Lizard's Tale

by Weng Wai Chan

  ‘Oh, thank you, sir,’ Lili said, blushing. ‘And how is Uncle—I mean the gamekeeper?’

  ‘He is doing splendidly, and has provided highly useful intelligence,’ said Sir Wilbur. ‘I can’t really tell you any more than that, I’m afraid.’

  ‘But when can Lizard see him?’ Lili said.

  ‘Ah—the boy, Lizard. He’s one loose end we need to tie up.’ He looked Lili straight in the eye. ‘I’m afraid he’s a security risk. You are an important member of Maximum Operations Enterprise—’

  ‘We couldn’t have done it without him,’ said Lili.

  Sir Wilbur pressed on, as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘We are very grateful for his help. Nevertheless, he has knowledge that could be problematic in the wrong hands.’

  ‘But he would never do anything wrong!’ Lili said.

  ‘My dear, I know you don’t think so, but he is a thief, isn’t he?’ He picked up some papers from his desk and studied them. ‘Mixes with the Chinatown underworld—says here he is a known associate of Wong Ah Beng, Chinatown criminal, recently deceased. Is this true?’

  ‘But that’s not all he is,’ Lili protested.

  ‘What would happen if the boy passed on information to the gunjin or the Nazis?’ said Sir Wilbur. ‘He is your next mission.’

  ‘My next mission? What do you mean?’ Lili said, confused.

  ‘It’s fairly simple. Your mission is to find the boy Lizard and bring him to the Changi Military Base. Don’t worry, he’ll be housed in plenty of comfort,’ said Sir Wilbur.

  ‘Where? For how long?’ asked Lili.

  ‘Somewhere much better than his current abode, no doubt. For as long as is necessary,’ said Sir Wilbur. ‘And this mission is top secret—tell no one, not even the good operatives here. These are the details.’ He handed her a file. ‘I know I can rely on you, Lili.’

  He sat back, his eyes twinkling. ‘Now off you go,’ he said and he strode to the door and opened it. ‘Good day, Lili,’ he said, and he closed the door as soon as Lili stepped out.

  Lili stood outside holding the file and thought about the conversation she had overheard between Miss Adelia and Miss Neha. Was there a detention centre at Changi? Or were they planning to lock Lizard up somewhere on the military base? Lili felt uneasy as she remembered that there was also a prison at Changi.

  No, surely they wouldn’t lock a boy up in the Changi Prison. Miss Adelia had told her that working for Maximum Ops wouldn’t always be easy; that sometimes it would be very hard indeed.

  She walked directly to Chinatown, where she knew she would find Lizard.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  A Question of Freedom

  ‘Hey, Lili!’ someone called from behind her. She turned to see Lizard and Roshan walking up the road. Lizard’s right cheek had a neat rectangular dressing taped to it.

  ‘Isn’t it a beautiful day?’ Roshan said, as he bounced to a stop next to her.

  ‘Why so cheerful?’ Lili asked.

  ‘That horrible pushy English girl has finally left Raffles,’ Roshan replied, and he burst into a popular Tamil song, complete with vigorous arm sweeps and rhythmic jumps.

  Lizard was more subdued. Even though Lili had told him that Miss Adelia said that Uncle Archie was recovering in a hospital somewhere, Lizard didn’t seem to believe her, and he kept asking to see him.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Lili asked Lizard and Roshan.

  ‘We’re going to eat, and then we’re going to a meeting. Want to come?’ asked Roshan.

  ‘Meeting?’ said Lili, repeating the last thing that her ears had taken in. ‘What meeting?’

  ‘It is a great man! Mahatma Gandhi!’ said Roshan. ‘That’s what my brother is telling me, anyway. At the Indian Youth Centre in Serangoon Road.’

  ‘Who is he?’ asked Lili, as if she didn’t know. She looked at Lizard’s face while she spoke. He looked listless, and thinner than he used to be.

  ‘He thinks Mother India should be free!’ said Roshan.

  ‘What do you mean, free?’ Lizard frowned.

  ‘He says that we Indians can run our country ourselves!’ Roshan dropped his voice. ‘You know, free from the British!’

  ‘What? How can that be?’ Lizard said, looking puzzled. Lili was relieved that he seemed to be paying attention to something. ‘They’ve always run things. Anyway, you were born in Singapore, not India. You’ve never even been to India.’

  ‘Well, that’s true,’ said Roshan, scratching his head. ‘Well, all right. Freedom for Singapore then!’

  ‘Where would we be without the British?’ asked Lizard.

  ‘Yes, where?’ echoed Lili.

  ‘Well,’ said Roshan, shrugging. ‘Maybe I could be eating at the Raffles Dining Room and an English man could be serving me!’ He laughed and even Lizard raised a smile.

  ‘Enough nonsense,’ said Roshan. ‘Let’s go to Fatty Dim Sum’s. I am free until six o’clock, then I’m back on duty: waiter wallah in the dining room, under the gaze of good King George.’

  Lili looked at Lizard and Roshan. Why, she wondered, was the idea of Roshan being served by an Englishman so funny? Because the British were in charge. But why were they in charge? Why should they decide what happens? It didn’t feel right. A British man had told her to bring Lizard to Changi Military Base—that’s what it said in her mission brief file. What exactly was Sir Wilbur Willoughby planning for Lizard? She had to know.

  ‘You two, go on ahead. Order me some fried rice,’ said Lili. ‘I’ll catch up soon.’

  She turned and ran all the way back to school and pelted up the stairs to the corner office. When there was no answer to her knock, she went in. Nobody was in the room. It was quiet here, except for the ticking of the wall clock and the distant hubbub of the town drifting in through the open window. She shut the door behind her.

  She knew she would be expelled if she got caught, but she needed to find out what was in store for Lizard. She went to the desk. The top drawer was locked.

  Was she actually going to break into the desk of Sir Wilbur Willoughby, director of the Asia Division of Maximum Operations Enterprise? She took a big breath in, pulled out her lock-picking set and went to work.

  A thick file labelled ‘Top Secret’ was in the drawer. She opened the file and scanned the first page.

  Name: Archer James Dale

  Codename: The gamekeeper

  She flipped through the file. Uncle Archie had been under cover for the past two years. Lili’s eyes widened as she read that Uncle Archie had stolen the codebook, smuggled it into India and given it to Sebastian Whitford Jones to deliver to Commander Baxter.

  Lizard had been right all along.

  Lili read on. The most recent report had yesterday’s date on it.

  The gamekeeper is in a satisfactory condition in Changi Military Hospital.

  The next page was a report on Lizard, with a photo of him attached.

  Name: Lucas Zachariah Dale

  Known as: Lizard

  Chinese Name:

  Parents: deceased

  Paternal uncle: Archer James Dale (Codename ‘The gamekeeper’)

  There were a few more lines about his school, address, and known associates, but it was the last sentence that caught Lili’s eye.

  Plan: Detain until further notice at Changi Military Base—withhold all information from the gamekeeper.

  It was just as Lili had heard Miss Adelia and Miss Neha say. Sir Wilbur planned to lock Lizard up only because Sir Wilbur was suspicious of him, and thought he could sell secrets to the enemy.

  It wasn’t fair. Lizard would never do that. And Sir Wilbur was using Lili’s friendship with Lizard to catch him, and he was going to hide the truth from Uncle Archie. He knew Uncle Archie wouldn’t stand for it, and he needed the gamekeeper to continue his work as a spy.

  Lili put the file back and locked the drawer.

  Lizard and Roshan looked up as Lili came into Fatty Dim Sum’s coffee shop, thoroughly out of breath.

 
; ‘Hi, Lili. Where have you been? We were just about to eat your fried rice for you,’ Roshan said.

  Lizard pushed his noodles around on his plate.

  Brylcreem and Buck Tooth came in, and sat down next to Lizard. Brylcreem draped his arm across Lizard’s shoulders and dropped a sheet of paper on the table. ‘Wei, Lizard, I got the questions for the police exam. “Who is the gah-ven-ner of the Straits Settlements?”’ he read. He uttered a few swear words in Hokkien. ‘Who care, lah? All I want to know is where is my big wooden stick, and where do I put the bad guys?’

  As Brylcreem, Buck Tooth and Roshan argued over the questions on the exam, Lili spoke to Lizard in a low voice. ‘Lizard, I need you to come to Changi with me tomorrow. Bring what you need for a few days.’

  ‘Changi?’ Lizard said, surprised. ‘Where in Changi? Why?’

  She looked into his eyes. ‘You just have to trust me,’ she said.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Curry Puffs

  Lili peered in through the window of the hospital at the Changi Military Base. Only one of the four beds in the room was occupied. The building was on a hill, with a view of the sea—calm and blue today. White curtains billowed in the gentle breeze.

  ‘Wei,’ said Lili.

  Uncle Archie dropped the book he was reading. It was a week since the Singapore Harbour incident and he looked much better than the last time she had seen him: he was now both dry and conscious. He got out of bed and came to the window.

  ‘Hello,’ he said cautiously.

  ‘I’m Lili, Lizard’s friend,’ she said. ‘Remember?’

  ‘Yes, of course I remember. The lock-picker in Tanaka’s. What are you doing here?’ he said. ‘Is Lizard here?’

  ‘No, but he’s nearby,’ she said. She had planned everything she was going to say, and she took a deep breath and began. ‘Don’t ask me how I know, but I need to tell you something. About Lizard.’

  ‘Go on.’ Uncle Archie leaned forward on the windowsill.

  ‘Sir Wilbur Willoughby wants to send Lizard to the Changi detention centre and doesn’t want you to know.’ Lili paused, heart thumping. She was breaking Maximum Ops rules and she could be thrown out of the organisation, or worse. ‘I didn’t tell Lizard.’

  Uncle Archie was silent, but his eyes narrowed. Uncle Archie was a top spy and he would understand all the implications.

  ‘Where is Lizard now?’ he said eventually.

  ‘At Pak Tuah’s house.’

  ‘Excellent. Wait a moment,’ he rummaged around in the drawer by his bed, found some paper and a pencil and scribbled a note. ‘Can you please take this message to Pak Tuah? Tell Lizard to wait there.’

  Lili nodded and took the message.

  *

  It was evening and the sunlight slanted gold through the smoke of the village cooking fires. The fragrance of frying fish and rice cooking in coconut milk was in the air.

  Lili sat on Pak Tuah’s verandah.

  Lizard, unable to sit still, was climbing the nearest palm tree, his satchel slung around to his back. He was halfway up the trunk when Uncle Archie came up from the beach, carrying a holdall. Lizard slid down off the tree and sprinted towards him.

  ‘Uncle Archie!’ he cried, flinging his arms around him.

  Uncle Archie laughed and hugged him tightly. ‘It’s so good to see you, Lizard. So very, very good.’

  Uncle Archie let go of Lizard and stood back to look at him. ‘You’re looking a bit thin,’ he said. ‘You need to eat more.’

  ‘So do you, Uncle Archie.’ Lizard was unable to stop smiling. He gripped his uncle’s hand and his heart brimmed with joy.

  Pak Tuah came out of the house and Uncle Archie went to him.

  ‘Mr Archie, selamat kembali,’ Pak Tuah said. Welcome back.

  ‘Thank you, Pak Tuah, old friend, and thank you for all your help,’ said Uncle Archie.

  ‘I have arranged everything as you requested,’ Pak Tuah said. ‘My cousin will be here soon.’ He smiled at Lizard. ‘This young man has been waiting a long time to see you.’ He lit the lamp on the verandah and went back into the house.

  ‘I have something for you,’ Uncle Archie said, opening his holdall. He took out a paper-wrapped parcel.

  ‘What’s that?’ said Lizard

  ‘Curry puffs,’ said Uncle Archie, breaking into the parcel. ‘Not from Chinatown, though. Turns out there’s a local chap who does curry puffs over in the Chinese village. Sorry, they’re so late.’

  Lizard’s mouth dropped open.

  ‘You do still like curry puffs, don’t you?’ said Uncle Archie, as the savoury aroma wafted out.

  Lizard stared at his uncle. There was so much he wanted to say, but he just nodded. He took a curry puff and bit into it.

  ‘Any good?’ asked Uncle Archie.

  ‘It’s perfect,’ said Lizard with his mouth full. ‘Absolutely perfect.’

  ‘Excellent,’ said Uncle Archie, with a grin.

  ‘I have something for you, too.’ Lizard opened his satchel and took out the dark blue trilby. He had carefully stuffed a shirt in it so that the hat wouldn’t get squashed out of shape.

  ‘Your favourite hat,’ said Lizard. ‘I kept it for you.’

  Uncle Archie cleared his throat as he took the hat from Lizard and put it on his head. ‘It still fits,’ he said. ‘Thank you, Lizard.’

  Lili moved over to make room on the verandah and Uncle Archie and Lizard sat down.

  Uncle Archie turned to Lizard. ‘I’ve organised for you to stay at a place out of Singapore. We need to get you away from here, for your safety.’

  ‘I’m leaving Singapore?’ said Lizard, looking at his uncle. ‘Are you coming too?’

  ‘I’ll go with you tonight to see you settled in, then I have to come back and sort out some business, but only for a day or two,’ Uncle Archie said.

  ‘But why?’ said Lizard. ‘Why can’t you stay with me? I don’t understand,’ said Lizard, frowning.

  ‘I’ll tell you on the way,’ said Uncle Archie. ‘Go and say goodbye to Pak Tuah.’

  Uncle Archie watched Lizard go inside.

  Lili looked at Uncle Archie’s serious face, and didn’t want to hear what he was going to tell her.

  ‘Lili, thank you. I’m very much in your debt,’ he said.

  ‘Where are you taking him?’ asked Lili, though she knew what the answer would be.

  ‘It’s best if I don’t tell you, don’t you think?’ he said gently. ‘It won’t be forever, Lili. Maybe a few months. Sir Wilbur isn’t going to waste valuable resources looking too hard for him—and soon he’ll have far more important things to worry about.’

  Lili nodded and looked out over the track that led to the sea. The sun had set now, and a crescent moon was rising.

  Uncle Archie said, ‘We’ll just tell him Lizard’s disappeared and we don’t know where he is.’

  Lili knew that Lizard would be gone for at least a few months, but uncertain times were coming and war was looming—she didn’t know when she would see him again.

  ‘Sir Wilbur’s not going to be happy,’ said Uncle Archie, ‘when you tell him you can’t find Lizard.’

  ‘I know,’ Lili said. ‘Do you think I’ll get expelled?’

  ‘I doubt it. You’re trained and valuable. And Sir Wilbur won’t want any fuss. I’ll tell him Lizard’s disappeared and I don’t know where he is,’ said Uncle Archie. ‘People go missing all the time.’

  Lili nodded. Uncle Archie’s words were reassuring, so she didn’t know why she felt so bereft.

  Lizard came out onto the verandah.

  ‘Are you ready to go?’ Uncle Archie said to him.

  Lizard picked up his satchel. ‘Yes. Let’s go.’

  ‘Don’t you have something to say?’ Uncle Archie nudged Lizard, and went down the steps, leaving Lizard and Lili on the verandah.

  ‘Bye, Lili,’ said Lizard. It struck him that he didn’t know when he was going to see her next, or Chinatown, or his school, or Fatty Dim Sum
or Ah Mok or Brylcreem or anyone he knew. He was going somewhere unknown with Uncle Archie, and trusting only Uncle Archie—and that was all right with him.

  ‘If you need anything, let me know,’ said Lili.

  Lizard looked at Lili’s face, and remembered how she had found him his cubicle home, and a school and helped him find Uncle Archie. ‘Thank you for everything. I’ll never be able to repay you,’ he said.

  ‘Well, I don’t know,’ Lili said, her eyes glistening in the lamplight. ‘My English is much better now, so I think we are even already. Go on, he’s waiting for you.’

  Lizard thought about hugging her, but that was ridiculous. Shaking her hand? No, even more ridiculous. He dithered back and forth a bit more before raising a hand and waving.

  ‘Bye,’ he said, and he turned and ran down the steps to Uncle Archie.

  ‘Want another curry puff?’ Uncle Archie said, reaching into the paper parcel.

  ‘Sure,’ said Lizard. As he bit into the fragrant, still-warm curry puff, he was happy in a way he hadn’t been for a very long time.

  Uncle Archie took the trilby off his head and dropped it onto Lizard’s. ‘I think it looks better on you,’ he said.

  Lizard tilted it at a jaunty angle. ‘You’re probably right.’

  Uncle Archie laughed and cuffed his head.

  The palm trees rustled in the sea breeze as they headed across the beach. The moon cast a pale glow, illuminating a motorboat that was puttering in to shore.

  ‘We’re going in a boat?’ Lizard asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Uncle Archie said, through a mouthful of pastry flakes.

  Lizard looked back and saw Lili standing in the lamplight on the verandah, watching him go. Fireflies were moving sparks in the darkness and the stars glimmered overhead. All the lights blurred together as he waved one last time, and turned to face the future with Uncle Archie by his side.

  Glossary