Alex bowed in apology even though the gesture was completely unfitting to the situation. But Roshi bowed back and continued leading them through the stupendous tunnel. They were thoroughly awestruck by the beauty of the formation, and the profound knowledge of walking through a monk-built underground tunnel that is almost ten centuries old, took their breath away. The anticipation mounded as they continued through the subterranean tunnel that turned several corners before ending in front of a sandstone carved Buddha statue. At its feet were dozens of candles burning incense and small golden sacrificial urns that most likely contained food. The small chamber was completely closed off. There were no windows or doors.
Roshi turned around and handed them each an unlit candle.
“We have to pay our respects first.”
Ollie took a candle without any hesitation and went onto his knees in front of the statue. Alex and Sam watched as a usually cocky Ollie transformed into a melancholy being in front of their very eyes. His usual flippant, happy-go-lucky demeanor was instantly replaced by a deep sadness that didn’t quite match up to the Ollie they have come to know. Alex was certain she saw him tear up but chose to conceal her observation from him. She realized in that moment, that whatever first impressions she might have had about him was nothing but a smokescreen. There was more to this man than what met the eye. So she silently knelt down beside him.
Several minutes later, Roshi rose and walked over to the wall flanking the statue. One by one they got up.
“Now what?” Alex whispered to the group before directing her attention to Ollie. “Where do we find this man you said can help us? I thought you said there were other monks here, but we’re completely closed off inside this chamber.”
Ollie smiled. “Patience is a virtue, Sheila,” and threw a wink at Roshi.
Had it not been for Alex’s earlier observation she would have snapped back at him. Instead, she rolled her eyes and looked questioningly at Roshi who turned and lifted a single brick from the wall. Instantly a small doorway receded into the wall and slid behind the stone structure to open up to another secret tunnel.
“Fascinating!” Alex and Sam gasped almost simultaneously. Roshi placed his forefinger on his mouth reminding them not to speak, and proceeded through the opening in the wall. Once through he pulled out another brick from the inside, closing the stone door behind them.
Alex felt weak with excitement. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to propel her into a sprint to the end of the mysterious tunnel. Overwhelmed with emotion she was close to tears. Never, in all her years, has she ever had the privilege of exploring an underground secret tunnel to a centuries old monastery. In the faint candlelight, she spotted that even the ever dependable and contained Sam could barely hold together his excitement. It was an experience the two of them would never forget.
The soft glow of Roshi’s candle illuminated the tunnel that was much smaller than the preceding one, forcing them to walk in a single file. It was also far more unrefined. The bricks were extremely porous and, unlike the first tunnel, grey in color with large cavities throughout the walls. The floor was vastly different too. Instead, the beautiful terra-cotta tiles made way for an uneven, patchy stone floor that crumbled in several places. Then there was the pungent smell so strong it likened to that of a sewage. Their footsteps echoed as the small group silently moved through the tunnel; similar to being inside a cave.
It wasn’t long before they reached a wooden door that Roshi opened with the utmost care so as to not make a noise. Remarkably there wasn’t a squeak from the hinges as one might have expected of a door exposed to so much damp. Alex found herself wondering if it was even safe to be so deeply buried underground.
The door opened up to a small rounded chamber with a set of sandstone stairs. A bright beam of sunlight shone from the top of the stairs. The sigh of relief that came from Sam who had to walk bent over the entire way, was extremely amusing and Alex had to restrain herself from exploding into laughter. Though she didn’t have to walk hunched like he did, confined underground spaces didn’t agree with her much. She was as relieved as Sam was to finally reach the top of the stairs that opened to a magnificent courtyard filled with lush gardens and trees. Several monks clad in their bright saffron robes were scattered throughout the gardens. Some were tending to the shrubs while others were seated on stone benches interspersed between the large shady trees. No one spoke a word. It was deathly silent apart from the tranquil sound of the water in the large fountain next to the lily pad fishpond.
The ambience held a magnificent reverence for their religion. One that was almost palpable.
Large square columns bearing scalloped wooden fringes in between hedged the courtyard. The monks were completely undisturbed by their presence as Roshi continued to lead them through the courtyard to the double volume corridors beyond the columns. It was majestic to say the least. In total contradiction to Sam and Alex, both Ollie and Roshi’s heads were bowed as the party moved silently through the monastery. Just as Alex and Sam thought they had seen all magnificence there is to discover, they were ushered into a closed room bursting with rich colors of magenta, mustard and saffron. The tiled floor was covered with a large magenta pink carpet upon which about a dozen young boys sat cross-legged in prayer. Their bright orange clothing lay in stark contrast to the carpet and the circular burgundy and gold pillars held the elevated ceiling in place.
An enormous gold encrusted Buddha sat cross-legged in front of the boys. Its eyes were open as if it were looking down at them in commendation. By its feet were hand-painted blue and white porcelain vases filled with the brightly colored flowers from the courtyard garden. Several picture-frames with photographs of senior monks stood proudly in between. You could hear a pin drop. Although these boys ranged in age from about eight to fourteen, not one of them fidgeted or made a noise. Instead, they practiced a discipline so intense that not even the small party’s movement to the door on the other side of the room caught their attention.
The adjoining room was similar in size and embellished with bursts of gold. In total contrast, to the bold colors of the boys’ meditation room, it displayed muted tones of ivory and white. The Buddha statue in the front of the room was made from white marble stone and polished to a shiny splendor. This time they were alone in the room. Roshi closed the door behind them and signaled for them to take a seat on the ivory cushions on the floor in front of the Buddha before disappearing through a corridor leading out from the room.
Alex didn’t waste any time. Naturally a bit of a talker, being in silence deemed a real challenge, especially when her head was exploding with questions.
“Psst, Ollie,” she whispered. “What’s going on? Who is this man you said would help us? How the hell is he supposed to help us if he can’t speak?”
Ollie whispered back, “Ever heard of the board-game Charades? They love it.” Sam and Ollie broke into a giggle muffled behind their palms.
“Ha-ha! Very funny,” Alex whispered back before joining in the restrained laughter.
It seemed the silence set them off into a delirious stupor as they held their tummies aching with inward laughter.
“How do they do it?” an out of breath Sam eventually said. “I could not live a day without hearing Alex speak,” folding double and setting them all off again.
“Shh, we need to get it together if we want to get a meeting with the Supreme Patriarch.”
Instantly Alex jerked upright and stopped laughing. “The Supreme Patriarch? Isn’t he the highest ranked monk in the Monastery?”
“Thought that might catch your attention, Sheila. Jokes aside, he’s a hundred and two years old. He was in his sixties when the Urn was gifted to the king. He preceded over the ceremony and placed the Urn in the shrine.”
“You had better not be messing with me, Ollie. This is serious.”
“Alexandra, does it look like I’m lying to you? I told you I would help you, didn’t I? That’s what I’m doing. Helpi
ng.”
Sam looked perplexed. “If you don’t mind me asking, Ollie, why? What’s in it for you?”
It was a question Alex had been dying to ask, and she was relieved to know that Sam wasn’t as trusting of Ollie as she might have thought.
Much to Ollie’s delight, Roshi entered the room and beckoned for them to follow him. Without a second’s hesitation, Ollie jumped up and walked over to where Ollie was already heading down the corridor.
“What did I tell you, Sam? He’s up to no good,” Alex whispered to Sam as she got up and hastened toward the corridor.
“I think you might be right, Alex,” Sam whispered back, close on her heels. “He’s not being honest with us, but for now, let’s just keep an eye on him, ok?”
Roshi shot a stern look their way to silence them as they continued down the long corridor and down a set of stairs before stopping in the middle of the passage.
“We rest for tonight. Miss Hunt, this is your room. Dr. Quinn, this is yours,” pointing to two doors opposite from one another. “Tomorrow morning we will meet the venerable Patriarch.”
And with that he and Ollie disappeared back up the corridor and up the stairs.
“What the hell? Why is Ollie going with him?” Alex whispered.
“Who knows. They go way back, remember? Maybe he gets a special room.”
Sam’s sarcasm was sincere and not in jest to tease her. Has he finally seen what Alex had seen in Ollie?
“Ok, well I guess we have no choice do we? Must say I’m ravenous,” Alex whispered.
“Yup. I’d kill for some bear stew but something tells me we’re going to bed hungry,” Sam responded.
“If I have my facts right, the monks don’t eat after midday and they’re not allowed to hoard food, so it’s very likely we’re not going to eat before morning.”
Sam pondered over Alex’s utterance. “Ok, I’m just putting it out there. I’m starving. We haven’t eaten anything since breakfast, which, as I recall you deposited on the side of the road. What do you say we go do a bit of exploring so to speak and find the kitchen? There has to be something somewhere for us to eat.”
Alex who had already opened her door to her small bedroom, flung around shocked at his suggestion. “Have you lost your mind, Sam Quinn? In case you haven’t noticed, we are in a monastery and we’re supposed to be in our rooms, not wandering about unattended. What if we get caught?”
She looked up and down the corridor for anyone who might have overheard him or her.
“Oh come on, Alex. Live a little. In fact, if I don’t get any food right now, I might not live at all.”
Alex couldn’t argue. Her rumbling stomach wouldn’t allow for her to sleep at all. “Ok, but we’re not hanging about any longer than what’s necessary. Agreed?”
A delighted Sam nodded enthusiastically, “Absolutely, now let’s get on with it before I faint.”
The famished pair shuffled along the passage wall like thieves in the night. Alex who rarely broke any rules, nervously clung to Sam whilst she frequently looked behind her. Sam, on the other hand, was like a naughty schoolboy; exhilarated by the notion of sneaking around in a monastery.
As luck would have it, the passage opened up into a spacious mess hall with rows and rows of wooden tables and benches. Large wooded doors opened up to an adjoining garden bursting with fresh vegetables and herbs. There was not a monk in sight.
“Oh great! We hit the mother load,” Sam exclaimed sarcastically.
“Shh! Do you want us to get caught?” Alex hushed him.
There wasn’t a monk in sight but their voices echoed through the expansive room making it very difficult not to be heard.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not the vegetable type, you know? I’m more of a meat and potatoes guy,” he whispered back as he rummaged through the stacked baskets at the doorway to the garden.
“Monks don’t eat much meat, Sam. It’s highly unlikely we’ll find anything of substance at all. We have carrots and tomatoes. It’s better than nothing. Let’s go!” Alex started to panic. There was no way she’d want to be thrown out and jeopardize a meeting with the Supreme Patriarch.
But Sam’s stomach was clearly winning the battle. He was already at the far end of the hall when Alex returned with a small harvest of fresh produce from the garden.
“What the hell, Sam? We need to get out of here.”
A force far greater than the opportunity to meet a hundred-and-two-year-old monk possessed Sam. The canteen worktop harbored several baskets underneath, which Sam searched frantically.
“Yes!” he cried out. “Bread!”
“Bloody hell, Sam. Keep it down. Grab it and let’s go.”
With a full supply of groceries, the two hurriedly set off down the passage and ducked into Alex’s room. Sam didn’t waste any time. He fell down on the thin mattress on the floor and bit off a large chunk from the loaf of bread.
“This is the best bread I’ve ever tasted,” uttering groans of satisfaction while chomping off another large piece.
“You sure you don’t want to add some cheese?” Alex teased.
“If this were European monks we’d have had some good Tuscan vino to add to the cheese,” he joked back.
Chapter Six
A reverberating bell woke them at 4am the next morning. Sam came stumbling half-asleep into Alex’s room; arching his back in an attempt to click his vertebrae back into place after sleeping on the hard floor. Alex sat up in bed fumbling with her watch to read the time.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. The sun’s not even up,” she groaned pulling the blanket over her head.
Moments later the monks sent a choir of chanting morning prayers through the crisp morning air causing Alex to pull the saffron blanket even tighter over her head.
“Rise and shine sleeping beauty. Think of it this way. We should hopefully get a decent breakfast. Last night’s pilferage barely touched sides.”
She had to admit. Sam had a naughty streak in him she had never seen before. She thoroughly enjoyed their secret rendezvous to the kitchen, but she woke up ravenous this morning.
“I don’t think it will be pancakes and bacon, Sam. But I’ll promise you this much. If Ollie is messing us around, I will personally wring his neck.”
“Oh, I’ll hold him down for you, Alex. My back is killing me after sleeping on that thin little mattress on the floor. We had better walk off here today with a decent clue to that Urn or else.”
Alex giggled. Sam wasn’t a rough-and-tumble kind of guy. “Yeah, yeah, tough guy. Perhaps we should get ready before these monks find you in my quarters.
Twenty minutes later, the chanting had stopped, and Roshi was waiting in the corridor outside their rooms. Ollie was nowhere in sight.
“Morning,” Alex mouthed to Roshi not sure if she was allowed to speak or not and tapped on Sam’s door to join them.
Walking into the eating hall, Sam threw Alex a naughty smile. She was equally amused. But, unlike the bare dining mess the night before, the eating hall was packed to the rafters with cheery monks in bubbling conversation over hearty bowls of soup. Ollie sat in the middle of the room amidst a small group of men who greatly enjoyed his Aussie chatter. The man was noticeably the center of attention. A baffled Alex and Sam exchanged surprising expressions as they made their way to his table.
“G’day Mates. What took you so long? You almost missed the most important meal of the day. Get some nosh and eat up. Our meeting is in fifteen minutes.”
It had just gone 4:40 am.
“Have these people all lost their minds?” a stunned Alex whispered to Sam who nudged her by the elbow toward the server where the chef stood dishing up steaming bowls of watery vegetable broth and bread. Sam’s disappointment was very evident as he grumpily tucked into his nosh, consequently sending Alex into an uncontrollable giggle. They whisked through their morning meal and finished just in time for Ollie to gesture that it was time for their meeting.
Alex found hersel
f nervously fidgeting with her headscarf in anticipation of their meeting; delighted that a game of Charades was seemingly off the table if the cheery banter of the monks at breakfast were anything to go by.
The lengthy informal tour through the monastery deposited them on the opposite wing of the establishment that was even more lavishly decorated. It was unquestionably set-aside for the more prominent members of the community.
“Wait here, please?” Roshi ordered as they entered a modest foyer and then disappeared behind a small red door.
Unlike the rest of the cloister, this room didn’t have the same poignant smell of incense. It was plainly furnished with six red ottomans spaced in rows of three opposite from one another. Alex’s eyes sparkled in anticipation as she paced the tiny room. It wasn’t often a lay person had the honor of meeting the Great Supreme Patriarch of the Buddhist community in South-East Asia. He was practically the Dalai Lama or Buddha himself. She bit her thumbnail. A habit she still had even though her Agoraphobia was almost non-existent of late.
“Chill out, Sheila. He won’t bite.” Ollie snickered.
“And how would you know exactly?” Alex bit back.
“Well he hasn’t any teeth left for one, and he is hands down the wisest man I’ve ever met.”
Ollie’s flippant declaration had Alex and Sam respond in complete unison, “You’ve met him?”
Throwing his hands in the air, Ollie responded. “Whoa, cobbers. Don’t look so surprised. Of course, I’ve met him. I told you. These guys are like family to me.”
As if on cue to help Ollie evade further questions, Roshi popped his head out the red door and ushered them in. The dazed pair hastily followed Roshi into an ill-lighted room where the Supreme monk sat in a gold and red armchair. Standing slightly behind him to his right with his head bowed was a younger monk; presumably his caregiver.
The Alex Hunt Series Page 23