Roachville

Ely had a studio flat behind his indoor garden. But as we sneaked in, it felt more natural to take off all our clothes in the middle of his jungle. We put a blanket on the sandy clearing and we tried various sexual positions until falling asleep in the warm greenhouse.

I woke up with ‘Here comes your man’ in my head, a classic Pixies tune that stuck in my mind for a few hours and that I whistled out of tune throughout the day.

‘What’s our next move?’ Ely asked, stirring his tea.

‘We need to contact Kalaroo and give him the naga back,’ I said, patting the wooden statue.

‘Do you realize that neither Kalaroo nor Tann know where we are?’ Ely’s spoon stayed stuck in mid-air and caught a glint of morning sunshine. ‘We could run away now and sell the naga for an extortionate amount of money.’

‘Are you serious?’ I asked, my teaspoon also hovering at face level.

‘No, I’m not. It’s just something that occurred to me.’ He lowered his spoon into his mug.

‘Okay.’ I copied his spoon action. ‘It’s tempting, but it would be difficult to find someone to sell the naga to without Tann hearing about it and we would have to go on the run again. And mostly, I want to give it back now. I want to do the right thing.’

‘Of course, you’re right,’ Ely smiled, before adding with a tense expression on his face, ‘so how do you get in touch with Kalaroo?’

‘I have an idea.’ I frowned, trying to see a way out of this labyrinth. ‘We have to deal with Sommai next.’

‘Okay, but how?’

‘Someone good at chess once told me that the best defence is to attack. It’s time to go on the offensive now.’

As I waited for the laptop to warm up, I noticed some old-fashioned secateurs. I liked the dark metallic colour and the well-oiled mechanism. They felt perfect in my hand. Ely was bent down cutting back some vigorous plants and watering others.

‘Do you mind if I borrow these?’ I shouted across the indoor garden.

‘Sure.’ He nodded. ‘What do you need them for?’

‘I’m not sure yet, but I think they’ll come in handy very soon.’

I used the same method as before to get in touch with Kalaroo. I logged on the translators’ website but this time I was the one posting a technical question. I carried on the same previous technical theme: ‘Ignition module mounting screws torque’ with the explanation ‘component of a hydroponics motor used in urban areas’. This would get translators scratching their heads. I imagined them typing back haughtily for more context, fingers extended and backs straightened up.

I leant back in the soft chair and closed my eyes. Sommai and Kenneth Tann on one side, and Phuong and Mei on the other. A simple story about principles. Phuong and Mei didn’t want to give up the naga, even if it meant their lives were put in great danger, and Kenneth Tann had wanted it for so long, he couldn’t let it go now. And me, stuck in the middle, a temporary naga keeper with a direct family link to it all.

I contemplated Ely’s thin frame busying itself among the dark green leaves where I had first met him and had come face to face with the naga. As I recalled that first instant, I realized that things were changing. For the first time in years, real plans were taking shape in my mind. The fog that had been blocking any path towards a purposeful future was lifting. I gazed at the naga and let its Aurora Borealis glow envelop me. My heartbeat became louder; I retreated inside myself and prepared for action.