He laughed loudly.
“American soldier hahaaaa”
He was wide eyed and smiling broadly.
“Washington DC come to take me away” he shouted, a huge grin over his round face.
They smiled and the American spoke.
“Are you Ohnmar?”
The man maintained the wide smile and crinkled eyes and put his hands up as though being held at gunpoint.
“Don’t take me to Guantanamo” he shouted, far too loudly for the confined space they occupied.
“You’re a long way from Guantanamo partner, we need your help if you’d be so good”
They explained to him that they had crossed from the mountains with the man and that he had sent them to find someone named Ohnmar and the man laughed hysterically and confirmed that he was indeed Ohnmar and then he laughed again and asked them what he could do to help and if they were here to buy rubies, for they were the finest and biggest rubies in the world and he would offer them a good deal. They said they were not and explained their situation to him, omitting the incriminating detail of their entry into that country and the man laughed again and kicked his heels at the floor.
“Washington need Ohnmar” he bellowed.
The American shrugged and nodded and looked to the Dutchman with a slight smile.
“Well, I’m American, but my good friend here is from the Netherlands and the dude sitting yonder is from London England”
Ohnmar didn’t care about this and was still laughing to himself about his fancy that the United States was somehow in his debt and, when he had calmed slightly, he told them that he had a truck leaving in two days transporting rough rubies to the west and that they were welcome to travel with it but that he couldn’t guarantee their safety. He warned them that the military had increased its presence on the roads in the past week as there had been rioting in the cities due to the lack of government assistance with poor crop yields, which in turn was due to the changing weather and the increased heat in their land.
His smile faded for the first time as he spoke of the recent earthquake which had collapsed eleven mines in the area and killed two hundred and sixteen men and trapped many more and that the death count for this was not even confirmed yet. He told them that without access to the mines the livelihood of the town and many more like it were in dire jeopardy.
“With no airplane there is no tourist, and with no mine there is no ruby. With no these two things, there is no Mong Hsu”
The kid told Ohnmar that his jolly demeanour seemed in defiance of his true situation and Ohnmar replied that it did not and that his positive attitude would not falter in the face of this or any other problem and that many people were dead but he was not, and that regardless, he had a shipment of stones to deliver and that would come before all else. He told them that he moved his stones to Mandalay where the gems would be extracted from the rocks and cleaned and heattreated and that they would be sold to rich Americans even though they couldn’t export them directly and he laughed again at this and clapped his hand hard against the American’s back.
He looked out of the little office window to the glare outside and looked back to the group.
He said this too was not certain anymore as the import and export trade had ceased and there was no guarantee that his stones would make it to the airport at all but he said this didn’t matter to him as the rubies would not deteriorate with time as they had not done over the years thus far and they would still be there when exports resumed.
He called to the girl and she arrived from the back room and then went again and appeared once more with a small metal pot filled with tea and though it was starting to go cool they all drank. Ohnmar warned them that if the authorities were looking for them in that country, which they were, then they must mind who they spoke to and where they went for even though the state police didn’t come up into that town very often, they had eyes everywhere. He told them that from the few guesthouses in the town that would offer them a place to sleep only two were not run by the government or their affiliates. He said that while all guesthouses would pay taxes to operate, some were run by former army generals and their families and were used to fund the opium trade and whether they agreed morally with this or not was not of his business but he could be sure they would be reported should they go there.
Ohnmar led them to a small tavern and guesthouse run by his close friend and they took up bunks in the back room and showered in the cold shower and the Dutchman shaved with a blade. The proprietor brought them rice and hot broth and three cold beers and the kid offered him a handful of notes but he declined them with a smile and a bow.
The television in the front room buzzed and flickered in and out of the national news and though they could not understand the words being spoken they recognised many of the pictures being shown.
They saw images of cities around the world in various states of destruction and panic. Sydney and Singapore and Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro had been battered by huge waves coming in from every one of the world’s oceans and those places on fault lines had fallen victim to earthquakes and great fires. One repeated story showed farmers on their dried land shouting into the camera lens angrily and protesting and women crying and they saw footage of the fallen mines of the area and interviews with grieving families.
In the evening a group gathered around the screen and chatted noisily about the stories unfolding and drank tea and spirits from glass bottles. When the American told them his home had been destroyed they prayed for him and the Dutchman too and for the kid and wished them luck on their journey and gave them blessings they couldn’t understand.
On the third day they woke early and the guesthouse owner was already up and had made coffee and packed them noodles into containers for their journey and they thanked him and the kid left some money to cover their expenses under a jar in the kitchen should the man have declined it again.
On the edge of the town the battered blue truck was already filled with the rocks containing the gems and three men stood by the rear doors chatting. They turned to look as the kid and the airmen approached, each carrying his pack and nothing else. The men had been briefed of their arrival and the smallest of them stepped forward and outstretched his hand to them, expressionless, and they each shook it and the other two men took their packs and loaded them into the rear of the truck with the raw stones.
“You need our help crossing the country yes?”
The kid nodded to him.
“Yes, as quietly as possible”
The man scratched the corner of his mouth and thought about this. His English was tidier than most men there and had possibly been learned overseas.
“We’re going to Mandalay”
“Well, we’re not, we need to keep clear of the cities and head west” replied the kid.
The man thought again and nodded and looked them over.
“We will be in Mandalay by nightfall if we leave now and do not get stopped. We can take you to Mogoke. There you can go west”
The kid thanked him and told him that they would certainly pay for the travel and all the fuel used and more on top for their escorts’ troubles.
“There are state military all over the roads now. If they find you I will say that I know nothing about you being there and they will arrest you and there will be nothing I can do. You must understand this”
The kid nodded.
“We understand”
Chapter Five
Mong Hsu to Mogok
The old blue truck pulled out of Mong Hsu as the sky was starting to turn a dusky pink over the hilltops and the first glint of morning light kicked off the tin roofs. The airmen and the kid were sitting in the back amongst the black cases of rock and Ohnmar was in the cab next to his driver. Behind the truck the two other workers followed in an open topped Daihatsu each with a Type 81 Chinese assault rifle in his lap.
Within the hour the sun was again so hot in the sky that the fabric covering the truck was scorching
to touch and each of them was drenched in sweat. They had a small amount of water on board and it was already gone and the American had already eaten his noodles and the kid sat with his face at a small join in the material where the air was filtering through as they drove. The rocks were packed into locked cases and strapped together and strapped too to the bed of the truck and they rattled in their fixings on the uneven road and the men hiding amongst them rattled too.
The American had been laying on his back across the top of two cases with his head hanging backwards until it had banged against the cases so much a lump had formed. The kid watched through the crack in the fabric covering as they passed paddies dried out in the sun and all but deserted and a man prodding at one with a garden tool and standing again with his hands on his hips in failure. Further along their way two elderly women were removing clusters of garlic where they had been hanging to dry outside their house and both turned to watch the truck with sad and desperate eyes.
They reached Mongyai in late morning and Ohnmar called back into the truck.
“Americans, I hope you have not died on my stones”
The Dutchman sat up.
“We’re not far off it. Do you think we can get some water back here?”
Ohnmar laughed loudly and banged on the back of the cab.
“American” he shouted, inexplicably, and banged the cab and laughed again.
The Dutchman had long stopped correcting him on their nationality.
“I will stop here, very fast, we have many mile to go”
When the driver opened the ties on the back of the truck and let the fabric swing open, the air outside felt no cooler than the air in the vehicle and though there was hint of a passing breeze the sun was twice as intense in the open.
“Be quick” the driver ordered.
The American stepped out past him and caught his stare and held it for a time which caused some unnerve for the American did not like taking orders and the driver did not like Americans in his truck.
The atmosphere on the edge of that town was tenser than they had encountered in any place before then and there was something in the air that worried them all. Women were hurrying their children along the streets and holding them in the shaded cover of houses and there was a hurry and a hush as though something awful were about to occur there. Two mangy looking dogs circled with their heads low and one snapped quickly at the other and it trotted away with its tail down.
On the roadside the owner of a small café stood in the doorway watching them.
Ohnmar approached him and spoke to him quietly and with more seriousness than the men knew he possessed and the man nodded and Ohnmar turned and waved them across. They bought some water though the man would only sell them a gallon jug for he claimed that this was no time for giving away provisions and they thanked him and handed him the money and he took it and nodded to them and said nothing and they climbed back into the truck and the driver tied up the back and they moved out again along the road.
A helicopter roared low overhead and sent a flock of parakeets twisting and squawking away in all directions from where they had been roosting and set all the dogs to barking again.
Some distance further west they slowed once more in the road.
They could hear Ohnmar and the driver arguing about something in the front cab. The kid peered out of the opening in the material but could only see the fence running along the side the road and the dry field beyond.
Ohnmar banged on the back of the cab and it echoed into the hold.
“Quiet Americans. Road block”
They all looked at each other and quietly lowered themselves down into crouched positions and pulled their packs away from the edges of the truck.
They came to a halt.
The voices in the front cab ceased and they watched each other wide eyed and silent where they crouched.
A long few moments went by.
They heard the voices of men at the front of the truck and the cab doors opening as Ohnmar and the driver stepped out onto the road. There was more talking of which they understood not a thing and they could see through the joins in the material that the Daihatsu behind them had pulled in to them closely and the passenger stepped out too. He left his rifle in the vehicle with his comrade.
They sat crouched, breathing shallowly, each looking to the next and silently waiting for what would happen should the back of the truck be opened. They could hear Ohnmar loudly protesting to the men and heard him climb first in and then back out of the cab and there was a rustling of papers and more shouting.
The silhouettes of two men followed by the silhouettes of Ohnmar and his driver passed along the side of the truck.
They all stopped at the back of the truck.
The kid and the airmen held their breath.
They could see now two armed militia standing there and though they couldn’t see their faces they were sure that the soldiers would see them there. There was nowhere else to move to and each sat crouched on his spot not moving in the slightest for fear of making a noise that would betray their position. One of the state troopers was starting to untie the thick binding that held the trucks covers together and they could hear Ohnmar protesting and the rustling of his papers again. From where he crouched the Dutchman could see the driver of the Daihatsu behind standing on the driving seat with his rifle at his hip. He saw Ohnmar’s arm waving up and down and the driver of the tailing car sat back down and the other man joined him in the passenger seat. Two silhouettes moved back up the side of the truck and the next thing he heard was the truck engine sputtering to life and then they pulled forward onto the road and the Daihatsu followed behind.
They let out their breath.
Through the joins in the material they saw the two guards moving on to the next car in the line. The kid had been crouched and his leg had gone numb and tingled and he stretched it out and sat down on one of the cases.
They smiled to each other in relief, each man drenched in sweat.
Ohnmar banged again on the cab.
“Lucky Americans” he shouted through the metal and let out another roaring maniacal laugh.
The road west was dusty and long and the truck’s axles bounced and strained under their heavy load but the truck had made that journey many times before and they were sure it would survive again. The fabric insulated and amplified the heat more and their water had again run dry.
They were silent as each man concentrated on keeping himself cool and conscious and their legs were bruised from hours of potholed roads. They felt the truck pull away from the highway and heard noise outside the canopy and through the cracks in the material they could see buildings and signs indicating their arrival in a small town. They turned away from the street and down a hill away from the bustle and at the foot of that hill swung past trees and onto a red dust track.
“American” called Ohnmar from the front.
None of them replied.
The truck ground to a halt in a storm of dust that slowly billowed through the trucks covering.
The door swung open as the dust settled and Ohnmar’s huge grin met them.
“American. I have a friend here in Hsipaw. We will get food”
The Dutchman told him their reluctance go into the town and Ohnmar nodded.
“I know this. I have something else for you. Come”
The men dropped out of the truck onto the dusty ground and into the pokerhot rays of the sun.
To the south the great Dokhtawady river swept silently off to the hills.
“Fisherman have gone now, too late, too hot. You go”
The airmen and the kid kicked off their boots and removed their already wet shirts and waded into the cool and flopped down into the water and the kid ducked under and held himself there as the cold slowly crept back into his skin. Ohnmar and the driver walked back up the hill staying close to the treeline to avoid the sun and the two guards sat on the back of the truck with the rifles and smoked and waited.
The sky was filled with no birds and the trees with no wildlife for everything was sheltering from the heat. On the far bank of the river a small herd of cattle were standing in the water and they waited in the brown cool with the calves up to their necks and their eyes wide as they did what they must to cool themselves.
The sky was white.
The kid and the airmen sat in the shallows with only their heads out of the water and the American kept his hands out and smoked two cigarettes one after the other. When Ohnmar and the driver returned to them they brought with them a tin pot of vegetables and beans and some chicken spiced with bird chillies and a broth and a paper bag with beers. They ate inside the truck which had cooled just slightly where it was parked in the shade of the tall dying palms.
The driver told them in the town there he had seen a newspaper and that it told of the huge American evacuation for those who had survived and that boats were taking people to Brazil and to Ecuador but that many boats had sunk in rising seas. He said that people were heading to the uplands of Canada and that duststorms and rainstorms together had taken cities from the west coast to the east and to Mexico City in the south. He said the rains had reached China and Europe and that martial law was being observed everywhere.
Ohnmar and his men asked about their passengers and the airmen told them about their stationing in Singapore and their travels into Thailand and told them how they had met the kid but didn’t speak of the river crossing for despite what efforts they were putting forward to help, they knew that these men were not to be entirely trusted with their secret.
The kid told them about the elephants and the men said they agreed with his work and Ohnmar said that all of God’s creatures should be protected together and that in the future it would be the beasts who would walk the Earth long after man had left. He laughed and said that those on four legs would be laughing last no matter what were to unfold. The kid nodded and added that this would only be the case if they ensured that they were not made extinct at man’s hand first.
Where Men Once Walked Page 8