by Farah Zaman
“I don’t see the Secret Tunnel,” Layla said after scanning the map.
“Oh, that? It was closed years ago,” Basim said. “Too many children were wandering inside and getting lost.”
“That’s what happened to Aunt Hafza,” Zahra exclaimed.
The playland was a beehive of activity as people moved back and forth in steady streams, their voices and laughter mingling with the exotic strains of sounds issuing from colorful tents and musical rides. At Basim’s recommendation, the first ride they decided to go on was The Spinning Star. Unfortunately, due to the age restriction, the twins could not join them. Basim sportingly agreed to chaperone them on the Carousel of Camels.
There was a long line of people waiting for The Spinning Star. At last, their turn came, and they were ushered into the enclosure to board the ride. The Spinning Star was a monstrous circle-shaped carriage with a domed roof, blue walls and red seats spaced about arm-length apart. The teenagers chose their seats, which were resting on a crisscrossing network of railway-like tracks, and buckled their seat belts in readiness. When all the seats had been filled, the door closed, and the ride began.
With a clank and a sputter, the seats began orbiting around each other at top speed. The riders cried out in excitement as they moved back and forth and left to right. Whenever it seemed that two seats would collide, they would veer off from each other at the last possible moment. To add to the thrill of the ride, some seats were sprinkled with droplets of cool water, causing the riders to shriek out in surprise. The seats went through several patterns of movement before they slowed down and returned to their original positions, allowing their laughing riders to get off.
“That was great,” Zahra said.
“You can say that again,” Layla agreed.
They found Basim and the twins waiting for them at the exit.
“So, how was it?” Basim asked.
“It was awesome,” Adam declared.
“I knew you’d like it,” Basim nodded in satisfaction. “Do you want to get some ice cream now or later?”
“Ah, the ice cream which you love so much,” Adam waggled his eyebrows up and down, making Basim and the others chuckle. “Definitely now.”
It was while they were eating their ice cream cones that Zaid felt a prickling sensation at the back of his neck, as if eyes were boring into him. He glanced around, but they were surrounded by so many people that it was hard to pinpoint anyone in particular. After they had finished their cones, Basim suggested they go on the Perilous Passage Adventure ride next. To get there, they had to take the Eagle Express, one of the bird-shaped cable cars Zaid had noticed on their approach to the playland.
They boarded the Eagle Express at the Treetop One station. After the car was filled, it took off with a great whoosh, gliding smoothly along its cable. It was an exhilarating experience being suspended in the air, looking down at the colorful tents and rides below. At the Treetop Two station, some riders got off and others came on. Finally, the teenagers and twins got off at the Treetop Three station and followed Basim to the next ride. It was in a gigantic igloo-like structure in a cordoned-off corner of the lake.
They waited in line in a tunnel-like building with a roof at the top. Zaid was glad that they were in the shade, since it afforded them protection from the fierce rays of the sun. Ten minutes later, it was their turn to disappear into the igloo-like building. Inside, Zaid saw that they stood on a jetty, brightly lit all around. The roof of the igloo rose far above, giving the impression of being in a gigantic bubble. They boarded an enormous barge, outfitted with seats in assorted colors which contained about thirty people at a time.
The captain introduced himself and his crew of two, and gave a few precautionary instructions before the boat took off at a brisk pace down the artificially lit waters. Zaid was just beginning to enjoy himself when the captain warned that there was stormy weather ahead. The waters around them began to roil, causing the boat to tip dangerously from side to side. Passengers began to squeal as thunder boomed, lightning flashed, and a light sprinkling of rain began to fall. The boat continued swaying dangerously in the churning waters, tipping too much to one side until water gushed in to puddle at their feet.
Passengers began squealing again and the captain urgently ordered his crew to bail water. Several minutes later, the storm came to an end and the boat emerged into calm waters. But not for long. The Captain warned that a squall was on the way. Soon, they were caught up in the midst of a powerful wind that battered at the boat and blasted cold air in their faces. The wind whistled and howled eerily, sweeping the vessel in a back-and-forth motion. Zaid was thoroughly enjoying himself by the time the squall ended. Next, the Captain announced that they were going to encounter foggy conditions ahead. No sooner had he spoken when they were enveloped by a thick cloud of mist that swirled and writhed around them, reducing visibility to nil.
The passengers on the Perilous Passage Adventure ride were nearly sucked into a whirlpool and caught in the jaws of a large sea monster before the journey of the beleaguered boat came to an end. By the time the teenagers and twins emerged from the ride, they decided that it was the most thrilling boat ride they had ever been on.
Since the Grotto of Voices Experience was in the same vicinity, they decided to try that out next.
“The twins are under the age limit,” Basim told them. “I can take them to the Shifting Sands Safari in the meantime. The Grotto is kind of creepy,” he wrinkled his nose. “Weird voices and all that stuff.”
“Be warned,” Layla spoke with a thick, exaggerated accent. “Your lives are in danger. You must leave Bayan Bay at once.” The others chuckled at her funny impression of a fortune teller.
While heading to the Grotto, Zaid again felt the sensation of eyes on him but was unable to find any particular pair of eyes turned their way. The Grotto of Voices was located underground via a winding ramp. At the end of the ramp was a wooden, barn-like structure with a pair of steel doors. Above it was a sign that read, The Grotto of Voices Experience. To the left was an enclosed glass booth where an operator sat and to the right, several large green circles on the ground. Within each circle, was written in white letters, Four to a Circle. The two circles ahead of them were occupied, so the teenagers stood in the third circle as they awaited their turn.
Finally, they were in the foremost circle. The door of the Grotto slid open and the group that had been ahead of them streamed out. The operator’s voice came through a speaker above them, “Next group, please enter.” The teenagers hurried forward through the doors, which closed smoothly behind them. They found themselves in a dimly lit space that looked like an underground cave. Great hunks of rock with life-like flora rose before them, with a narrow, winding path in the middle. On the roof above, strange signs and symbols winked on and off, like weird eyes peering down at them. They began to walk single-file down the pathway, not knowing what to expect.
There came a sibilant whisper to their left and Zahra gave a muffled shriek as a slimy snake reared up from between the rocks, its red eyes gleaming in the dark. “You are our prisoners now,” it hissed. “There is no escape.”
“Goodness,” Layla giggled nervously. “It looks so real.”
All around them they heard indistinct whispers as burning red and green eyes peered at them in the dark. As they passed under a skeletal tree, a raucous laugh rang out as long vines reached out towards them, twisting and turning as if to trap them. One by one, they dodged the vines and continued into the grotto. On a shelf, they saw a pile of precious stones guarded by a gigantic black scorpion that whispered menacingly, “Touch my treasure and you will feel my stinnnng.”
Soon, they came to a stream with colorful rocks around it. The water began to foam, and several piranhas sprang to the surface, their long, sharp teeth bared hideously. “We are huuuuuugry,” they snarled. “All we need is a bite to eaaaaat.”
“Oo
h,” Zahra gasped. “They look so scary.”
As they proceeded down the path, Zaid screeched as a blood-red claw came out of a crevice and a deep voice growled, “I will riiiiiiiiiip you to shreds and scatter your bones to the winnnnnd.”
“This is so cool,” Adam gave a jittery laugh. “Our feet probably trigger mechanisms underground to operate these contraptions.”
Further into the cave they walked until they came to a swampy parcel of ground, in the middle of which was a large pool filled with thick, murky water. Around it was tall, waving reeds from which came the humming of insects and the croaking of frogs. There was a loud gulping sound and bubbles started to pop up on the surface of the pool. As they stared with wide eyes, a large dark shape began to rise up slowly.
There was a crackling sound from the overhead speaker, followed by a guttural snarl. Then a rasping voice said, “Be warned. Your lives are in danger. Stop looking for the Moon and leave Bayan Bay at once!”
The sinister warning was followed by a cacophony of wails, howls and maniacal laughter that rose to a crescendo. Stunned, the teenagers put their hands over their ears as the very air vibrated around them. Zaid felt the blood curdle in his veins as he was overtaken by a sensation of panic. The dark shape rising out of the water, coupled with the eerie echoing sounds were too much for Zahra. With a shrill scream, she turned back on the pathway and ran frantically to the door. She began to pound on it as she yelled hysterically, “Let us out, let us out.”
The others ran after her and to their relief, the noise stopped abruptly. Moments later, the door opened, and the alarmed face of the operator appeared.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“No, we’re not,” Zaid replied. “Someone tried to scare us in there.”
“I’m sorry,” the operator looked agitated. “I shouldn’t have believed that man.”
“What man?” Layla demanded.
“A man who said he was your uncle. He told me that he wanted to give you some good news while you were in the Grotto. We get requests like that all the time and our customers are usually happy. So I allowed him into my booth and showed him what to do. I then made a quick trip to the restroom, telling him to wait until I got back. When I returned, he was gone but I saw that he had turned on all the audios to run at the same time. When I took it off, I heard you hitting on the door.”
“He was no uncle of ours,” Adam said in disgust. “What did he look like?”
“Well, he was wearing a robe with head covering and dark sunshades. He had a slight beard, I think. I really didn’t take much notice of what he looked like,” the operator said apologetically.
“That description fits half of the men here,” Layla said.
“I’m really sorry about this,” the operator said abjectly. “You can go back to the Grotto if you wish. I promise, you’ll enjoy it this time.”
Zaid looked at Zahra’s strained face and said hastily, “No, that’s not necessary. You already have two groups waiting,” he pointed to the green circles where several young people had been watching the proceedings with wide eyes.
As the operator strode hurriedly over to his booth, the teenagers made their way out of the Grotto and up the ramp.
“Someone was listening to us,” Layla said indignantly. “He repeated the exact words I said earlier.”
“You know, I had a feeling a couple of times that we were being watched,” Zaid said. “It must have been our fake uncle.”
“It must have been Mir,” Adam said the next day in Moss Haven. “All he had to do was put on headgear and sunglasses to become incognito.”
“If it was him, he sure spoiled a wonderful day,” Layla said.
“I’m sorry I behaved like such a baby,” Zahra said in a small voice.
“Those sounds were enough to drive anyone crazy,” Zaid said. “It was a cruel thing to do.”
“All that theatrics is not going to scare us away,” Adam declared. “Stop looking for the Moon and leave Bayan Bay? Yeah, right,” he snorted disdainfully.
“So, what’s next on the agenda?” Layla asked.
“We will continue our search of the rooms on the first floor,” Adam said. “We can try to finish the laundry room, store room and the prayer room this morning.”
As they trudged back to the house, the teenagers came to a surprised standstill as they passed by Abbas’s cottage. The object of their ire was sitting on a chair reading outside, his left leg propped up on a stool. Ordinarily, this would have been nothing remarkable. But what made them stop and stare was the fact that the propped-up leg was wrapped from knee to ankle in a thick bandage.
Mir turned their way and caught them gawking. “What are you doing here?” he growled.
“Oh, just taking a stroll,” Adam replied breezily. Gesturing to Mir’s bandage, he asked with a touch of sarcasm, “What happened? Did you run into someone again?”
“Don’t be an impertinent young pup,” Mir scowled at him.
Abbas emerged from the cottage and greeted them. “Visiting the patient?”
“We just saw him as we were passing by,” Zaid said. “What happened?”
Uncle and nephew exchanged a quick look before Abbas, looking distinctly uncomfortable, replied, “He fell yesterday and cut his shin.”
After politely wishing Mir a speedy recovery, they continued on their way.
“He seems to be very accident-prone, our Mir,” Layla remarked when they were out of earshot.
“At least he can’t blame that lamer on me,” Adam said smugly.
Zaid said, “Well, I guess he couldn’t have been our fake uncle at the playland if he was off injuring his leg yesterday.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” Adam was quick to negate that thought. “He might have injured it after coming back from the playland.”
Upon returning to the house, they began their search at once. Zaid and Zahra searched the laundry room and store room while Adam and Layla kept watch. Then Adam and Layla searched the prayer room while Zaid and Zahra kept watch. As with the other areas, nothing was to be found.
“Well, it’s not surprising that we’ve found nothing so far,” Layla said. “Grandpa and Dad must have already covered these areas.”
“Zaid and I will search the kitchen tonight after everyone goes to bed,” Adam said. “We don’t have to worry about Maymun and Luqman’s quarters since that wing was a new addition to the house.”
That night, after the rest of the household had gone to sleep, the two youths crept down to the kitchen to begin their search. Zaid took the first stint while Adam kept watch in the passageway outside. In the midst of Zaid’s search, Adam came hurriedly into the kitchen.
“Someone’s coming,” he hissed, switching off the light. “Quick, under the table.” They were not a moment too soon, for they heard the heavy tread of footsteps coming into the kitchen and the light was switched on again. The youths huddled under the table, glad that the vinyl tablecloth shielded them from view. They heard liquid being poured into a glass and then the sound of drinking. After that came a satisfied grunt, then the sound of a utensil being placed in the sink. Zaid put his head close to the ground and peered up. He recognized Luqman’s form moments before the handyman turned off the light and the sound of his footsteps receded in the passageway.
The youths waited a few minutes before emerging from their hiding place.
“I’ll search now,” Adam said. “You can keep watch.”
As Zaid poked his head out into the passageway, he saw a thin beam of light flash out from the living room. The next moment it disappeared, and all was dark again. Mystified, he whispered to Adam, “I saw a light in the living room just now, but it’s gone.”
“It must be Luqman,” Adam whispered back. “Let’s go before he catches us. We’ll have to search another time.”
Quietly, they crept
along the dark passageway. As they passed by the living room, they caught a glimpse of a figure aiming a flashlight at the wall to the far left. Zaid smothered a gasp as he followed Adam noiselessly into the great hall and up the stairs.
“Luqman’s the one searching for the Moon,” Adam said indignantly once they were back in the turret. “He must have been our fake uncle from the Grotto.”
“Wait a minute,” Zaid cautioned. “He couldn’t have gone to the playland yesterday.”
“Why not?” Adam demanded hotly.
“Because his pickup truck wasn’t working, and he had it towed to the mechanic. Grandpa took him after lunch today to pick it up, remember?”
The fight went out of Adam like air deflating from a balloon. “You’re right. But Luqman sure is looking for the Moon from the look of things. He may be searching on his own or is in league with Abbas and Mir.”
“It certainly seems that way.”
“Meeting. First thing in the morning,” Adam said, covering a yawn.
Chapter Thirteen:
The Old Sailor
The next morning, Zaid had a quick conversation with Maymun before joining the others in Moss Haven. Adam told the girls what had transpired last night and predictably, they were shocked to learn that Luqman was searching for the Moon.
“Maybe Maymun doesn’t know about it,” Zahra said unhappily. Zaid understood how his sister felt. They had become rather fond of the housekeeper and were reluctant to think that she could be part and parcel of the devious scheme. And Zaid had just gotten some information from her that could further incriminate her husband.
Layla said, “If Luqman is searching for the Moon, then it must have been him at the Grotto of Voices.”
“No, his car was at the repair shop,” Adam said. “It had to be Mir.”