The three left the room and sat outside with Sid while Dave got his medicinal enema.
Vitchae then came out and told Sid that Dave was asleep but he could stay at his bedside until he woke.
With Spock and Stu whistling the Ghostbusters theme, they left the clinic and went to Pon's study.
Spock and Stu sat by a large teak desk, while Pon went to a safe and removed a large ancient leather-bound book. He brought it to his desk, put it in front of Spock and Stu, and sat next to them.
Looking intrigued, Spock asked. “What’s that, a door stop?”
Stu pointed at the book and asked. “Are they the mantra thingmy’s that you chant all day and the Buddha’s words of wisdom that you lot live by?”
Pon shook his head and said. “No, this is the holy Puravuttanta. It gives the events of Buddha’s life, along with his descendants throughout the ages. Buddha’s disciples started this many years after his death.” Pon stared at the book and told them, “and few people knew it existed.”
Spock smirked and looked at Stu. “So, it is centuries old and still not a best seller. Looks like there’s hope for Woneater.”
Pon, ignoring Spock, opened the stiff pages of the ancient book.
Spock and Stu saw the yellow pages of parchment written in squiggles as they waited for Pon to find what he was looking for and translate.
Meanwhile, Stu picked up a newspaper lying on Pon’s desk, but seeing that it was in Thai, and after seeing a gruesome car crash photograph on the front page, he put it down and picked his nose.
“Ah, here we are,” said Pon finding the relevant section. “This was transcribed from the Pali text into ancient Siamese by my ancestors over 1500 years ago.”
“Great,” said Spock and Stu, who yawned as Pon looked down the page. “Ahh, here it is.”
Spock and Stu leant over and looked as Pon pointed to a row of squiggles and said, “The ancients called them Amanussas, which in English translated to Demons.”
Pon read on and told them. “As the years passed and Buddhism spread; other religions became afraid of the new religion sweeping across their lands. Some had heard the stories about Buddha’s living descendants, and two-hundred years after the Buddha’s death, the powerful *Hindu King, Brahma of the Madhada region clan, commissioned a sect of assassins, known as the Amanussas, or Demons, to find and eradicate all trace of Buddha’s descendants.” Pon turned the page and read. “The Amanussas found and killed some descendants and their Gopetu’s in Nepal and India.” Pon looked at Spock and Stu and read on. “It was said that the Amanussas were invisible.”
Pon read and although he had been told stories from the Puravuttanta countless times, but knew if he had just told Spock and Stu the story they wouldn’t believe him and knew what their reaction would be. He smiled when he saw the pair appearing to be soaking in the information and groaned when Spock broke the silence with what Pon had expected. “What a load of old bollox... Invisible Demons. Were Buddha’s descendants bonkers... Or Yorkie’s?” Spock sniggered, looking at Pon as if he had grown another tail.
Pon sighed, and knowing his plan to read from the book had failed, leant forward, and said. “Over two millennia ago, a plant was discovered called Tusen. Garments made from Tusen made the wearer invisible to humans. The plant grew near a village at the base of what is now called the Himalayas.”
Spock looked confused. “Hang on matey; if it’s invisible, how did they find it?”
Pon tapped on a charcoal sketch in the book and said. “One day, one of the village clan’s elders went to the home of one of its blind citizens. The man was sitting outside his shack on a rock. The elder noticed blind man seemed to be moulding something, but the elder saw nothing in his hands. He watched the man for several moments who appeared to be caressing something while smiling. The elder, assuming the blind man crazy, walked away. The blind man, on hearing the elder, stopped what he was doing and asked. “Who’s there?”
“It’s Ardu,” replied the elder.
The old blind man smiled, held out his cupped hands, and said, “I would love a Chuba made from this, it feels so soft. Do you know if the local weavers use this material? I imagine they do with it growing so close.”
“I don’t know,” said the elder,” and humouring the blind man, said, “I will ask.”
The blind man stood. “I can supply my own, and I know where there is plenty. Here take this clump... Do you know what it’s called?”
The blind man nodded, motioning for Ardu the elder to take something and held out his cupped hands. The elder, to pacify the nutcase, went to take the imaginary object and felt something soft and malleable in the old man’s hands. He gasped when he touched the soft object and pulled off clumps and reintegrated them into the ball. It felt like a large ball of yak’s wool.
“Do you want to take more? I have lots inside,” asked Tusen, the blind man.
The elder had the village weaver and tailor make a Chuba, a long woollen coat, for Tusen, which he wore around the village, although unaware why people laughed at him as they could only see his head, hands, and feet. The village elders gave Tusen the task of collecting the plant and, over the next few months, the village weavers, and tailors made garments from the Tusen.
“So how could the weavers and tailors see it?” asked Stu furrowing his brow.
Pon sighed, wondering if his two friends were this annoying with their teacher’s at school.
“Oh, I guess they just felt it,” said Stu seeing Pon looking frustrated, “okay, carry on.”
Pon cleared his throat and said.
“The warriors in the clan then had the material made into full body suits, which enabled them to raid nearby clan’s supplies unseen.”
“That’s a lot of explaining for such a small section,” said Spock looking at the small paragraph of squiggles in the book, and seeing Pon no longer reading it, furrowed his brow and said. “You’re making it up.”
“I am telling you the tale how I was told as a novice monk. It will be a simpler version for you to understand,” said Pon noticing the pair looked bored.
“Hurry up then and no more bloody ad-libbing,” said Stu. Pon grinned and to keep the lads happy, read from the pages… and ad-libbed.
“Every clan feared other clans, so after King Brahma of the large Madhada clan found out about these rumoured spectres, he employed the village warriors as assassins. The clansmen’s fearful supernatural reputation spread throughout the region and they became known as the Amanussa. According to the texts, King Brahma ordered the Amanussa to kill the Buddha’s descendants. At the time, there were only a few hundred descendants, who lived close to each other. It was written that after the first descendants were slaughtered by the Demons, instead of fleeing, the remaining descendants and Gopetu’s congregated together in a small village within a forest to defend themselves. Although terrified, they prayed that Buddha would protect them.”
Pon smiled after reciting the story from memory.
“So what happened next?” asked Stu looking at his watch.
“The Amanussa did not realise that Tusen only appeared invisible to humans, and after locating the descendant’s village, they attacked at night. The village dogs growling and barking alerted the Gopetu’s. With the camp located deep within a dense forest, they used evergreen tree wood for their fires. The thick white smoke billowing from the fires made the assassin’s outlines visible. The Gopetu’s, fiercely trained warriors, easily defeated the surprised Amanussas.”
“Hurray,” said Spock, hoping the story was over and he looked at Pon who said.
“The Gopetu’s tortured the captured Amanussas and found the whereabouts of their village. Using Tusen suits they’d taken of the dead Amanussa, the Gopetu’s attacked the village and wiped them out. Their dogs then led them to the fields of Tusen which they burnt.” Pon smiled and told them. “None has ever been found since.”
“Of course it hasn’t, it’s bloody invisible,” said Stu smirking and tapping his
lips together wanting a beer.
Pon, looking at the doubting Thomas’s, said. “I don’t think it was invisible. Perhaps it was a colour that humans cannot see.”
“Oh, so what colour is that then?” asked Spock also wanting a beer.
“Is it blue?” asked Stu looking wistful.
“I don’t know,” said Pon, raising his eyebrows. “But I imagine it’s like infra-red; humans can’t see it, but it exists.”
“So it’s red then?” asked Spock smirking.
Pon groaned and sighed.
“Huh, you’ve been watching too much Discovery Channel,” said Stu grinning.
“What a load of old bollox,” said Spock, who along with Stu, burst out laughing.
With Spock and Stu’s tittering ringing in his ears, Pon took the Puravuttanta and returned it to the safe. He had heard the tale of the Amanussas and the Tusen, and enjoyed it as a young novice monk. However, now that he had told the fable to Spock and Stu, he could see how ridiculous it sounded. He went back to the desk and said. “I need to learn more information from Dave before I go to Salaburi and prepare the Tinju.”
Spock chuckled and looked at Stu. “There you go mate, now you have the invisible Guppy Ghostbusters for your epic.”
Stu glared at Spock and then told Pon. “Poor old Dave looked out of it and I don’t think a tube shoved up his arse will make him very responsive.”
Pon nodded. “I know, but Master Vitchae will tell me when he is well enough for another visit.”
“Right then,” said Spock looking at his watch and hoping the fridge was re-stocked with Singha, “beer time.”
Several hours later, Pon went to see Spock and Stu in the lounge and said. “Master Vitchae called me, Dave’s awake, and more alert; he wanted to see us.” He looked around the room and asked, “Where are the girls?”
“Shopping,” grumbled Stu, “Kim took them to the market to buy clothes... More bloody expense.”
“Yeah,” said Spock chuckling. “It's not like their clothes are threadbare. They own a bloody clothes shop.”
The three walked to the clinic and into Dave’s room.
Dave sat up against a pillow looking at his iPad while Sid slept in a comfortable chair at his bedside.
Vitchae stood at the table at the foot of Dave’s bed, mixing potions.
Vitchae wai-ed the party and Pon and the lads returned the wai and went over to Daves bedside and he put the iPad on his bedside cabinet.
“How are you feeling?” asked Pon in a whisper, so not to disturb Sid.
“A lot better,” said Dave and smiled, “thanks to Master Vitchae’s potions.”
Vitchae went to stand with Stu, Pon, and Spock.
“Hi Meggies,” said Dave, smiling at Spock and Stu.
“Can you tell us what happened?” asked Pon.
Dave looked at the sleeping Sid and quietly said,
“I don’t rightly know. I wez watching the footie when Kai, Sid’s dad, phoned sounding frantic. I heard Whippet, their Rottweiler, going berserk in the background. I only live next door so I rushed around.” Dave again looked at Sid sleeping as tears welled up in his eyes, “When I got there the door wez open and the place wez a madhouse. Kai looked frantic, swinging his fists around in mid-air. His missus, Noi, stood in the middle of the room screaming and Whippet appeared to be tugging at something and snarling.” Dave took a sip of water, “I didn’t know what the fuck wez happening until Kai saw me and shouted, Demons!”
Dave, looking remorseful, sighed and said, “I wasn’t prepared, even with all my training and preparation, I felt helpless.” He raised his eyebrows. “Who would think this could happen nowadays?”
Dave then looked sullen and shook his head.
“So what happened next?” asked Pon, seeing the Gopetu becoming more upset as he gazed at Sid with tears running down his face.
Dave sniffed back the tears. “Sorry,” he said and composed himself. “Then I saw a flash of a dagger before it scratched me arm.”
He showed them the scratch on his forearm. “I then knew what Kai meant. Me Dad had told Kai and me the stories when we were kids, and I have read the Puravuttanta many times. Dad trained us, although me and Kai laughed about it and never took it seriously,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse. “I consider myself and Kai great fighters, but I wish I had paid more attention to details about how to fight the Demons. They overwhelmed us in minutes.”
Dave rubbed his temples and said, “I only saw a dagger for a moment before it disappeared, so I kicked in that direction and hit someone. When I heard a man groaning, I knew roughly where his throat was and about to grab it when I heard Whippet yelp, and I saw a dagger slitting his throat. Kai then hollered and fell to his knees and I saw blood spurting from his leg. Noi gasped, and I saw blood spreading on her shirtsleeve, so knew that she’d been stabbed in t’ arm.”
Pon and Vitchae looked at one another as Dave rubbed his eyes and continued to recall events.
“Someone brushed past me before I heard the front door slam. Everything then went quiet, and we stared at each other and realised they had gone. Kai and Noi said they felt dizzy, so sat down. Noi teld me that she had made Sid hide in the attic. Although none of us could understand what wez happening, we figured that they could come back to get Sid and finish us off. I tried to call me dad but his phone wey off, so was Kai’s Mams. They always hung around together after Sid’s granddad died a few years ago, so they never turned their phones off.” Dave’s eyes again filled with tears. “Kai’s body swelled up and he said that he could feel his throat tightening, so did Noi. I felt fine, so we decided that the best thing to do until we could find answers for what had happened, was for me to take Sid and hide somewhere safe. I hid Whippet’s body behind the settee, while Noi went to get Sid. I could see Kai becoming weaker and weaker, and when Noi brought Sid down, although she tried to appear brave for Sid, she collapsed into a chair. Kai seemed to muster his last ounce of his energy, and ordered the frightened Sid to go with me.”
Dave looked at Sid sleeping peacefully in the chair clutching his Gameboy.
“I can’t imagine how scared or confused the poor little mite must feel?” Spock whispered to Stu.
Stu nodded but looking puzzled said. “I can’t see how a wound in the leg or arm would make someone swell up so quickly.”
Dave again looked at his scratch. “Neither do I, but from my scratch, I know it was some kind of poison.”
Pon nodded. “They used Aroona root poison on Dave, but from the way he described what happened to Sid’s parents, I don’t think it was the same.”
Stu looked puzzled. “So, if these Demons stabbed Sid’s Mam and Dad with the stuff that made them swell, why did they only scratch you with the root poison?”
“I dorn know, but we weren’t going to wait around to find out. Our priority was to get Sid to safety,” said Dave sounding anxious and scared.
Spock furrowed his brow. “So how do you know that yours and Sid’s parents are dead?” asked Stu.
Dave sighed, looked again as Sid slept and then handed Pon his iPad.
Stu, Pon, Spock, and Vitchae looked at the screen, showing the recent headlines from the Sheffield Argus newspaper. It showed a burnt-out house, with the headline,
‘Gas explosion in Rochester Road kills family.’
“That’s Sid’s house.” Dave told them.
They all looked aghast as they read the headline and Dave took back the iPad and brought up another article showing a car wreckage in front of a rubbish skip. “That’s me Dad’s car,” he said handing the iPad to Pon who showed Stu, Spock, and Vitchae.
They read the article about how the vehicle had ploughed into a waste skip, killing three elderly passengers instantly.
They could all see from the pictures that nobody could have survived.
Dave frowned and through grated teeth said.
“They came back and finished the job, t’ bastards. They made it look like accidents. Me dad hardly ever dr
ove that car; it was knackered, and hardly ever started.”
Stu, noticing Dave becoming more upset and angry and still feeling puzzled asked. “So what are Buddha’s descendants doing in Sheffield, and how come you brought Sid to Thailand?”
Dave took a sip of water, and grinned. “I don’t know if you noticed, but if you look underneath me flat cap, I am Thai,” said Dave. “My grandparents and Sid’s Great grandparents moved to England from Bangkok in the fifties. Me dad taught me and Kai, Muay Thai, and other fighting techniques from when we were youngsters and told us we must learn them. We have always spoken Thai as a family. I could speak that before I learned English, so can Sid. It wasn’t until I wey sixteen that our parents teld us what our role in life were and Kai was a descendant of Buddha. They said it wey my job to protect him and his family and to learn from the Puravuttanta.
My Dad brought me and Sid’s Mam and Dad to Thailand before Sid wez born and I met Pon and the Tinju in Salaburi. Even though our closest Sanctuary is the Fuego de Dios in Spain, I always considered Thailand me horm, so when the bastards attacked, we all knew here was the only place to come to be safe.”
Pon nodded and said. “We have been friends ever since.”
“Aye, and the Tinju couldn’t have a braver or tougher Prime Master. Me and Sid are in good hands,” said Dave leaning forward and wai-ing Pon.
Dave then winced as his body still felt sore and weak from the effects of the poison.
“Keep still,” said Vitchae as Dave lay back against the pillow. “You have not yet fully recovered.”
Dave dozed for a moment before opening his eyes and with his mouth feeling dry, looked at Pon.
“Please look after Sid. He is too young and knew nothing about all this.”
Dave looked drowsy, and with his speech slurring, said, “I’m sorry, but I feel sleepy again, can we talk later?” Then he looked at Sid, and asked, “Please don’t tell him what happened to his Mam and Dad yet. I teld him we were coming here because they were robbed and had to go to hospital. I told him they didn’t want him staying alone in case the burglars came back.”
Protector--The Final Adventure Page 4