The Foo Sheng Key (2013), page 29
“I escaped, they have been trying to kill me ever since.” Jai looked once again at the old man’s faded robes. “Are you a monk, sir?”
The old man’s face wrinkled even further. “Please, call me Lhapsang. I was a monk, many years ago. But the Public Security Bureau destroyed my gompa and I was sent to a work camp along with my brothers.” He took a sip from his butter tea. “Many did not survive. In my case, I did not work fast enough. A guard beat me with a wooden stick. I should have died but it seems the deities had a different plan for me. When I recovered consciousness, I was blind.”
“How have you survived, all this time?”
The old monk shook his head. “Eyes are not the only way to see the world. In my own way I have seen more things and gained more wisdom, since I lost my sight, than I did when I could see.” His hand felt around beside him, it found a small canvass bag. “Are you hungry?”
Jai nodded hopefully. “Yes, anything you can spare.”
“Here try this.” The old monk handed Jai something wrapped in paper.
Jai took it and opened the small parcel. Inside was a round, flat, balep pancake. A vision of breakfast at Yangji Gompa crystallised into his mind, back before this nightmare began. It seemed so long ago. He devoured it gratefully. “How did you make that?”
The old monk laughed. “Can an old man have no secrets. There is a farm down in the valley, they give me shelter whenever I pass by. The farmer’s wife makes them and usually wraps up a few for me to take.”
“Do you live out here in the wild?”
The old monk shook his head. “Even a man on a journey for the deities would not survive out here. I travel the roads with Chuba. There are many small monk communities in these mountains and down on the valley and a few farmers I know. They give me shelter and food until I am ready to move on.” He looked across the fire towards Jai, even though his eyes could not see him.
“How old are you, Jai?”
“I am almost thirteen.”
“This is a dangerous place for a young boy. Where are you going to?”
Jai picked up a stick and poked at the fire. “I am not sure. I had a map to show me the way. I had people to help me. Now they are all gone.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
Jai stared into the flames. It seemed he had brought trouble to everyone who had tried to help him. Suddenly he could see Norbu, shortly after they had escaped from Dorje Gompa. ‘If ever you find yourself alone, the spirits will send helpers to guide you on your way - if your destination is true.’ How would he ever know if his destination was true? He jabbed at the glowing embers with the stick. "I am not even sure where it starts."
"Just the kind of story I like then," Lhapsang said and waited patiently for Jai to begin.
So Jai started where he thought the beginning was, and told it all.
“Life is a strange journey,” the old monk said, when Jai had finished. “We do not know where it will take us. All we have are the choices we make along the way. It can end at any time. Usually we have no choice when that is. But it seems your friend chose his time, and he did it to save you. If that sacrifice is to be worth something, you have to accept it and continue with your life.” Lhapsang ran a hand over his hairless head. “I also have known such sacrifice. You see Chuba over there. I believe he is the reincarnated soul of one of my dead brothers. His name was Chuba. When we were first in the work camp, he took care of me, kept me alive. But eventually the exhaustion, the hunger, and the constant beatings became too much, even for him. One day we were working on a road gang. He suddenly stopped working and stood up, then stepped off the cliff where we were breaking rocks.
He was gone, and I was left to continue the journey. I think I had to lose my sight to realise, we have to keep on moving, keep on learning from everything we encounter. When our own time comes we will know.”
Jai gave a shrug. “But I do not know where I am going. All I can remember is, there is an old dzong somewhere in the mountains, known as the Gateway to Heaven.”
“Antahkarana.” Lhapsang said the word in barely more than a whisper.
“That is it. Do you know it?”
The old man nodded his head. “There was a time when these old legs were much stronger and I travelled much farther than I do now. Many years ago, Antahkarana Dzong was a refuge for monks who had fled their gompas, when Chairman’s Mao’s thugs were ransacking this country. It was a special place and it had its time, but even that came to an end. Soldiers attacked, only a few monks survived, and they were shipped off to the camps.”
“Can you tell me how to get there?”
The old man looked at him. “It is quite a trek, but a young, strong lad should be able to make it. You must follow this path.” He pointed along the track they were sitting beside. “It will take you to the main road that runs through this part of the mountains. Turn to the right and follow the road. Four or five hours walk from there, is a village. A short way beyond the village is a fork in the road. The right fork will take you up to the summit of a mountain pass. At the top is the mountain fort you seek."
Jai stood up. “Thank you, Lhapsang.” He held his hands together and bowed to the old monk.
“Enjoy the journey, my young friend.”
Jai left the old monk sitting by the fire. An hour later the path ended and he emerged on to a broad track. To his left it dropped away steeply, to his right it ran on as far as he could see, climbing high into the mountains. It did not look much of a road but this had to be the one.
The sun was high in the sky and Jai had walked continuously since leaving the old monk. He found a small pool in a hollowed out rock. It was frozen but the ice was thin. He broke it with his fingers and pushed in his face, drinking in large gulps of ice cool water. He pulled his head back gasping for breath and let the water run cooling across his face. He sat back, his head resting against the rock and closed his eyes. It was shaded here from the wind and the sun was warm and soothing against his face.
Something tugged at the daydream that was beginning to take shape in his head. He sat up, unsure at first what had roused him. He looked around but saw nothing. He leaned his head back on the rock. Then he heard it, off in the distance. At first he thought it was the buzz of a helicopter, but then he realised it was something smaller. His heart missed a beat as he recognised the sound. A sound, he realised with a chill, that he had heard the previous afternoon. It was a quad bike, a Devil’s Chariot.
He dived back into the gap in the rocks, hugging in close. He lifted his head cautiously and peered out. He could hear it clearly now, the sound of a motorcycle engine gunning up the incline on the main track. It increased in sound as it crested the hill, then he saw it clearly, as it shot past. It was not a quad bike, it was a normal motorcycle, a large rider at the front, a man, too big for a Chinese and too fair for a Tibetan, and a passenger, clinging to his back. The passenger turned his face towards him and Jai ducked quickly out of sight.
Jai scrambled cautiously out onto the main track as the motorcycle disappeared into the distance. It was moving fast, now just a dot in the haze of the afternoon. He knew that was the way he had to go. He had no choice.
He looked back the way they had come, half expecting a pursuer to come roaring up the hill, but nothing appeared. At the top of the rise someone had built a small cairn, a pile of stones dedicated to the dead. A string of faded prayer flags slapped noisily in the wind. Jai let his gaze wander out across the valley, out to the hazy horizon. Yangji Gompa was out there somewhere. His master had told him that things always looked better looking back. But it was really just an illusion. Jai stood, looking out across the valley and a weary sadness settled across him. He knew, deep inside, the life he had known out there did not exist anymore. His master had taught him about the journey of life. You can never go back, no matter how much you want, no matter how hard you try, you can only go forward.
Jai spent half an hour gathering stones, and then sat, carefully constructing a cairn of his own. He recited a simple mantra his Master had taught him as he worked, visualizing the face of one of his brothers as he placed each stone. As he reached the top of the pile, he caught an image of Lhakpa sitting on Champa’s back, grinning through his big black beard, then slowly allowed it to fade. He knelt there turning the final stone in his fingers, a vision of his Master forming in his mind. He had saved the Rinpoche for last. He wouldn’t allow the terrible memories of his final sight of his beloved Master to sully how he wanted to see him. It finally crystallized as he placed the stone. His teacher was sitting on the polished tree stump in the courtyard of Yangji Gompa, his usual gentle smile on his face and Jai knew he was sending him on his way.
With a deep reluctance, he stood up, and with a last look out to the far horizon, turned and placed his back squarely to the past. He took a deep breath and started walking, his eyes straight ahead, looking down the road to a very uncertain future.
People’s Armed Police Garrison, Xigaze Province
“We may have a problem.”
Lucy opened her eyes and looked up at Feng’s concerned face. She was lying on the couch in the main office, where she had been trying to catch up on some sleep. She sat up and was instantly awake.
"Colonel Feng, the fact that you are standing here means we are already in deep shit."
Feng ignored the barbed comment, he knew this woman wielded real power. He had tried to call the Minister. His secretary had said he would call him back. He had heard nothing more from him, which told him everything.
"We have been tracking Shelby since you arrived, he has been heading south towards the border, just as we expected." He walked over to the map on the wall. "He was heading south, right up to this point." He tapped a location on the map with his finger. "Then suddenly, he swung around to head north. Right now he is only a few miles from here, heading in this direction."
Lucy stood up and walked over to study the map, inwardly she cursed Robert Shelby. "Well Colonel, I suggest you get some of your people out there and find out what the hell is going on."
On the road, Tibet Autonomous Region
Jai had been on the mountain road for a couple of hours and hunger was beginning to gnaw at the pit of his stomach. He pushed the thought behind him and focused on the road ahead. Since the motorcycle had passed him on the road, he had seen no more signs of life.
He caught the note of an engine, carried clear on the wind. He scrambled behind a thorny, gorse bush that was almost his own height and waited. An old truck came into view. It seemed to float along on a thick cloud of dust. He caught sight of the driver through the cab window, sitting alone in the cab, a woollen hat pulled down over his ears. The truck had a canvas top, like a great oblong tent, stretched over the back. It was travelling slowly, negotiating the slight incline.
Jai let it pass then took after it at full sprint. The driver put his foot on the gas and the truck started to pull away. Jai increased his speed and jumped. He landed on a narrow running board and grabbed a hold of the back board. A broad, flap of tarpaulin hung down. Jai pulled it aside and thrust his head and shoulders into the interior of the truck. The smell hit him at the same time as the grunts and squeals. It was full of goats, very smelly goats.
Jai dropped the flap and edged his way around. With a little adjustment, he was able to sit back with his feet on the running board and his face pointing away from the truck, watching his life disappear behind him.
Eventually the truck settled down into a rhythm and Jai felt himself able to relax and let the miles pass on by. Lhapsang had said there was a town along the road. He would need to get out of sight before they got there.
Something moved, far out behind them. Jai was suddenly fully alert. He peered hard into the distance, searching for what had disturbed him. Then he caught it, a clear view as it crested a hill then dropped out of sight. Jai knew what it was. A military jeep and it was closing fast.
He looked down at the rough road surface whipping by below him, if he could drop off, he could make it to the side of the road and hide. If . . . It would be very easy to break a leg, or twist an ankle. Then his journey would be well and truly over.
He pulled aside the tail flap and climbed over the tailgate, pushing himself in between the goats. They swirled and bustled around him, half afraid, half curious, braying, hairy bodies dancing around him. Jai crouched down behind the tailgate and sat down on a large round lump on the bed of the truck. He leaned forward and peered out past the edge of the back flap, trying to ignore the goats nudging and jostling him.
The jeep caught up quickly, moving up close to the rear of the truck, honking its horn impatiently. Jai pulled back. He could feel the truck start to slow. He risked another peek. He saw the glow of the brake lights. He was sure he had been discovered, the driver was stopping.
Then the jeep pulled out, the driver angrily honking his horn for the truck to get out of the way. Jai felt the bumps shuddering through the floor of the truck as it moved out onto the rough ground at the side of the road. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and the rear end of the truck swung wildly across the road. Brakes screeched, followed by a loud crash. The truck jarred violently, throwing Jai off his perch, and shuddered to a halt. Jai scrambled up from the now rioting goats and sneaked a quick look out. The jeep appeared to have collided with the back of the truck and now sat in the middle of the road with its left front wheel twisted beneath it.
Four soldiers staggered out of the jeep screaming and cursing. Jai ducked out of sight. He could hear the driver and the soldiers shouting and yelling, arguing over whose fault it was. The situation was soon made clear. The jeep was wrecked, and the truck’s wheel needed to be changed. The driver had a bad back and he needed the soldiers to help. In return, he would give them a lift into the next village where they could find a garage and a tow truck.
A goat butted Jai painfully in the back and he grabbed for a handhold below him to stop himself from pitching forward. His hand caught hold of the thing he was sitting on, his fingers gripping onto hard rubber. Jai tried to peer down through the gloom between his legs. His throat went very dry. His hands ran quickly across its rough treaded surface but he already knew what it was. He also knew that the soldiers would pull back the back flap at any moment, because he was sitting on the truck’s spare wheel.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
On the road, Tibet Autonomous Region
Jai stood up, knowing he could be discovered at any moment. The goats swarmed around him, braying and jostling him as he moved towards the front of the truck. The tarpaulin was tied tightly at the corners with a thick cord wrapped around the metal frame. He pushed at it, hoping to push it far enough aside for him to slip through. But he could barely force a gap wide enough to get his hand through.
He heard the scrape of a boot on the running board, then light flooded into the dark interior as the back flap was pulled aside. Jai dropped to the floor. The goats were immediately excited, squealing, braying, and pushing, their hooves scraping and stepping on him.
"Shit, these goats stink." A voice came from the rear of the truck.
"You should feel at home." Someone laughed from down on the road.
Jai pushed his way into the corner. A goat took a chomp on his jacket. Jai slapped it on the nose and the goat backed off with a loud bray.
"These goats are pretty lively." The soldier in the back of the truck called out.
“They are greeting their long lost relative,” another voice called out.
Jai peered out between the jostling goats. He could see a man in a grey, green uniform. He was certain that if he looked in his direction, the man would see him. He tried to hunker down even further, engulfing himself even deeper into the filth and the stink of the truck. But all other senses faded away as he focused on the man standing not twenty feet from him.
"Okay, okay." The soldier called out. "I have it."
There was loud banging and scraping as the man bundled the spare wheel over the tailgate then jumped back down to the road. The canvas flap at the rear was dropped back into place and the interior was plunged again into darkness.
Jai held up an arm in front of him, to fend off the goats who were getting more and more curious, and confident. The sound of voices congregated around the front left corner of the truck, close to Jai’s head. It seemed as if they were standing right beside him.
The men argued, banged, hammered, and cursed, as they struggled with the wheel. To Jai it seemed to go on forever. Eventually the work was complete and the voices moved back to the rear of the truck. More light flooded into the dark interior, followed by a loud clatter and a bump as the damaged wheel was hefted into the back of the truck.
Jai prayed that his ordeal would soon be over. He could hear people climbing into the cab. Suddenly, the back flap was pulled aside.
"Shit, the stink." A voice called out then two soldiers climbed over the tailgate.
Jai eased himself back down amongst the goats. He heard the engine start up and the frame of the truck juddered as it pulled away. A goat butted Jai painfully in the side of the head. He pushed it away and rubbed vigorously at his skull. All he needed now was for a goat to pick a fight. The soldiers were no longer talking. The goats were getting agitated again, one nudged him in the shoulder. Jai looked up, trying to push the goat away. There was little light in the back of the truck but Jai could see very clearly. A Chinese face with large yellow teeth grinned down at him.
“Strange looking goat.”
Jai tried to move but the soldier grabbed him.
“Now then, what have we got.”
Jai struggled to break free. A hard slap caught him round the head and the darkness lit up with a lightning flash. The other soldier rushed to the front of the truck, banged on the cab wall and started yelling. Brakes shrieked and the truck juddered to a halt. The tarpaulin flap was pulled back.
