Icejacked

The Coliseum

Surrounded by brightly coloured brochures and scribbling into a small spiral-bound notebook, Kaalim was sitting at the table in the restaurant. He looked up as we entered and flashed us a broad, white smile. He dipped his head a little as we approached. His profusion of long, curly dark hair skimmed his shoulders, mingling with a paradoxically neat, trimmed beard.

“Why do we need a guide? This is my land,” Leddicus whispered to me before we reached the table.

“He’s got transport. Be nice to him,” I hissed back as we took our seats.

Julie and I greeted Kaalim warmly. Leddicus nodded at him sullenly. Breakfast was buffet style, and it was a feast of such variety and colour that the choice overwhelmed us. Leddicus, as usual, heaped his plate. Since our trip to the States, such choice no longer perturbed him. I noticed Kaalim had a couple of dirty plates at his elbow so I assumed he had arrived early and already eaten. While we pondered on the spread before us, he simply refilled his cup with more strong black coffee.

“I want to go to , and I want to enter via the coliseum. I would like to show my friends that place first,” Leddicus said firmly as he tucked into his breakfast.

“No problem,” Kaalim agreed. “And after we have been there, I will share with you the plans I have to show you many of the other fascinating places in this amazing country,” he said proudly.

I always forget how air-conditioning shields you from the real weather. In the short walk from the hotel to Kaalim’s vehicle, my shirt was sticking to me in thirty-five degrees. I was already becoming thirsty. “Kaalim, I need to just nip back to the hotel and buy some water for us. Can you hang on a minute?”

“No problem, my friend. I have plenty of water in the car in a specially refrigerated container.”

“Excellent. It seems you have thought of everything. Thank you.” I grinned at him and climbed into the front seat alongside our guide.

We drove along a smooth road and looked out into the sweltering streets. The sun shimmered down mercilessly on the glistening buildings. Kaalim parked near to the entrance. We walked towards the coliseum and entered the building past the rugged two thousand-year-old stones.

My history gene started whirring, and I was soon absorbed in the fascination of the place. I was delighted. This era had been my love since I was a child. We walked up what was perhaps originally the back stairway access, and it brought us almost to the top of the coliseum, which opened out hugely in front of us.

Leddicus looked puzzled. “What has happened to it? It’s in such a bad condition since I was last here.”

“Why does each section have two doors, Leddicus?” Julie changed the subject.

“No, not two doors.” He laughed. “The other opening is … erm, Gerhardt … What is that machine that makes all the noise in the bedrooms?”

“You mean the air-conditioning?”

“Yes, yes, that’s it. Those openings are the coliseum’s air-conditioning.”

“Air-conditioning in ancient Rome? No way!” Julie said. “How on Earth does it work?”

“A couple slaves are usually here, and their job is to put thick cloth in cold water and hang it over this opening, alongside the door. Then they use large fans from this side, which blows through the wet cloth, cooling the air. On some days, when the wind is in the right direction, the system works all on its own.”

Julie was astonished and curious. “But there’s no roof on the building. I don’t see how that would work.”

Leddicus shrugged. “I don’t know how. It just did.”

“Simple physics, my dear Watson.” I crossed my arms and imitated a lecturer. “Warm air rises, and cool air sinks. If you push cold air into this round building, even though there is no roof, the lower you sit, the cooler you will be.”

“Yes, that’s true. On very hot days, I sit in here and am quite comfortable, but come on, I want to show you something. You go and sit at the very top of the building. Look.” He pointed. “Right up there. I’ll show you something amazing.”

We set off climbing up the steps to the very top tier as Leddicus bounded down the stairs to the very front. Kaalim smiled indulgently. He was a guide pleased to have happy tourists in tow. We reached the top and sat down on the stone seats.

Leddicus took a bow and strolled back and forth across the stage and then turned toward us and raised both his arms dramatically. “Hello, up there! You know how I have used your microphones on all the tours we have made, but here I am talking to you without one. I’m not shouting. In fact, I am speaking very quietly, yet I know you can hear me perfectly, can’t you?”

Julie and I broke out into spontaneous applause. “Amazing!” Julie said. “Can you hear us?”

Kaalim chuckled at our surprise. No doubt, he had performed this trick for other tourists.

“Follow me. There is more. Come on.” Leddicus was completely enthused as he headed out of the building through a door by the end of the stage.

It took us quite a while to make our way down the many stairs from the top to where the door was. We moved out of the coliseum and marvelled at the huge ancient pillars and structures surrounding us as the dazzling sun sweltered overhead. A few people were around with cameras clicking away, but Leddicus was nowhere to be seen.

“Leddicus! Leddicus where are you!” Julie called out a few times.

The nearby people looked at her blankly each time she called, but Leddicus did not appear. The time ticked by. We wandered slowly around, past the ancient public toilets with their stone seats and enormous pillars stretching far above us, and peered at ruined temple structures, expecting that Leddicus would appear at any minute, but still he was nowhere in sight. This was getting beyond a joke, we were getting hotter, and our water bottles were rapidly emptying. After an hour of looking in doorways and behind pillars, we were getting seriously worried.

“Perhaps we should go back to the hotel,” Julie suggested, “and report Leddicus to the police as a missing person.”

“Let’s keep looking a little longer,” Kaalim said. “Perhaps we should split up and look everywhere again.”

After another fifteen minutes, I was beginning to think it was hopeless. We had peered in doorways, behind pillars, and in every nook and cranny without any success.

“Quickly! Over here! I’ve found him!” Kaalim shouted.

Julie and I rushed to where the guide was kneeling, and there was Leddicus, lying on the ground behind a large pillar quite close to the coliseum. He lay very still. His arms shielded his head. His dark curls clung to pale cheeks as the sweat trickled down his face. I quickly checked his pulse to see that he was alive. As if to confirm that life was still in him, he groaned softly.

“Leddicus! What’s wrong, Leddicus?” Julie gently pulled his arms away from his face.

His eyes were open, but not focussing. He didn’t speak. Kaalim and I took an arm each, pulled them around our shoulders, and half-dragged, half-carried him back to the car. Leddicus slumped into the backseat and remained motionless and silent as Kaalim drove like a wild thing back to the hotel.

We heaved him out of the car and placed him on a sofa in the coolness of the reception area. Kaalim immediately went to the front desk and spoke rapidly in Hebrew to the receptionist, requesting an emergency doctor. While we waited for the doctor to arrive, we managed to get Leddicus up to his room and lay him comfortably on his bed. His face was as white as the sheets. I was exhausted.

He’s deadweight. I immediately regretted the thought. Leddicus lay motionless staring at the ceiling. The doctor arrived after about fifteen minutes and gave him a thorough examination: pulse, temperature, and blood pressure. He peered into his eyes and tested his reflexes. I had a flashback to the hospital room in , where I had first met Leddicus. He had that same catatonic expression on his face, as though he was seeing but not perceiving, as if in a state of shock.

After a while, the doctor put his instruments back in his bag and looked at us. He shook his head. “I can find nothing wrong with him. All his vital signs are normal. I would say he is in shock. Please tell me what happened to him.”

“How long have you got?” I quipped.

The doctor did not smile, but smoothed at his bushy hair and looked at me intently. I felt as if I were back at school so I gathered my thoughts and told him as briefly as possible, from the beginning, about the mystery that was Leddicus. As I spoke, the doctor’s eyebrows crept higher and higher, and there was an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

When I had finished, he rummaged in his bag and handed us a bottle of pills. “Give him one every four hours.” Then he took a small notepad from his case and wrote a name, address, and telephone number on it. “This is a friend of mine, a psychiatrist. He is an excellent practitioner, and I suggest you take Mr. Palantina to see him as soon as possible.”

“What about hospitalisation?” Julie interjected.

“I trust you have good insurance. and have no reciprocal health arrangement, but I don’t think the hospital will do any more for your friend at the moment than I have already done. I will check again tomorrow. It is essential you keep him well hydrated.”

As the doctor closed the door behind him, I looked at Julie. “Health insurance? Did anyone think of that?”

She looked forlorn. “In all the excitement, I forgot. I’m so sorry.”

“Well, can’t do much about it now.” I shrugged. “It’s not your fault. I didn’t think of it either.”

We gently pulled Leddicus up into a sitting position. Between us, we managed to give him one of the pills and some sips of water. He did this instinctively, without any indication that he was aware what was happening. For the next day or so, we milled around the hotel and popped in frequently to check on the staring, drowsy Leddicus. We gave him as much water as we could and continued with the medication programme, but his condition didn’t change.

At lunchtime on the third day, Julie and I sat in the hotel lounge with coffee, a plate of sandwiches, and very little appetite. We sat silently staring into space.

After a while, Julie sighed. “What a dreadful thing. Poor Leddicus, we really must get him back to .”

“That will be tough.” My head was in my hands. “But if we organise a wheelchair, it’s probably possible.”

The doctor had been back two or three times, but seemed to be saying nothing new, apart from telling us he had left his bill at reception for us.

Julie put her hand on my arm. “I have some friends just outside London. I spoke to them today, and they are willing to accommodate Leddicus while he recovers. Let’s get the flights booked as soon as possible.”

I nodded, rather defeated by the whole situation. “I’ll sort the flights.” I stood up. I headed to my room to fire up my laptop. The food remained untouched.

After booking the flights, I came back downstairs to join Julie. As I walked through reception, I saw Kaalim with some other tourists in tow. He turned to them, said something, and then came over to me. “Your friend? He is recovering?” He enquired.

“No change I’m afraid, we’re heading back to London. We leave in two hours.”

The ambassadors who had greeted us on our arrival appeared at the hotel an hour later. They were full of concern and commiserations. They had taken care of everything, including having two sturdy male nurses in tow. The nurses placed Leddicus gently into a wheelchair and transported him to the minibus, which was equipped with a small lift that folded out of the back door. At the airport, we were whisked through passport control to the waiting aircraft and into a special area set aside for travellers who were using a wheelchair.

The two ambassadors, who had escorted us right on to the plane shook hands with us warmly. “Nurse Goldhirsch will accompany you and Mr. Palantina on the flight to ensure that he arrives safely back in the .”

We thanked them profusely and took our seats. The nurse settled in beside Leddicus and fastened the specially adapted seat belt. In the , we were swiftly escorted to a waiting taxi, which took all three of us to the house where Leddicus would be staying.

A slim, dark woman opened the door and hugged Julie. “Welcome to our home.” She pushed the door wide open to accommodate the wheelchair.

We sat down in the living room for a few minutes to make introductions.

“I’m Diane Jones, and this is my husband Jonathan.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Gerhardt, and I appreciate you taking in a complete stranger.”

Diane disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes and reappeared with a tray containing a pot of tea and homemade fruit cake.

“That’s kind of you,” I said. “I’m suddenly ravenous.”

Jonathan turned to me. “Our local doctor is on his way, he should be here very soon. Also, I have some friends nearby who have plenty of space in their house. They are willing to put you up if you wish, then you can be near Leddicus.”

“Thank you,” I said through a mouthful of cake. “That sounds like a good option.”

Julie managed to get half a cup of tea into the patient and then Jonathan and I took Leddicus upstairs and settled him into the spare room. We had just sorted him out when the doorbell rang. A moment later, the doctor stood in the doorway to the bedroom. He spent a while examining Leddicus and then asked, “Is he on any medication?”

I pulled the bottle of pills out of my pocket and handed them to him.

He squinted at the label. “Antidepressants. Quite strong ones. I recommend you cease this medication within two weeks, or Mr. Palantina could become dependent on them. He is very dehydrated, are you managing to give him fluids?”

“Yes, a little,” I said.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a wallet containing Dioralyte sachets. “Mix the contents of one of these into any drinks you give him, and try to get more fluids into him. I’ll come back tomorrow evening and see how things are going.” The doctor shook our hands and headed on to his next patient.

I looked at Jonathan, and he put his hand on my shoulder. “Try not to worry. We’ll look after him. We both have nursing experience.” He took the sachets from me. “I’ll make sure we get more fluids into him.”

Julie stood up as I entered the sitting room. “Shall we call a taxi? Are you ready to go?” I nodded and briefly told her what the doctor had said.

I turned to Jonathan and handed him my business card. “Call me at any time if you need me.”

Diane snapped her mobile shut. “The cab will be here in five minutes. Here’s the address of our friends.”

David and Josie were equally as friendly as the other couple were and lived about a mile from the Jones’s home. It was a large, rambling house, and other people seemed to be living there. Josie led me upstairs to a bright, clean bedroom and then showed me to a kitchen on the same floor.

She opened up the refrigerator. “Plenty of food and drink in here. Help yourself, and please stay as long as you need.”

I followed Julie out of the house to the waiting taxi. She sat in the back and looked at me grimly. “Call me in the morning, and we’ll decide where to from here. I’m too tired to think right now.”

The taxi pulled away, and I stood watching until the taillights faded from sight.

David offered me a cup of tea, but I declined. “I’m exhausted. Would you mind very much it I called it a night?”

“No problem,” he said. “Sleep well.”

I splashed water on my face and slowly brushed my teeth. I was completely drained. I climbed into bed, but sleep evaded me. I lay for a long time staring into the darkness.