by Ahadi, Kion
“Hey, have you been waiting for ages?” Aiyana said as she got into the car. I had been lost in my thoughts and had not noticed Aiyana approach.
“Not really. How was the class, karate kid?” I asked enthusiastically.
“It was ok,” Aiyana replied, her tone devoid of its usual excitement. I started the car and we began the journey home. After a few minutes of silence Aiyana spoke unexpectedly, “have you noticed how quiet Dad has been lately?”
“No, I am still getting used to being around him again,” I replied.
“Well he isn’t the same – he seems depressed,” Aiyana said.
“I haven’t noticed. I think the problem is he never really lets go enough to enjoy himself; he spends too much time worrying about money and status,” I said.
“Maybe, but his mood is definitely different now.” From the corner of my eye I could see Aiyana looking at me intently.
We reached a red light. I turned and looked at my younger sister. Her face was sullen.
“Cyrus I have a bad feeling,” Aiyana said.
I stared at my sister. She turned to look out the side window of the car. Even at fifteen, she seemed so small. I couldn’t remember her ever looking so sad before. Aiyana was always joking and cheering people up around her. A memory drifted across my mind, I had often held Aiyana when she had been a baby and rocked her to sleep in my arms. She would look up at me with those beautiful brown eyes and gurgle and dribble on me until she slept. A car beeping behind me caused me to come out of my trance and look ahead. The traffic light was green again. I put the car into gear.
“A bad feeling about what?” I asked as I drove off.
There was silence. I quickly glanced to the side. Aiyana was still looking out of the car window.
“Well are you going to leave me in suspense or tell me what is bothering you?” I repeated.
“I just feel like we may not see each other again after you leave to go on your trip,” Aiyana said.
“Sure we will, what’s with this pessimism? You aren’t usually like this,” I said.
“I guess I am just going to miss you, I’ve got used to having you around,” Aiyana replied.
“I will be back, I will miss you too,” I found myself suddenly taken with emotion.
“Wow, you have never admitted that before! Being married has obviously softened you up,” Aiyana said her voice reverting back to its usual mischievous undertone.
“But isn’t it obvious?” I said feeling wounded and guilty. Aiyana had hit a nerve; I had never been any good at expressing my feelings towards her.
“Well it is nice to hear you will actually miss me once in a while. I love you bro,” Aiyana said.
I wanted to tell Aiyana everything I had witnessed and experienced in the last few months, but I knew I shouldn’t. In time she would learn about the decision facing each soul: the choice to follow light or darkness. We teased each other the rest of the drive home, and laughed sharing happy memories from the past.
***
Paymon sat alone in the front room dressed in his bathrobe. He shifted around trying to get comfortable in the chair facing the television. The afternoon news was on. There were successive reports of floods, earthquakes and environmental devastation in various far-flung regions of the world. He watched different images of desperate people who had just lost loved ones or their homes. There was no longevity or real security in this world he thought. Paymon had decided to take a break from work, he felt tired. He had been having trouble sleeping. The family did not know how much financial trouble he was in. He was well over the overdraft limit on his business account. Things had been going wrong for months now. Several deals had fallen through. Paymon was a proud man, he had worked hard all his life to make up for the fact he had come from a poor background. He hated the thought of showing his vulnerability, but he desperately needed help.
“It is a lovely day outside,” Megan said as she entered the front room through the sliding patio door which led out to the garden.
Paymon looked up at his wife and managed a weak smile.
“Are you feeling better dear?” Megan inquired.
“Yes, I just needed to have a sleep in, what with all the recent excitement,” Paymon replied.
Megan grinned as she looked at the photo of Cyrus and Nadia on the mantelpiece.
“I will get dressed soon and go and meet Vlad,” Paymon added as his wife’s gaze returned to him.
“It was kind of him to arrange the meeting with his boss,” Megan said.
“Yes it was, apparently he wanted to meet me straight away. By all accounts Mr Aleintchev has vast amounts of money he is willing to invest in new construction projects,” Paymon said.
“What time have you arranged to meet him?” Megan asked as she picked up some magazines lying around the room.
“In two hours… we have been invited to lunch, and then a meeting afterwards at his London office,” Paymon said standing up. “I will go and get ready,” he added as he walked out of the room and towards the stairs.
Megan watched her husband leave the room and then turned to switch off the television. But the images on the screen caught her attention. A distraught mother was holding her dead child in weary arms. Megan sat on the couch, the look of anguish and pain on the woman’s face captivated her. Every day there seemed to be more news of death and destruction. The world looked to be in a desperate state. How would the poor woman cope? Megan could not begin to imagine the pain of losing a child.
***
Vlad opened the door. Paymon and Mr Aleintchev walked into the office. They had talked a great deal over lunch. Paymon was extremely hopeful Mr Aleintchev would invest some money into his latest construction project. He would push to get a commitment, he could not afford to miss his chance.
“Take a seat,” Mr Aleintchev instructed Paymon as he walked to seat himself behind a large desk.
Mr Aleintchev’s office was spacious. The desk was the main feature of the room and was made of a dark wood. The room was surrounded with large bookcases on either side filled to the brim with tome after tome. Paymon sat in the wide leather chair opposite the desk, as Mr Aleintchev lit a large cigar. Vlad closed the office door and stood near the doorway like a bodyguard. This made Paymon feel strangely uncomfortable. Vlad was a huge and heavy set man with a shaved head. When he was in job mode, as he evidently was today, he was very intimidating.
“Mr Aleintchev what are your thoughts about my proposal?” Paymon said unable to wait to get a deal agreed.
“Call me Gregori please,” Mr Aleintchev replied, then took a long puff from his cigar.
“Well Gregori, what investment option interests you?” Paymon repeated trying not to sound too desperate. He needed to get this deal. Mr Aleintchev studied Paymon’s face, his stare was intense.
“I want to do business with you. Vlad assures me you are a man of discretion,” Mr Aleintchev said after what seemed an agonizingly long time to Paymon.
“That is excellent Gregori we can draw up the relevant paperwork if you could tell me the exact size of the investment you want to…”
“I am not interested in investing in what you are planning to construct,” Mr Aleintchev said cutting Paymon short. Paymon was stunned. “I want you to manage a project I am planning to undertake,” he added, taking another puff from his cigar.
Paymon had been completely caught off guard. His train of thought was lost.
Mr Aleintchev blew out smoke slowly and continued, “I need to construct some facilities at my mansion in Telford and on land I have bought in Shropshire.”
Paymon looked at his host unable to articulate a response.
“I will arrange for my assistant to fully brief you on your role and the project. Should you wish to take it,” Mr Aleintchev said.
Paymon snapped out of his reverie knowing he could not miss the chance of any sort of income. “Gregori I will take on the work, it would be a pleasure to work for you.”
Mr Aleintche
v smiled. He knew he was in charge now. Mr Aleintchev had keen business instincts. He had made billion-pound deals, the man opposite him was obviously desperate and out of his depth. He would be easy to control.
“Paymon you please me. We need to start immediately. You will be paid £500,000 up front and another £500,000 upon completion of the construction,” Mr Aleintchev said calmly.
Paymon held the armrests of his chair tightly; he felt he would fall off otherwise. His brain tried to digest the amount of money he had been offered – all his problems and worries would be over.
“Yes Gregori, that is fine,” is all Paymon could say in response.
“Good. My assistant Sergei will contact you later today with further details, now if you excuse me I have other business,” Mr Aleintchev said as he turned in his chair so that its back now faced Paymon.
Vlad tapped Paymon on the shoulder, “Let’s go, I will show you out,” he said.
Paymon stood bewildered at the abrupt end to the meeting. The outcome was nothing like he had planned, but it had exceeded his wildest dreams. Nonetheless he felt strangely disorientated. He glanced at the giant banner opposite him on the wall behind Mr Aleintchev’s desk, he had been so intent on securing a deal he had not noticed it before; a black circle with a dragon in the centre. How unusual he thought, and turned and left the office with Vlad.
***
Mr Aleintchev’s phone rang a few moments after the departure of his new business associate; he answered it, pleased with the outcome of his meeting.
“Yes Master, it has all been agreed. Everything will be arranged as you commanded.”
“You have done well,” was the reply from the metallic-sounding voice on the other end of the line.
***
The sun was bright in the blue sky. Nadia and I were driving along the I-5 interstate towards Mount Shasta. We had arrived in San Francisco the previous day for the start of what was supposed to be our honeymoon. The flight from London had been long and tiring. After picking up our rental car and driving to our hotel, we had decided to have an early night. At just after 9 a.m. local time we had set off from San Francisco on our three hundred or so mile drive to our destination. We had been driving for nearly four hours. Nadia had been silent since our departure from San Francisco. We could see Mount Shasta in the distance. The peak of the majestic mountain was white, topped by snow.
“How will we find them when we get to the mountain?” I asked Nadia. By ‘them’ I meant the beings of light.
“We just need to hike up the mountain Cyrus, they will find us,” she replied.
I pressed my foot down on the accelerator and increased our speed. We zoomed past the other cars and trucks on the road.
“What’s the rush?” Nadia asked.
“I just want to get there as soon as possible,” I replied.
A few minutes later we arrived at the Mount Shasta Boulevard exit, leading to a small town at the foot of the mountain.
“Let’s have a look around the town and get something to eat. We can find out from the locals the best route to trek up the mountain,” I suggested as I parked the car and turned off the engine.
“Sure, sounds good,” Nadia said getting out of the car. I followed, locking the door. It was a glorious afternoon. We held hands and walked along the boulevard. There were several New Age-inspired shops along the street, selling paintings, crystals and books.
“Megan was right, there is a rich spiritual heritage here,” Nadia said as she paused to look at some ornaments in a shop window. We stood for a few minutes looking at the various items on display.
The next shop along was an American-style diner, we went in and seated ourselves in a booth next to the window. Nadia was seated opposite me and started fiddling with the small juke box on our table. I caught the attention of a chubby, but cheerful-looking waiter. I signalled him over and he came to take our order. He quickly scribbled down what we wanted in his notebook and asked us where we were from, probably noticing our strange English accents.
“We are from London here on a vacation,” I said quickly.
“Welcome to America! I hope you enjoy your stay here,” he replied smiling at us both enthusiastically.
“We are planning to trek up the mountain; do you recommend any specific route?” Nadia asked.
“Very adventurous! Well, there are a few routes you could take,” the waiter said as he paused to scratch his head. “I think Avalanche Gulch is the most popular.”
“How do we get to the beginning of the route,” I asked.
“You will need to drive to the Bunny Flats parking area from here. Then you need to register before you can start trekking up the trailhead,” he said.
“How long will it take to reach the summit?” Nadia asked.
“I have never done it myself, not fit enough,” the chubby waiter replied laughing and tapping his ample midriff, “but my guess would be around nine-ten hours,” he added.
“Thanks!” Nadia said with a smile.
The waiter walked off notebook in hand.
“What do you think?” Nadia asked as she took my hand across the table.
“Let’s take the route he suggested and see what happens,” I said. After a tasty lunch we headed back out and towards the car. I programmed the route into the GPS.
We drove along Mount Shasta Boulevard and took a right turning onto McCloud Avenue, followed by a left onto North Washington Drive, leading us to the Everitt Memorial Highway. We followed the highway for around nine miles. It was just after 3 p.m. when we arrived at the Bunny Flats trailhead. There were a few cars in the parking area. Nadia and I had come prepared with hiking boots and comfortable clothes for the long trek ahead. We both had a sense of excitement and anticipation, but neither of us knew exactly what to expect.
“Look, I think we have to register in that building,” Nadia said pointing at a large wooden hut near the start of the mountain trail.
“Ok, you go and register us and I will get the backpack,” I replied.
I opened the boot of the car and took out the backpack. Inside it I had put a couple of sleeping bags, a small tent and some snacks. It was the first day of September and the weather was bright and warm, around twenty-four Celsius, but we had been told that at night it could get as low as five to six Celsius. I walked towards the hut. Nadia came out as I reached the beginning of the trail leading up the mountain.
“I signed us in and paid the climbing fee,” Nadia said handing me a bag.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“For our waste,” she answered wrinkling her nose.
“Nice!” I replied sarcastically putting it into the side pocket of the backpack.
“Here’s a map of the trail,” she added.
I took the map from Nadia and examined it. From where we were it looked to be about two to three miles to the next outpost called Horse Camp and the Sierra Club hut. From that point there was a seven to eight hour trek to the summit of the mountain.
“We will get to Horse Camp and rest there for the night then set out for the summit tomorrow morning.”
“Whatever you think is best,” Nadia replied excitedly, and turned to start walking up the trail. I swung the pack over my shoulder and followed her.
***
Paymon sat in a trailer in the middle of a field in Shropshire. He looked over his construction plans as he waited for a shipment of building materials to arrive. Mr Aleintchev had not been joking when he had said he would start work immediately. First day into the job and Paymon had already been introduced to his army of builders and engineers. He had been expected to brief them on the work they would be doing over the coming weeks without much time to prepare. They were going to construct a large underground arena, which was straightforward enough. What puzzled Paymon was the fact that, according to the blueprints, it would need to be connected to an existing tunnel system, which seemed to lead beyond the shores of the UK. Some of the technology and equipment at his disposal was also compl
etely unknown to Paymon; it was unlike anything he had ever worked with before.
There was an amazingly advanced digging machine. Sergei was handling most of the intricate details and the work at Mr Aleintchev’s mansion. Paymon didn’t ask too many awkward questions as the money he had been promised had arrived promptly into his bank account.
Paymon’s mobile phone rang. “Hello darling,” he said to his wife.
“Hello dear, how has your first day been?” Megan asked.
“Very busy,” Paymon replied.
“I am making dinner soon, what time shall we expect you?” Megan said.
“Look darling, I will probably not be back tonight or for the rest of the week. Mr Aleintchev has offered to put me up in a hotel near the site so I will stay there. We need to work late and begin work very early,” Paymon said disheartened, knowing he would miss his wife’s cooking.
“Aiyana will be disappointed and so am I, but I suppose you need to make a positive impression,” Megan said.
“Yes I need to get off to a quick start, once construction is underway and we are in the swing of things I can take a more hands-off approach. Until then I need to gain the respect of my crew. I’ll try to be home for the weekend and we can do something nice,” Paymon offered. Yet he knew that would be unlikely given the schedule he was expected to deliver against.
“Ok we will see sweetheart, I won’t keep you,” Megan said, sensing her husband was being less than sincere, but she did not want to put him under any extra pressure.
“Goodbye, I will call you tomorrow,” Paymon said ending the call.
Megan put the phone down and looked over at Aiyana.
“Your dad probably won’t be back till the weekend,” she said.
“Well at least he is busy, it will cheer him up bossing people around,” Aiyana said with a smile.
“Yes you are right. How about you give me a hand chopping some vegetables?” Megan said getting up.