Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Clandestino was spinning around the attackers at breakneck speed.
“Take that!” Adam exclaimed. I heard a strong, hard punch.
“You are going to get it from us!” the man said. “How dare you!”
“Ahhhh!” the woman shrieked suddenly.
“And you too!” Adam said.
Then there was a loud THUD. After what seemed like an eternity, everything came into view. The cloud of dust settled and on the floor lay the man and woman all tied up with blue electrical wires. The drill and knife were on the floor. Blood mixed with dust and plaster formed a paste and I could see red-stained footprints.
Clandestino wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. I looked at the two perpetrators.
“Where is the blood coming from?” I asked worriedly.
“How dare you, you hideous children?” The woman glowered at us. “Where is that silly man? He is supposed to be here by now!”
“What silly man?” Adam asked. “Uncle Andy?”
The man spat at Adam, who was guarding them like a hawk. “I am warning you, you’d better let us off. We belong to a gang and we deal with losers like you every day!” the man shouted.
“Guys, I don’t feel well,” a weak voice muttered.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Janice sitting on the floor. There was a deep gash on her hand.
“Oh no! What do we do?” Clandestino asked desperately. “Did you try to protect me from the knife, Janice?”
Janice breathed heavily. “Yes, that woman… tried to stab you… in the sc-sc-scuffle and I-I-I raised my hand to b-block her knife.”
Clandestino smiled gratefully. “Oh no! Thanks, Janice. We need to get you to the hospital quick.”
Then out of the blue, there was the unmistakable sound of something spinning. I looked down at the floor. The drill was gone! The man known as Ah Kiat had broken free from the electrical wires and had managed to get hold of the drill.
“Adam, LOOK OUT!” I shouted. With the drill in his hand, Ah Kiat was torpedoing towards him. The woman had freed herself too and was advancing towards us!
Then for no apparent reason, Ah Kiat dropped the drill. It swirled and bounced dangerously on the floor.
“Ouch!” he cried.
“Ouch!” the woman screamed.
We were stunned to see the man and woman fall to the ground, their eyes closed. Someone had hit them hard on the neck.
It was Uncle Andy! He was panting, a metal pipe in his hand. “Why you children leave the pick-up?”
“Are they dead?” Clandestino asked.
“How did you get here so fast?” I asked, quickly turning off the switch that was connected to the drill.
“I climb over from the back when I heard noise in the house. I know you all must be in trouble,” Uncle Andy explained. “You all okay?”
“We are okay, but Janice has been slashed,” I said.
“Are they dead?” Clandestino asked again.
“This is only sleep knock,” Uncle Andy said, flashing his gold tooth. “I knock them so they fall asleep for a while.”
I never knew Uncle Andy was so familiar with the human anatomy. I’d always thought I was smarter than him.
“You find Mundi? I run all the way here when I finish with the houses on the left. I called the police,” said Uncle Andy.
The snoring was still very audible and it was as steady as when I first heard it. I scooted towards the room, almost tripping over the two sleeping perpetrators. I crept to the door and slowly opened it. To my surprise, there was a boy slumped on a chair. His face was turned towards the ceiling and his mouth was agape. It seemed like he was having the snooze of his life.
“Mundi! Mundi! Wake up!” I slapped him on the cheek. He didn’t stir. I put my ears to his chest. His heart was beating and his chest expanding and contracting rhythmically. On his lap was a plate of barely-eaten rice.
“Mundi! I found Mundi!” I yelled. “Wake up, Mundi!” I slapped him a few times till his glasses cracked.
Uncle Andy came charging into the room. “You find Mundi?” he exclaimed. “Mundi! Mundi! Thank goodness!”
Just then, I heard the distinct sound of a police siren.
“It’s the police!” I said. “Hey Mundi, wake up!” I pinched him.
“Huh?” His eyelids fluttered and he opened his mouth, struggling to speak. “Darryl? Is that you, no?”
“Yes, yes, it’s me! Quick! We got to get out of here! Janice is injured and she needs help!”
“Hi, Darryl,” Mundi sighed. He turned to Uncle Andy and he closed his eyes again.
I went out of the room and saw that two policemen had arrived.
“Oh no! There is blood on the floor!” one of them said and immediately dialled for an ambulance.
“Are you children okay?” the other one asked.
“Yes, but our friend Janice is hurt!” Clandestino held up Janice’s hand. It now looked like an Egyptian mummy’s hand since Clandestino had wrapped it with toilet paper.
“That’s the best I could do.” Clandestino shrugged.
Janice was too weak to speak. She had lost too much blood. Either that or the pain was too excruciating.
After five minutes, the ambulance arrived. The policeman immediately took charge. “Quick! Take the injured to Tan Tock Seng Hospital!”
Uncle Andy instantly slung Mundi over his shoulders and laid him on the stretcher. The paramedics wheeled him out to the ambulance while Clandestino and I half-carried Janice out. There wasn’t much space in the ambulance so they had to lay Mundi and Janice side by side. Meanwhile, the two kidnappers had slowly gained consciousness. The policemen had handcuffed them and were escorting them out of the house.
“Ah Kiat! You should have locked the house properly! I am never going to marry you!” the woman scolded.
“It is not my fault! That man was supposed to come back for the boy. Please, dear. Those ugly children are going to get it!” Ah Kiat sobbed.
As soon as the ambulance whizzed off, a silver Lexus pulled up at the house. Mrs Sakdipa stepped out hurriedly and tore towards the policeman.
“Where’s my son? Oh no, where’s my son?”
“Ma’am, your son is fine. He is just sleepy. He is on his way to the hospital at the moment. Tan Tock Seng Hospital!’
Without saying a word, Mrs Sakdipa hopped back into the car, rattled off some instructions and sped off. The policeman wanted to take our statements, so the three of us and Uncle Andy had to stay behind. The man and woman were taken to the police station.
“We didn’t do anything! Ah Kiat, tell them!” the woman kept asserting while being led away.
“Yeah, it was that man. He paid us to do this!”
CHAPTER 12: THE MASTER MIND
We arrived at the hospital in Uncle Andy’s pick-up. He had blasted his Chinese opera songs the whole way, singing unabashedly along. He must have been so happy to find Mundi!
We walked into the children’s ward, where the walls were adorned with paintings of teddy bears. Outside Mundi’s room, Madam Siti and Mr Grosse were giving statements to a policeman. We charged towards Mundi’s bedside. The doctor was giving him an intravenous drip to flush out the sedatives in his body. His mother was sitting by his side, fretting.
Janice was already up and about, her injured hand in a bandage. As soon as Mundi was hooked up, she uttered, “DONUT?”
After a few moments, Mundi opened his eyes. He was first greeted by the face of his mother. “Mundi, are you alright?” She planted a kiss on his forehead.
“Hi, buddy!” I said, jumping right in. I initiated our girly handshake but Mundi didn’t have enough strength to do it.
“Hi, Mama, my friends rescued me,” he said, turning to all of us. “Thanks, guys, no?”
“No sweat, Mundi.” Adam winked.
Mundi was a little stunned. “What is-is-is-is he d-d-doing here, no?”
“Don’t worry! Adam had agreed to help us look
for you,” Clandestino assured him. “He was quite kind.” He turned to Adam and smiled wryly.
Mundi’s mother replied graciously, “Yes, they are nice, aren’t they?” Then she stroked his wrist and noticed something different. “Who gave you this watch, Mundi?”
“Oh… Un-Un-Un-Uncle Andy, no?” Mundi shifted his cracked spectacles in nervousness. “He gave it to me this morning.”
“Woah, Uncle Andy gave you that watch? It is the latest watch phone,” I remarked. “So that was why you were so secretive this morning.”
“Yeah, he-he-he got it in a lucky draw and didn’t know how to use it. He has no children, no? So he wanted me to have it. But-But-But he told me not to te-te-tell anyone.”
“No worries, Mundi, it is okay.” His mother didn’t look amused but she tried to hide her displeasure. I guessed she didn’t like the idea of her son accepting expensive gifts from other people.
“I used that watch to SMS, you know?” Mundi quickly added. “Where’s Janice?”
“I am here,” she declared, raising a donut with her hand encased in a cast.
Clandestino turned to her and said, “We must get that signed later! The cast. With different colours!”
I heard distinct footsteps approaching us and two men swung the door open. Uncle Andy rushed in with a cup of steaming hot Milo in his hand.
“Here, have some!” Uncle Andy stretched out his hand towards Mundi.
“Thanks.” Mundi took the cup gratefully. He had no qualms about drinking Milo after that Milo van ordeal?
“So there you are, Mundi,” another voice said slowly. It was Mundi’s Uncle Gofin. He had two balloons in his hands. “Next time, never go anywhere on your own, okay?” He smiled and looked even more charming. “You had us all worried.”
“Yes, Uncle Gofin,” Mundi replied. “Did you find out wh-wh-wh-wh-who took me?” He looked at his mother, who had locked her arms around him.
“Yeah, thanks to your friends, they caught the man and woman who kidnapped you,” Uncle Gofin explained, as he tied the balloons to Mundi’s bed.
“It was a Chinese construction worker and his girlfriend. They kept saying that someone had paid them to do this!” Clandestino recalled.
“That’s just what people say when they are caught! Good thing they are at the police station now.” I smiled. “And thanks to your precise text message, Mundi, we found you.”
“$100,000 for ransom?” Adam laughed. “My parents wouldn’t have been able to redeem me. But I would have been able to escape on my own.”
All of us ignored Adam like he wasn’t really there.
Mundi’s uncle strode towards Mundi and folded his arms. He was the epitome of manliness.
“Well, I’d better be leaving. My flight is tonight.” He was leaving so fast? Janice quickly struggled to dig for her phone in her pocket. I knew she wanted to take a photograph of him.
“I am so glad everything is over!” added Uncle Gofin. Then he opened his arms wide and embraced Mundi and Mrs Sakdipa tightly.
“Bad shot!” Janice sighed as she examined the blurred image on her phone.
“Bye, Uncle Gofin, see you next year.” Mundi beamed. “Thanks for all the presents!”
Uncle Gofin sucked in a deep pocket of air with his nose and gave the loudest snort ever! Eeeewwww! That was a really loud snort coming from such a pleasant-looking face!
Then he walked towards the door, his keys dangling from his pocket. Maybe the rest couldn’t hear it, but his keys were music to my ears! Mi fa so. Mi fa so. Mi fa so. I hummed.
“Bye!” Clandestino said as he tried to sharpen the image on Janice’s phone.
Janice was too shy to say anything and just waved her cast.
As soon as he stepped out of the door, Mundi let out a shrill cry.
“Oh, no! Mundi, are you okay? Are you okay, my boy?” Mrs Sakdipa yelled.
Mundi was shaking violently, the way he always did when he was very frightened and nervous. His mother ripped away his blanket and, to her horror, saw that he was shaking all over like he was having a seizure.
Clandestino leapt up from his seat. “Hey, buddy, are you okay?”
“What’s happening?” Uncle Andy rushed to Mundi and took the cup of Milo from his hands. “Mundi, tell us what is happening.”
Mundi didn’t reply. His eyes widened towards the door. They didn’t blink at all. Not for one second. “Un-Un-Un-Uncle.” He gulped and pointed towards the door with his shaky hands.
A nurse came and tried to assure everyone, “It is just post-traumatic stress disorder.”
But his friends knew better. A moment ago, he was fine but when his uncle spoke and left, he started to panic!
“What on earth?” Clandestino scratched himself again. “Uncle? Who? Uncle Gofin?”
“Maybe the uncle had a hand in it? The kidnapping?” Janice asked weakly. “Mundi, do you remember something?”
Mundi managed a tiny nod.
Uncle Andy rushed out of the room and grabbed the first police officer he saw. I followed him outside. “Quick, grab that man! Mundi’s uncle. He may have been involved.”
“Are you sure?” The policeman was puzzled. He looked at Uncle Gofin, who was speeding towards the stairs.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Uncle Andy jumped, his face turning redder.
The policeman charged up to Uncle Gofin. Uncle Gofin quickened his pace but the policeman caught up with him and caught hold of his wrist.
“Sorry, sir,” he said. “We need to ask you a few questions.”
“Are you kidding me? My flight is tonight. I am supposed to be on my way to Thailand. Don’t be silly.” He tried to free himself from the grip of the policeman. His hair was coming down in loose strands and for once he didn’t look so handsome anymore.
“Well, you just have to postpone your trip.” The police officer was firm and he led Uncle Gofin towards the lift. Uncle Gofin turned towards us in the lift and his eyes flickered in contempt. His flawless face transformed into a sinister one. I heard the satisfying click of a handcuff, then the lift door closed. That was the last we saw of him in the flesh.
CHAPTER 13: EXTRAORDINARY FRIENDS
Okay, class, we are glad to have Mundi back with us,” Miss Jacobs announced.
“What a brave boy he is!” Janice said, pointing at Mundi with her cast.
The class cheered as they were happy that Mundi had been found. Even Adam, Justin and Leonard, who were usually jeering, grinned from ear to ear.
“Let bygones be bygones?” Clandestino turned to them. “Thanks for helping us find Mundi.”
“Well,” Leonard said. “Alright. But don’t think we are going to hang out with you from now on.”
“You bet!” Clandestino stretched out his hand for a handshake. Adam’s hand swerved right in and shook Clandestino’s hand firmly. This time he didn’t squeeze it.
I turned to Mundi. “Aren’t you glad we saved you? If not you’d be in Thailand by now, who knows doing what?”
“Yes, it came out in the news last night that your uncle has been charged for kidnapping,” Janice added.
“Uh huh, Mundi, the police found a fake passport for you in Uncle Gofin’s hotel!” Clandestino said. “And they found plane tickets to Thailand sandwiched in your passport. The two clowns were right after all. There was another person who was the mastermind! And he was going to send you off to Thailand!”
“Uncle Gofin must have paid them to fake the Milo van, kidnap Mundi, call Mundi’s parents, ask for a ransom of $100,000 and divert them to Jurong, Jalan Pempin,” Janice said.
“Apparently, the house we found you in wasn’t even his. He broke into it as the owner wasn’t there since it was undergoing renovation,” I said.
Mundi’s head was bowed low like he didn’t want to talk about it. Janice didn’t stop. “But why would Uncle Gofin want to kidnap you?”
Mundi looked up with sombre eyes. “Uncle Gofin has never married. It’s kind of strange since he is so good-looking.” He bi
t his quivering lip. “An-An-An-And he adopted me as his godson about a year ago, no? He lives in India and I hardly saw him, but we chatted often on the Net. He knew that I was a genius in math and he always mentioned that I was worth millions of dollars. I didn’t know he meant it literally.”
“What a loser!” Clandestino said angrily. I elbowed him.
“What was he going to do with you in Thailand?” I asked.
“I-I-I don’t know,” Mundi said sadly.
“Maybe he was going to sell Mundi to an evil spy organisation! One who needs brainies like Mundi,” Janice said gleefully, no longer worried now that Mundi was safe.
“Yeah, Mundi,” I said, interrrupting Janice before she continued blabbering. “You are worth gazillions of dollars. Not just millions. Let’s think happy thoughts for now, like vandalising Janice’s cast!”
“Okay. No?” He sighed as he fiddled with his spanking new wristwatch.
Clandestino whipped out two pens and started spinning. “Jan, put your hand on the table! It’s time for some serious action!”
“Hee hee,” Janice giggled. “Sure!”
Mundi and I took out our coloured pens and scribbled away. Mundi’s tongue licked his lips awkwardly as he drew, but this time Janice didn’t voice her disgust.
When we had finished, we looked at the masterpiece before us.
“COOL!” Janice exclaimed and danced about in her chair. She twisted her arm to read all our messages.
“Get well soon. Frrooooomm Mundi. Ja-NICE, you ROCK! Frrrooooommm Poetry boy. And I will never forget your sacrifice. I would have done it for you. From Clan.”
“Awwwww! Thanks, guys!” she said bashfully. “That’s what extraordinary friends are for!”
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In putting together this book, I would like to thank the people who have contributed in so many ways.
Eliza Teoh, the dedicated editor who did not give up on the exlosers.
LXY, the illustrator whose drawings kidnapped our eyes.
Serene See, the patient creative collaborator whose talent is beyond words (in every sense).
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