out.
'I guess you could put it that way.'
Ernie described the experience of the previous night.
'But how will I tell Eddie?' he said, when he had finished. 'He already thinks I'm a bit batty on account of all the dreams I had about this!'
'I think you must not ask him, but go straight away to Thailand,' answered Uncle Abdul abruptly. 'Consider that perhaps the state of the galaxy is of more importance than your brother's opinion of you.'
'B-but how can I just go there from here?'
'Is the crystal with you?'
'Yes,' Ernie replied.
'And your passport, and return ticket?'
'Yes, but not a lot of money. At least none of my own.'
'I will forward you the cash you need to get there,' said Abdul. 'I have a company account I can withdraw from in town. There is a small airport, and a plane leaves this afternoon on a weekly flight to Cairo.'
'I'll make sure I pay you back.'
'No. It's a privilege to serve Allah in the fight for the galaxy,' said Abdul emphatically.
So it was decided.
They arrived in town. Abdul found the ATM machine and withdrew some cash. Then, they went to the airline office and bought a ticket for that afternoon's flight. There was still time left, so they did the usual items of business, such as checking the email at the cyber-cafe.
There was one from Pop:
Your mother is doing poorly. She suffered a stroke last night and is in a coma in intensive care. Say a prayer for her if you will.
Abdul first reacted with dismay, but that suddenly changed to elation.
'This is a gift from Allah!' he said.
'How?'
'I take this to Edward, and explain that you have gone to visit your mother. You must visit her, of course, but after that, make haste to go to Bangkok.'
So it was that Ernie, his head still spinning, set off for Ireland.
From Dublin, he immediately got on a short flight to Belfast. There, he took a taxi to the hospital down town, but not before purchasing a ticket to Bangkok for a flight leaving the next day.
His father met him in the waiting room and told him how things stood.
'They let family members in one at a time,' he said. 'You can see her for five minutes. She's in a coma so she is, but they say people in a coma can hear what we say.'
As Ernie put down his shoulder bag, he suddenly heard a hum. It was coming from the crystal.
Instinctively, he reached in, took the crystal and put it discreetly in his pocket.
Then they took him to the door and he went in.
Before him was his mother on a respirator, with tubes going in and out of her.
He walked up and took her hand.
'Hello, mum,' he began.
Then the hum of the crystal in his pocket distracted him.
With his other hand, he took the crystal and placed it on his forehead.
Suddenly he could see, not only his mother, but also the molecules, the atoms, and the sub-atomic particles that she was made of.
* * *
One major difference between this planet and others he remembered was that the sub-atomic structure here was off. Something in the history of this planet had affected everything in a negative way. Things continued to exist and to live, but only as though limping along.
The zoetrons were all out of kilter in mum's atomic structure, just as they were in all other matter on this planet. But if they could be made to act normal -- even if just for a short while -- that would serve to pull everything else back into their proper pattern.
Phondesh placed both hands forward and exerted mu-force. The crystal stayed where it was on his forehead. Immediately the zoetrons began to behave themselves. To keep them that way long enough to pull mum back into a normal state, he had to create a zeta field. It would dissolve in a matter of minutes, of course, but that would be long enough to complete the healing process.
Just as the zeta field was in place, he felt the crystal begin to slip. He caught it as it fell.
He was about to turn around to leave when mum said, 'Oh Ernie, the shooting star -- you found it.'
'Yes, indeed,' he said, as he displayed it briefly, and then put it in his pocket. 'It's time for me to go now, mum. You'd better get some sleep.'
He bent over and kissed her.
'Thank you, Ernie.'
By evening, mum was in a regular room sitting up in bed chatting with the family, acting like nothing was wrong with her. The doctors were amazed at her speedy recovery, but insisted on examining her some more.
The next day, Ernie was on his way to Thailand.
Chapter 10
To: Sam
From: Ernie
Subject: Re: How's Egypt
Sam wrote:
> Hey man! Good to hear from you.
> How's Abdul doing? Tell him we
> remember him...
>
Ernie replied:
> Will do. He's still spry as ever,
> though he's 60++ now. His business
> does very well.
>
Sam wrote:
> ...and say 'hello' to that old
> earth-digging mummy-rousing Eddie
> dude.
>
> I was just down to California to
> visit my folks. We had a birthday
> party for my mum in the rest home. I
> think I told you, she has Alzheimer's.
> ...
>
Ernie replied:
> Speaking of mothers, mine has just had
> a stroke. It looks like I'll be
> popping off again, first to see her,
> and then for some urgent business in
> Thailand. Speaking of which, I'm not
> sure if I have Boz's email. Do you
> have it?
>
Sam replied:
> Thailand? Cool! Boz is
> Remember to email me when you get there
> and tell me what it's like. Tell Boz
> hello for me.
>
Ernie wrote:
Well, here I am, in good old steamy and
seamy Bangkok. You wouldn't recognise the
place at all. I did, only because I was
here a few years ago, and even then, the
skytrain construction has changed the
looks of a lot of places.
I went by the old Salem Hostel on Soi
Pikun. The big two story house that you
all stayed in is still there...
Behind Chulalongkorn University, there is a street called Henri Dunant. In Thai, the name comes out, 'Angri Dunang'. Someone opened a restaurant there, sort of on the edge of Siam Square, and aptly called it, 'The Hungry Donut'. It featured tarts, meat pies, curry puffs, cream buns, sausage rolls, bagels, and donuts of the home made variety, along with coffees of every blend and ilk. Ernie had discovered it on his back packing excursions, and it quickly became a favourite.
Now, he was back. He wasn't over his jet lag yet; in Dublin it was still three a.m. The ultimate cure was several cups of the strongest espresso that could be had, downed with curry puffs and sausage rolls. That, and the pleasant setting of the Hungry Donut made being awake more attractive than sleep.
He had done a minimum of sightseeing the day before, but now something told him he didn't have time to throw away. He would soon have to start using his Zondon senses and find Zhondri.
How does one go about using Zondon senses when ones crystal won't co-operate? It seemed to have a mind of its own, turning on just whenever it chose to. The colours had said the crystal wasn't his to use at his own whim.
When it did turn on at Ernie's prompting, it was usually to look at the stars at night or something related to boosting his inner strength, but rarely just to satisfy his idle curiosity. It seemed to know the di
fference.
One thing he did while using the crystal was, remember. The more he did, the more the bits of his Zondon history became part his human memory.
He could remember Zhondri. The visual memory, of course, would be of no use now, unless she had a face like a grasshopper. There were other things, though, that radiated from within, a pleasantness, an open heart. Perhaps he could recognise her by those?
Not that this made his task any easier. What was he supposed to do, meet personally with every female foreigner in Bangkok? He needed a starting point -- an inspiration.
Ernie downed the last few drops of espresso from his cup and leaned back resting the back of his head in his hands. His mind wandered to the stars as he saw them with the crystal. He could, even now, almost feel the effects of the star that radiated parental love. Just thinking about it began to settle his mind. He went over all the stars, one-by-one.
Finally, there was the star that was always prompting him to do something about the evil. Restlessness began to stir inside him. Even now it seemed to be reminding him that all the while he was flopping about the town like a decadent fool, he was on an urgent mission. He began to imagine the stars disappearing one by one as though the dark hand were snuffing them out.
Before he knew it, he was signalling for the waitress to bring the bill.
It was only when he was already half way through the network of one-way lanes criss-crossing Siam Square that he began asking himself why he had to leave the coffee shop in such a hurry.
Instinctively, he was moving towards the bus stand on the opposite side of Siam Square, on Phya Thai road. Several bus lines passed that way and he could get one that took him close to his guest house.
He got to the bus stand but kept on walking. He just didn't feel like going back to the guest house just now.
Now, he was by the university. He knew the campus well since the days his father lectured there.
Chulalongkorn University enjoys an expansive campus, situated on both sides of Phya Thai road. On Ernie's left, stretching all the way to Henri Dunant Street, were the more showy parts, including the auditorium, where concerts were often held, as well as some of the faculty buildings. On the right were more faculty buildings, the admin building, some of the dormitories and the library. Ernie crossed the road and went towards that.
Students were milling about near the dormitories; some walking from one class to another, and a few were going in and out of the library.
Ernie went up the steps to the main entrance. On one side of the foyer was a coffee stand selling Nescafe and various sweets and biscuits to go with it. Ernie had just had his fill, so he went on to the entrance of the reading area.
For outsiders it cost 20 Baht to get in. He got his money ready as he waited in line.
The woman in front of him produced a card as she approached and routinely showed it to the lady behind the disk.
'Is Khun Lec in yet?' she asked in a clear Asian accent, though definitely not Thai.
'No, she not in,' came the answer, in a halting Thai accent.
'But she should be in today, am I correct?'
'Yes, she come, but not here yet.'
'Could you please tell her, when she comes, that May Lin is here?'
Ernie caught the name Tan May Lin on her library card just as she said it. As she walked towards the lounge area, Ernie looked at her, almost forgetting to give the lady his 20 Baht note.
Why was his attention so taken up with that woman? He hadn't even seen her face yet.
The girl gave him an entry slip, and he went into the reading area. He began to linger near the periodical section where May Lin was now seated with the current edition of Far Eastern Economic Review.
Was this his Zondon sense at work? Was this Zhondri?
He got a closer look at her. She had a squarish, pleasant face, and her hair was permed into ringlets. She was just a bit plump, but pretty.
She looked up suddenly and caught him staring.
'Oh! I'm sorry,' said Erni, hurriedly. 'I'm trying to figure out if I've met you before somewhere,' he said.
That was the truth, wasn't it?
'I don't think so,' she replied thoughtfully. 'Have you ever been in Malaysia?'
'Actually, I have, long ago when I was young. I attended a boarding school in Penang, right by the sea, near Hillside. My dad was working in Bali at the time.'
'Oh, did you really? I used to live in Tanjong Bunga, not far from there!'
That got them started. Ernie took a seat near her, and they began talking about what they remembered of one another's worlds.
May Lin was from a family of Straits Chinese. These were Chinese who had been on the West coast of Malaysia, primarily in Malacca, Singapore and Penang, since the time of the Portuguese. Many had Portuguese blood mixed in, and their food was a blend of Chinese, Malay and Portuguese influence.
May Lin's family had a corner restaurant that sold pao (steamed rolls) and strong coffee in the mornings, and char kwei tiew and mee goring (two types of fried noodles), and other dishes from noon 'til evening. They still had the restaurant, but her sister had branched out and started up in a brand new shopping centre near Fettus Park road. Hers was a more modern restaurant, specialising in Straits Chinese cuisine.
May Lin had majored in history, and was now teaching History of Ancient Civilisation at Chulalongkorn University. She was intrigued that Ernie had studied Archaeology.
At one point in the conversation, Ernie decided to show off his fluency in the Penang vernacular dialect: 'Ah, yes, Penang a nice place lah!'
This drew a peal of pleasant laughter.
Ernie remembered char kwei tiew and mee goring from his school days in Penang. He even thought he had been to that very shop.
'I might have actually seen you there,' he said. 'I suppose I should have introduced myself, but I was a bit of a shy one, I was. But now that I think of it, maybe it did look like you.'
'Or my twin sister, maybe la,' said May Lin, obviously comfortable enough with Ernie to use her native dialect. 'My sister, Sue Ling and I are identical. Even our parents mix us up. She spent more time in the shop than I did.'
'Twins!' said Ernie. 'I'm an identical twin too!'
May Lin remarked on the coincidence, while Ernie felt like this was something much more.
'May Lin, does the name "Zhondri" mean anything to you?'
Slowly, she said, 'Yes la -- it does.'
Then, suddenly, as though remembering, she said, 'Oh! You must be a friend of the old doctor, ah?'
'What doctor?'
'Doctor Nicolai Stanovitch. I thought I saw you somewhere!'
Ernie was confused.
'I don't think I know this doctor. How do I remind you of him?'
'He keeps saying the word, "Zhondri" to me. It's strange, you know. I think maybe psychic one, ah? I seem to know that word from before that. He says we meet in a previous life.'
'Who is this doctor anyway?'
'Oh, he knows some of the board members at this university. I think he's trying to gain my affection, but he's way too old for me la. He's supposed to meet me here with Acharn Lec.'
Ernie decided to take another stab.
'Does the name "Phondesh" mean anything?'
'Why, yes it does. I don't remember where, though. Ah! Here they are! I'll introduce you.
Approaching them were a young smartly dressed Thai lady and an old but well built European man, with a square shaped burn scar on his bald forehead, who looked as though he could pass for a military trainer. Ernie's first impression was, this was someone he'd rather not tangle with if he got up his wrong side.
'Dr. Stanovitch,' May Lin began, now in proper English that sounded almost British by comparison, 'Meet Ernie Magawan.'
'Very pleased to meet you, I'm sure,' said the doctor, in a heavy Slavic accent.
'I think you two may have a lot in common,' May Lin went on.
'Well then, we must do lunch sometime.' He h
anded Ernie his business card. 'Give me a call. I'm staying at the Dusit Thani Hotel, room 733.'
Then, he turned to the others. 'Shall we?'
'Let me get my things, and I join you two in the car, okay?' said Acharn Lec.
'Call me tomorrow, Mr. Magawan,' said the doctor, in a tone that made Ernie think of Jedi mind tricks from Star Wars.
Whatever it was, it had an unnerving effect on Ernie. The very atmosphere around the giant Russian was oppressive. Ernie took his leave and -- lest May Lin think he only came into the library to see her -- walked towards the nearest bookcase where he pretended to browse the titles while the doctor and May Lin decided to wait there for Acharn Lec.
He had no idea what the titles were, as they were in Thai. However, he had to hold his pose while he waited for them to go. He picked up a book that was lying on its side and began leafing through it.
Suddenly, there was that feeling again. He looked up abruptly, and there was Dr. Stanovitch, looking straight at him as the three walked to the library entrance.
'Tomorrow, Mr. Magawan,' he said forcefully. Then his eyes looked at the book in Ernie's hand, and his mouth broke into a smirk.
They were gone.
Ernie closed the book and noticed the cover. Under the large Thai letters was the title in English, A Case Book of Women's Internal Ailments. Ernie had been holding it in such way that anyone could see what he was reading, as Russian doctor obviously had. A total stranger could have concluded that Ernie was interested in such a field of medicine, had he not been holding the book upside down.
Chapter 11
Ernie had found this guesthouse during his backpacking trip. He had done some business at the Irish consulate, which in those days was in the most unlikely of places, right in middle of Yawarat, the 'China Town' of Bangkok. He had asked the lady there to recommend a cheap hotel or guest house, and she had directed him to this one, right on the Chao Praya river. It immediately became his favourite. At high tide the waves from passing boats would lap over the veranda floor of the downstairs restaurant.
Nobody minds a bit of water in a hot climate. In the evenings it was the place to sit and watch the long lines of rice barges float slowly by.
Now, Ernie was sitting downstairs in the restaurant with a dish of fried rice and a bowl of tom yam seafood soup, one of his favourites. Normally, he would be dining with gusto, but he was still unnerved by the Russian doctor.
Obviously, May Lin was Zhondri, but how did Dr. Stanovitch know about her? Was he a Zondon? Then why was there such a sinister aura about him?
May Lin seemed a pleasant good-natured young lady -- attractive, even. Nice face, slightly plump but that didn't detract from her over all beauty. It's no wonder the Russian doctor was attracted to her. Russians prefer a bit of fat on the bone.