Chapters and the Hourglass of Time

by Alexander Kleschelsky

  She nodded as if satisfied.

  “I have good news for you, Billy,” Doctor Susan said.

  The sound of his own name struck Billy like thunder. She knew his name! He never told anyone. In fact, no one ever asked his name. Wasn’t it strange? Wouldn’t that be the first thing doctors ask a patient? Billy never thought of it until now. This didn’t feel right.

  “How do you know my name?” Billy finally squeezed out a question. His mouth felt dry.

  “Oh, we know more than that,” Doctor Susan replied in a casual tone. “We also know your address and even the school you used to go to.”

  Cold sweat dotted Billy’s forehead. The only rational explanation why she knew so much about him was because she was a Librarian. This was a trap!

  Billy rose on his elbows gazing around and feeling powerless.

  “Is there anything you would like?” asked Doctor Susan caringly.

  How she could be so two-faced? Billy thought. “Yeah,” he said out loud. “I’d like to use the restroom and have my clothes back.”

  “Restroom is not a problem,” Doctor Susan replied. “Clothing, however, will have to wait. You are still too weak. Look at you.” She took a gauze pad and wiped sweat from Billy’s forehead.

  He feebly dropped back on the pillow. Tired of playing cat-and-mouse, Billy decided to cut to the chase. Whatever happens, happens.

  “How do you know so much about me?” he asked looking straight into Doctor Susan’s eyes.

  “Well, from your parents, of course,” she said. “Don’t you remember? I told you I had good news for you.”

  “What?” That was impossible. “My parents are here?”

  “Yes, they are.”

  Billy felt outraged. It wasn’t enough for them to have him; they also had to bring his parents.

  “I want to see them at once,” Billy demanded.

  “All right,” said Doctor Susan, seeming surprised at Billy’s reaction. “Don’t worry, they are fine. Although I personally met only one of them, I had a very good first impression.” She pointed a finger at Billy. “Don’t go anywhere.” Then she grinned and left the room.

  Yeah, like he could really go somewhere, thought Billy. He was literally pinned to the bed by his IV needle.

  It felt like time stopped. Minutes turned into eternity.

  When Billy finally heard Doctor Susan’s voice behind the curtain his heart raced.

  “This way, please,” the curtain opened and in entered . . . Rohan.

  Billy’s eyebrows climbed as his lower jaw dropped. He was about to call out Rohan’s name when Rohan opened his arms and pronounced, “Billy, my son.”

  “D-dad,” Billy said weakly. Rohan stepped to Billy and gave him big hug.

  “Well, I’ll leave you two,” said Doctor Susan, smiling amiably. “Not for long, though,” she added. “He is still very weak.”

  Rohan nodded in appreciation, and Doctor Susan closed the curtain behind her.

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Should I Learn Chinese?

  “I am so glad you found me!” Billy exclaimed.

  “I never lost sight of you,” Rohan replied. He sat on the side of Billy’s bed.

  “They said I was under the ruins for three days.”

  “I know. After I climbed out, I came back for you. I dug for the whole night. Often I would stop and listen—there was no sign from you, no sound. I didn’t even know if you were alive. Only with sunrise, I realized the pettiness of my attempt to free you—you were buried under a big concrete slab. There was no way to get you out of there on my own.”

  “So what did you do?”

  “I kept a low profile and waited.”

  “You didn’t ask for help?”

  “There was no one to ask. Those few around were busy with their own problems,” explained Rohan. “The real help came only on the next day. That’s when I spotted rescuers.”

  “I know, dogs found me,” said Billy. There was sadness in his voice. He felt

  disappointed that Rohan just waited while he was trapped.

  “Yes, the rescue dogs,” confirmed Rohan. “They worked on other buildings, two blocks away. By the time they would’ve gotten to you it might have been too late.”

  “What did you do then?”

  “Beef jerky came in handy.”

  “What?” Billy exclaimed. “You put beef jerky where I was?”

  “I had to lure them to you somehow, right?” Rohan smiled.

  “Cool idea,” Billy agreed.

  “Later on, when they brought you here, I pretended to be a desperate father, looking for his son,” continued Rohan. “Of course, all our papers were under ruins.”

  “And they simply believed you?”

  “I gave them a detailed description of you and the clothes you wore. Besides, how many Caucasian boys who don’t speak Chinese do you think are here?”

  Billy grinned. Close to Rohan, he felt safe.

  “So, how’ve you been?” Rohan asked. “Did they take good care of you?”

  “Oh yeah,” said Billy, “but we have to leave as soon as we can.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Doctor Susan called me a miracle boy. She said I was all over the news. This might attract some attention.”

  “Well, Billy, you see, that’s the thing . . .” Rohan suddenly stumbled. “It is I who made sure the reporters learned about you.”

  “You?” Billy’s eyes widened. “But why?”

  “Well, how should I put it?” Rohan hesitated. Then he finally spat it out: “We don’t have the hourglass.”

  “Say what?” Only now, Billy noticed that Rohan didn’t have his backpack.

  “Yes, Billy. It broke. In the aftershocks. I’m sorry.”

  If Billy thought that being in the middle of an earthquake was a worst-case scenario, he was wrong. That was nothing compared to this. This news meant that he would never go home; he would never get to see his friends and he would never be able to hug his mom and dad.

  And all this was because of Rohan. Billy’s life was perfect before Rohan broke into it. He used Billy; he manipulated him. It was all Rohan’s fault. And now because of him they were stuck in this alien country in this awful time. Forever.

  ***

  Billy’s thoughts were reflected on his face. Rohan braced himself for the worst. What happened next was totally unexpected. There was no angry outburst, no accusations. Very calmly, Billy looked at Rohan and quietly asked, “Should I start learning Chinese?”

  Billy must have realized after all, that Rohan always tried to do his best, that the broken hourglass was just an unfortunate accident. Accusing each other wouldn’t help. He had simply turned that page and put it behind him. Rohan saw that. “Such wisdom,” he murmured.

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The Bait

  “Ghmm,” Rohan cleared his throat. “It’s always a good idea to have another language as an asset. However, let’s focus for now on something else.”

  Billy listened.

  “If our theory is true,” suggested Rohan, “if everything that happened to us wasn’t just random lack of luck and if the Librarians are really after us, then we have a good chance to get out of here.”

  Billy raised his eyebrows. “How?”

  “Think about it. What do all the Librarians have in common?”

  Billy thought for a moment and then his face brightened. “The hourglass.”

  “Exactly! We expose ourselves so they can find us, and then we snatch their hourglass.”

  “You mean we expose me?”

  “Let’s not talk about technicalities now.” Rohan was clearly trying to avoid the question. Billy didn’t mind.

  “We need to focus on other things,” Rohan carried on. “Firstly, the Librarians don’t know that we lost our hourglass. They think we’re still here only because you are bedridden. Let’s keep it this way—look sick. Secondly”—Rohan pulled out from his pocket
a small object and placed it into Billy’s hand—“I want you to have this.”

  The object looked like a rubber balloon filed with sand. It was the size of a tennis ball.

  “I’ve seen this before,” said Billy, taking the object. “It’s a stress reliever. There is sand inside, and you’re supposed to squeeze it in your hand to feel calm.”

  “Right,” said Rohan, “only this isn’t sand. These are crystals from our hourglass. In close proximity, they will give you immunity against time stoppers.”

  “That’s why my hourglass didn’t work on Librarians!” Billy exclaimed.

  “You have to be careful with this,” Rohan warned. “It may save you, but it may also give you away—when everything stops and you’re the only one still on the move, you’ll be easy to spot.”

  “Got it,” nodded Billy hiding the stress reliever under his blanket.

  “Well,” Rohan rose, “you get better.” He went to the exit.

  “Leaving already?” Billy asked.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be around. I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

  “Rohan,” Billy called as Rohan opened the curtain.

  “Yes,” Rohan turned.

  “Could you promise me something?”

  “Sure, anything.”

  “Next time—you’re the bait.”

  Rohan smiled. “You have a deal.”

  When Rohan left, Billy could finally lay back. His troubles and worries didn’t seem as big as before. Now, with Rohan by his side, he knew that everything would be fine.

  The next morning the nurse brought Billy a small breakfast. Nothing fancy, just soup and steamed vegetables.

  Then Doctor Susan came. “How’s our miracle boy doing?” she asked cheerfully. She took Billy’s assessment chart. “Numbers look good,” she murmured, studying the chart. “You are a strong and healthy boy,” she addressed Billy. “Luckily, your body didn’t sustain any injury, except for general physical exhaustion, of course. Your recovery, however, is going very well. I’ll ask the nurse to remove your IV. You don’t need it anymore. “

  “Could I stay with it for a little longer, please?”

  Doctor Susan seemed surprised—that was quite an unusual request coming from a little boy, but Billy figured that she wouldn’t want to upset her patient. She shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, we can always remove it later.”

  “Thanks.” Billy put on his biggest smile. “By the way, did you happen to see my dad today?”

  “In fact I did. Your father is a very good citizen—he generously offered his help as a volunteer in the hospital. We can always use an extra pair of strong hands.”

  She was about to leave, but slowed down before exit. “Almost forgot”—she turned to address Billy—“you have a visitor today. It is a reporter from the local news. I asked her not to be here for too long since you are not fully recovered yet.”

  Billy nodded.

  Here you go, he thought to himself. After this interview, the Librarians will be swarming around this place.

  He wasn’t afraid. On the contrary, he felt the excitement of a storm coming.

  * * *

  Chapter Thirty

  Overeducated

  A few minutes later someone shook the curtain from outside.

  “May I come in?” a woman’s voice asked.

  “Sure,” answered Billy.

  A young Chinese woman entered the room. “Hi, my name is Mei Lin Dang,” she said, “but you can simply call me Mei. How are you feeling?”

  She stretched out her arm to Billy.

  “Better now.” Billy shook her hand and smiled back.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t take too much of your time,” said Mei Lin.

  “I’m not worried,” Billy replied.

  “Very good.” She placed a chair beside Billy’s bed. “I am a reporter for a local newspaper, and I am writing a story about heroic rescues.” She took a notebook and a pencil from her purse.

  “But I didn’t do anything heroic,” Billy objected.

  “Yet you survived for three days under a pile of concrete without any food or water,” said Mei Lin.

  “I blacked out right after the aftershock. The next thing I remember is rescuers pulling me out. If you are looking for heroes, you should write about them.”

  “There will be writing about them, I assure you,” said Mei Lin, “but today’s story is about you.”

  “But I didn’t do anything special!” Billy felt embarrassed. Now he almost hated this interview.

  “I don’t understand, Billy. How can you be so selfish?” asked Mei Lin.

  “Selfish?” exclaimed Billy. “Since when has being modest or humble become selfish? I simply don’t want to take any credit for something I didn’t do.”

  “I see,” said Mei Lin calmly. “Now I get it and even admire your gesture.”

  “Thanks,” Billy replied, frowning.

  “Do you know what I’m thinking right now?” asked Mei Lin. “I am thinking of those who survived, but missed someone from their family. They don’t know whether they are dead or alive, or maybe buried under the rubble just like you were, unable to free themselves, waiting for somebody to find them. If they read a story about an ordinary boy from an ordinary home who survived for three days without any supplies, that would give them hope—hope to find their loved ones; hope to be able to hug them again. It is up to you, Billy, to give them this hope, or take it away.”

  Billy never thought of it this way.

  “Okay,” he finally agreed.

  “Very well,” said Mei Lin, “let’s start from the beginning. Your first name is Billy, right?”

  Billy nodded.

  “And the last name?”

  “Somers.”

  She made a record in her notebook.

  “How old are you, Billy? What is your date of birth?”

  Billy was about to answer but then bit his tongue—if he told her his real date of birth, she would’ve thought he had serious brain damage. At this time, he wasn’t even born yet. Billy reckoned Rohan mentioned 1975. He tried to subtract his age from that number in his head, when unexpected help came from Mei Lin.

  “It’s all right, don’t worry about it,” she said, seeing him struggling to answer. “Doctor Susan warned me that forgetting some things is normal in your condition. The memory should come back to you soon.”

  Billy nodded with relief.

  “There must be other things that you remember.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Do you remember the actual rescue?”

  “Not much, really.”

  She waited patiently.

  “I remember the light. It was so bright I thought it was the sun. Then another one and another.”

  “They were probably the rescuers’ flashlights,” guessed Mei Lin.

  “Yes,” said Billy. “There were the flashlights on their hard hats.” He paused. “I also remember people’s faces; they were right in front of me, but their voices seemed to be so distant. Their lips moved like in slow motion but the words didn’t make any sense to me. I tried to say something back but I couldn’t move a muscle.”

  “It must be very hard for you to go through this again,” Mei Lin said sadly. “I am sorry for making you do this.”

  Billy sighed. “It’s all right.”

  “Let’s leave it aside for now and talk about something else,” suggested Mei Lin. “When the earthquake started, were you home alone or with your parents?”

  “I was alone.”

  “And where were your parents?”

  “I am not sure.” The question caught him by surprise. Billy didn’t know what to say.”I think they went shopping.”

  “Shopping? Hmm, that is very unlikely. All the stores were closed because of a total city evacuation order.”

  “Well, I’m not sure.” Now he was lost.

  “It’s okay,” said Mei Lin softly and slightly touched Billy’s shoulder. “The most important thing is that you are safe now.”
<
br />   Then she went back to her notes.

  “Why do you think your parents decided to stay and not to go to a safe zone?”

  “I guess they didn’t believe the threat was real.” Billy remembered Rohan’s words about those who stayed.

  “Sometimes people have to learn it hard way,” Mei Lin commented. “There were others who stayed behind. They weren’t as fortunate as you, Billy.”

  Billy didn’t know what to say to this. Was that a hint of accusation he sensed in her voice? That he was rescued and others were still there, waiting. Then, a sudden contemplation hit him—what if she is one of those who still had a hope of finding their loved ones buried under the ruins? Of course, how could he be so blind? He was about to pop the question, but she spoke first.

  “I hear your parents are also safe and sound.”

  “Yes, they are. My dad actually helps here as a volunteer.”

  “How admirable! Would it be okay with you if I met him too?”

  “Absolutely. Doctor Susan should help you to find him.”

  At this moment, the curtain slid open and a male nurse entered. A white face mask covered half of his face. He held a tray with a small cup on it.

  “Time for your vitamins,” he said cheerfully.

  His voice sounded so familiar. Billy looked at his eyes. Of course, there could be no mistake—it was Rohan. Excited, Billy opened his mouth to introduce him to Mei when right at that moment Rohan clumsily tripped over an electrical cord on the floor and flew forward. He stretched out his arms and landed on Billy’s bed. The tray fell, and the liquid from the cup spilled onto Mei Lin’s clothing. Rohan picked himself up and began cleaning the reporter’s jacket saying something apologetically.

  She replied politely, accepting his help.

  Billy never would have expected what happened next. Rohan put his hand on the back of Mei’s neck and squeezed his fingers. Mei froze for a second, then her body went limp and fell into Rohan’s arms. He pushed her chair to a table and put her arms on the top of it. Then he gently placed Mei’s head on her arms so from the side it looked like she was simply taking a short rest.

  Billy was shocked, “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Be quiet, please,” commanded Rohan in a low tone. He quickly went to the exit, looked outside to make sure no one saw them and shut the curtain. Then he took a cotton swab from a glass jar on the table, put it on the top of the IV needle in Billy’s arm and quickly pulled the needle out.

  “Ouch!”

  “Bend your arm and keep some pressure for me, will you.”