The Mystery of Munroe Island

by Satyajit Ray

  In the last four days, two of the most well-known symbols of human civilization have been demolished . One is the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the other is the massive temple complex in Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Almost thirty-three years ago I remember standing spellbound in front of this stupendous Buddhist monument.

  The incident in Paris occurred around the new moon night. The entire city woke up to the sound of the Eiffel Tower cracking down the middle. As the area in which it stands is sparsely populated, only three loitering drunks were killed in the incident. Almost every Parisian broke down in tears when they saw the beloved symbol of their country razed to the ground. Investigations of the iron fragments have revealed that the tower snapped due to the use of an extraordinary powerful ray on it. A large number of people are blaming the disaster on the presence of the UFO, though it could not be seen in the Paris sky because of cloudy weather.

  Angkor Wat was destroyed in the evening and since it’s located inside a tropical forest, there were no eyewitnesses. Details are still not available. What is clear is that the entire complex has now turned into a heap of rubble.

  The Chinese archaeologist Dr Sheng is a gem of a person. He is forty years old but looks younger. He has made arrangements for our stay in Khotan and is likely to join us in the hunt for the UFO. Judging by the looks on Saunders and Crole’s faces, they are both extremely worried. At dinner Saunders said, ‘If the unknown spacecraft is responsible for these series of devastations, they must be in possession of a very powerful weapon of mass destruction. How can we match them? After all it’s not possible for us to use a nuclear weapon against them. We don’t even know where this rocket or spacecraft is located. And God alone knows how much more destruction is being planned. Therefore . . .’

  When I saw Cole agreeing with Saunders, I had to put forth my own view.

  ‘If you believe that we should throw up our hands against this bunch of rogues who are determined to destroy the best symbols of human civilization one after another, then please count me out. If need be I shall go alone to the Taklamakan area. I do not know what opinion Dr Sheng has to offer, but—’

  Strangely enough, Dr Sheng extended his right hand to shake mine and said, ‘I know these monuments have been built with the blood, sweat and tears of labourers during our feudal rule. We cannot underestimate their greatness. We have always protected our ancient monuments and we are doing everything to preserve our ancient Chinese artefacts. We’re continuing with our archeological expedition to dig out further evidence of our ancient culture. We should and must try to put a stop to this chain of destruction.’

  Attired in several layers of woollens, the almost inert Nakur Babu now opened his mouth. In Bengali he said, ‘Tilu Babu, I’ve a feeling that our victory in this battle is certain. Therefore there’s no reason for us to step back.’

  Nakur Babu had met with a minor head injury at the Makorda railway station when he was hit in the head with a steel trunk being carried by a coolie. That injured spot is now covered by sticking plaster. I was afraid that this may have affected his mental powers. Now I found his firm views rather reassuring. But when I translated his words into English to my friends they looked a bit sceptical. They were not quite convinced.

  We agreed to fly towards the north across the Taklamakan Desert in the direction of Tian Shan mountains tomorrow morning.

  10 October, 8.30 a.m.

  Our six-seater helicopter is flying over the endless sand dunes of the Taklamakan. I’m trying to write my diary. Marco Polo had mentioned in his account that it would take a year to cross this desert horizontally. Even at the narrowest points it would take a month to complete the journey. From our altitude I can see that the Venetian traveller wasn’t wrong. All the major towns like Khotan, Kashgar, Yarkand, Cherchen and Aksu were established around different oases and waterbodies. The inhabitants of Xingjian province are Uyghur Muslims whose mother tongue is Turkish. South-west of Xingjian lies Kashmir; Afghanistan is located further west, followed by Soviet Russia and finally on the extreme east is Mongolia.

  During our helicopter ride Dr Sheng kept describing the regions visible below and sharing with us the ancient history of the Sino-Turkistan area.

  Today both Crole and Saunders look their normal selves. I had known that in the morning sunlight much of their fear and apprehension would disappear. I also know too well that they are actually very brave as well as adventurous. But the main hurdle in this present expedition is our almost total ignorance about our enemies. Our knowledge of alien civilization is next to nothing. What kind of people are they—if at all they are people! If they are responsible for these recent destructive orgies why are they so angry at human civilization? Does this also imply that they are angry with humans in general? We know absolutely nothing. I can’t deny that I too am apprehensive. Will our forthcoming encounter be one sided? Are we willingly walking into a death trap?

  Nakur Babu is looking a little low today. When asked he replied that he was quite all right and his head injury has almost healed as well. Yet I wasn’t fully convinced. All the more because he suddenly asked, ‘Where are we heading, Tilu Babu?’

  The question puzzled me quite a bit and when I looked at him for a minute he suddenly came back to his senses and burst out laughing, ‘Oh! Of course, that unknown UFO, isn’t it?’

  I think a dose of my Cerebrilliant medicine will do him good.

  We can now see a mountain range towards the north. But before that lies a large lake. Sheng said this is Baghsar Noal, i.e. Baghsar Lake.

  In the interim we have had some coffee and biscuits. The name of our Chinese pilot is Tsu Shi. He does not know English and Dr Sheng is interpreting for him. I can hear the pilot bursting into Chinese songs every now and then. I can hear his singing from the cockpit even over the sound of the helicopter rotors.

  Crole was just bringing out a mini chessboard from his pocket to play a game of chess with Saunders when suddenly Sheng pointed a finger towards the window, looking very excited.

  4:30 p.m.

  We have landed. Low stony hills surround us on three sides. None of them is above sixty to seventy feet in height. Sheng had located four deep holes from above and decided to land there. We examined the holes closely and were quite sure they had been caused by the weight of the four legs of the spacecraft. The horizontal distance of the holes proved that the rocket or spacecraft was a massive thing, almost the size of a big house. But we have no inkling about its present whereabouts. Tsu Shi flew the helicopter all alone over an area of about 250 sq km to do a recce but without any result.

  We have pitched three plastic tents behind a fifty-foot-high boulder. The ground is sandy but quite plain and firm. It is strewn with small and medium-sized boulders. We have no idea how long we have to wait and we also know we need to have ample patience. We should in no way give up on our mission.

  The biggest challenge would be if the spacecraft indeed lands here: how are we expected to act then and what sort of reaction should we expect from them? Crole said, ‘Those who can destroy the Parthenon should simply be finished off with your Annihilin gun. There’s no need to talk to them.’

  I’m quite confident that my Annihilin gun is capable of finishing any alien creature. But it’s quite possible that these aliens are friendly. Perhaps the destination is being organized and carried out by somebody else. This series of incredible attacks is quite puzzling. I’m still not willing to believe that some aliens have landed on earth with the chief mission of destroying the best works of human civilization.

  When I shared my thoughts with Saunders his reaction was: ‘Since we do not propose to talk to them we will never know the reason behind their arrival. But why take any risk? I go with Crole’s proposal. To finish them off at the very first opportunity.’

  I see their point of view yet I cannot agree with them. As a scientist I can’t let go of this unique opportunity of meeting the inhabitants of an alien world. In the entire history of the human race, this is the first instanc
e of human-alien interaction and I don’t wish to lose out on this rare chance. I did encounter an alien spacecraft once in Egypt. But it was uninhabited. I have a feeling that it won’t be the case this time. So we can’t turn back for fear of losing our lives.

  Sheng too shared my view. Perhaps more so because the rocket has landed on Chinese soil. He too feels that if the aliens had a malicious game plan they would have first attacked humans rather than destroying those cherished monuments.

  Then Nakur Babu suddenly blurted out, ‘They are absent.’

  ‘Who?’ was my baffled response.

  ‘Aliens from the other planet.’

  ‘They are? What does that mean? absent?’

  ‘They were present. Inside the UFO.’

  ‘Then where have they gone?’

  Raising his eyebrows slightly, Nakur Babu quietly said, ‘Below the ground.’

  ‘Below the ground?’ echoed both Saunders and Crole, startled.

  ‘Yes, below the ground.’

  ‘Then who is in the rocket? Or is there no rocket at all?’

  ‘No, the rocket is indeed present,’ said Nakur Babu. ‘But it contains no alien being.’

  ‘What does it have then?’

  ‘There are machines.’

  ‘Computers?’ queried Sheng.

  ‘Yes, computers and—’

  ‘And . . .?’

  The four of us were intensely curious.

  But Nakur Babu shook his head with great disappointment and said, ‘I’ve lost it . . .’

  ‘You lost what?’ I asked.

  ‘I saw a vision. But it disappeared. My head is still—’

  I’d given him a fresh dose of Cerebrilliant this noon. Perhaps it still hasn’t fully worked on him.

  Nakur Babu fell silent.

  The sun had set long ago. It’s getting darker as well as cooler.

  Where was this sound coming from?

  Everyone has heard that noise. I can’t write any more.

  11 October, 9 p.m.

  We are imprisoned in the spacecraft. All five of us. Tsu Shi was sleeping inside the helicopter. So he is not with us. We’ve no idea if he can arrange for our release. I too don’t know how long we have to remain in this captive state. We are feeling like utter fools, totally confused. Let me explain in detail.

  Yesterday, within minutes of hearing a humming noise like that of thousand bees together, a spacecraft appeared from out of the clouds. It looked similar to the ones we have seen in newspapers but was emitting a mild orange glow. How could a black-and-white photograph capture this! From the front the UFO looked like a giant helmet. There were a number of portholes all along the outer shell and a number of horn-like arms extended from it as well. I’m sure they have a role to pay. The spacecraft moved in our direction, possibly targeting their earlier landing site. We were watching from behind a boulder, trying very hard to conceal ourselves. Yet we knew for sure the aliens in the spacecraft must have spotted our helicopter even though they may have missed us. We had no idea how they’d react to our presence.

  But the rocket made a touchdown on exactly the same spot as it had previously, completely ignoring our existence.

  With bated breath we waited for almost ten minutes. But there was no response at all from the aliens. Now what was to be done?

  Sheng was the first to suggest that we move towards the spacecraft. After all, how long would we wait? My pocket contained the Annihilin. Crole and Saunders had a revolver each. Nakur Babu and Sheng had no weapons. But did it matter? Meanwhile, both the Europeans had popped nerve-soothing pills and readily agreed to our suggestion.

  We climbed across the boulder and crossed the even area to move in the direction of the spacecraft. The spacecraft looked very sleek indeed. The design was a masterly combination of technology and art.

  Out of the blue Nakur Babu said, ‘The UFO has selected such a strange place for landing.’

  I said, ‘Yes, indeed. This place on the edge of Taklamakan Desert near the Tien Shan mountain range is the most ideal place for hiding.’

  ‘No, I didn’t mean that.’

  ‘Then?’

  Before Nakur Babu could speak further, Crole whispered, ‘The door is opening.’

  Indeed. A door had opened up at the corner of the spacecraft. A stepladder, made of an element resembling aluminium, was unfolding on the ground.

  ‘Won’t you go in, sir?’

  These words came from Nakurchandra Biswas. I noticed no sign of fear or worry in him.

  ‘Is it safe to go inside?’ I couldn’t help but ask him.

  ‘The question of safety or danger does not arise here.’ Nakur Babu said in response. ‘Our entire point of coming here was to examine the UFO. So how can we stand outside it when it’s welcoming us with an open door?’

  Now Sheng said, ‘Let’s go in.’

  Crole and Saunders too nodded and the five of us trooped in one by one. I had the Annihilin in my hand and both Saunders and Crole were holding their revolvers.

  I led the team and walking in through the door entered an oval-shaped room. It was dark outside but there was a bright but soft blue light glowing inside the room. We couldn’t see the source of the light. There was a round glass or plastic window on the opposite side. Other than this there were two round doors on each end. But they were closed. The room was furnished with only ten stools. They were transparent but looked like they were made out of a hard substance. There was nothing else. We could not make out if any living being was present in the rocket.

  Was this rocket run by a robot or computer? The controlling mechanisms should be present in the other two rooms.

  While we were standing clueless we heard a sound, and when I turned around I realized that the entrance had closed.

  Crole immediately pounced on the door and tried his best to reopen it using its handle but nothing worked. There must have been a button or switch to control the door which was not present in this room. The person who had pressed this button to lock us up had done so with a definte purpose.

  ‘Welcome, gentlemen!’

  We all jumped when we heard a human voice speaking in English. Sheng indicated a hole on the left wall. The voice had emerged through it. My heart beat rapidly.

  Why did the voice sound so familiar?

  Once more the voice spoke.

  ‘I’ll meet you shortly. You need to wait. Although there’s no open window in this room you’ll face no difficulty in breathing as there’ll be no lack of oxygen. But no smoking, please. Also, you’ll not feel hungry or thirsty while you’re here. So relax.’

  The voice stopped. Well, he didn’t sound that hostile or sinister! If he was a human did that mean the rocket hadn’t arrived from another planet?

  I just couldn’t think any more. Crole and Saunders sat on the stools and were wiping sweat from their faces.

  Absolute silence once more. We all put back our weapons inside our pockets.

  How long do we need to wait? What’s in store for us?

  12 October, 6 p.m.

  Let me recollect and describe the entire hair-raising adventure we experienced in this UFO (correction: it’s now no longer unidentified) which has arrived from the nearest star, G2 Alpha Centauri.

  Once more we heard that familiar voice sitting inside that round room.

  ‘Listen, gentlemen, even if you can’t see me, I can watch each one of you. This rocket has specialized instruments for observation. So I now know that you all have firearms in your pockets. Now please drop those weapons in that round hole on the opposite wall. I’ll then talk about what will happen.’

  I immediately pulled out my Annihilin from my pocket but noticed that Crole and Saunders were still sitting motionless. I signalled them to follow the instructions. Still there was no reaction from them.

  ‘I’m waiting,’ the voice boomed.

  Once again I signalled. Saunders, in an impatient and hushed voice, whispered, ‘Why must we fear a charlatan? This is no UFO!’

  Al
l at once I noticed an unexpected change in the atmosphere of the room. We suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Why so? Saunders and Crole were now bending forward with their hands on their chests. Nakur Babu too was gasping. Sheng’s face looked distorted with his tongue hanging out. Oh lord! Will this be the end?

  ‘Drop the guns. Do not act like stubborn fools. Your life is in my hands.’

  ‘Please, please give them away!’ Nakur Babu spoke in a choked voice.

  Carrying my Annihilin I stumbled towards the hole. The two Europeans struggled to walk but managed to drop their revolvers into that hole. Finally, I also dropped my Annihilin.

  Immediately the atmosphere of the room returned to normal.

  ‘Thank you.’

  We remained silent. We could now breathe properly and went back to our seats.

  Now the door slid open sideways and from the middle someone emerged. I had seen him ten years ago in the Lukung steamer at Geneva.

  It was the Italian physicist Dr Rudolfo Carboni.

  Saunders and Crole were also familiar with him. They too exclaimed in surprise.

  Carboni looked even paler and thinner than when I had met him. His jet-black hair was now greying. But his earlier morose look had now been replaced with a newfound self-confidence, as if he was enjoying unlimited power and did not care a damn about anything.

  ‘Well, gentlemen,’ Carboni continued without moving from the door. ‘I must warn you in the very beginning that I’m armed so don’t try to attack me.’

  I looked at Saunders as I knew him to be a very short-tempered person. I’ve seen him lose his cool a number of times. He was possibly gnashing his teeth and trying hard to restrain himself.

  I had to pose a question to Carboni.

  ‘Are you the owner of this spacecraft?’

  ‘Well, yes. For the time being.’

  ‘Time being? Who owned it earlier?’

  ‘The ones I’ve maintained contact with for the past fifteen years. You too had contacted them. They are the inhabitants of a planet revolving round Alpha Centauri. They’d given me prior notice about their arrival. I was ready for them.’