Ch32: The Lab Result
796 Words
Four days later, the phone rang.
Sari was in the middle of a lesson, her back to the class, writing multiplication tables on the chalkboard. The children were copying into their notebooks.
The phone vibrated in her skirt pocket.
She ignored it.
It vibrated again.
She finished the equation, set down the chalk, and pulled out the phone. The screen showed a number she didn't recognize—the county town prefix.
“Continue copying,” she told the class, and stepped outside into the hallway.
She pressed answer.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Dewi? This is the county environmental lab. Your water sample results are ready.”
Her heart jumped. “What did you find?”
A pause. The sound of papers shuffling.
“We ran the standard panel plus extended tests for organic contaminants. The results are concerning.”
“Concerning how?”
“The heavy metal levels are off the scale. Lead, mercury, arsenic—all multiple times above safe limits. But that's not the worst part.”
Sari pressed the phone tighter against her ear.
“We found industrial-grade organic pollutants. Chemicals that don't occur naturally. Someone has been dumping industrial waste into that spring. And the concentrations are high enough to cause acute poisoning within weeks of regular consumption.”
“Acute poisoning?”
“Nausea, vomiting, neurological symptoms. In severe cases, organ damage.” The woman's voice was professional, but there was something underneath it. “Ms. Dewi, where did you say this water comes from?”
“A spring. In my village. People have been drinking it for generations.”
“Not anymore, I hope.”
“I've been warning them.”
“Good. Because if anyone is still drinking this water, they need to stop immediately. I'm sending the report to the district health office.”
“You said industrial waste. What kind of industry?”
Silence.
“Ms. Dewi, I'm not at liberty to speculate. But the chemical signature suggests manufacturing byproducts—the kind that come from large-scale operations. Factories. Processing plants.”
Sari's throat tightened.
“Can you send me a copy of the report?”
“I'll email it to the address you provided.”
“Thank you.”
She hung up and stood in the hallway, the phone warm in her hand.
*Industrial waste. Large-scale operations.*
There were no factories near her village. Nothing that could produce the chemicals the lab had found.
But there was Mbah Ratu.
And there was Viktor Volkov's money.
And there was the snake symbol that Adrian had seen somewhere before.
She walked back into the classroom. The children were still copying.
“Class dismissed,” she said. “Early. Go play outside.”
They looked up, confused, then cheered and ran for the door.
Sari sat down at her desk and opened her laptop.
---
That night, the grey city was clearer.
The fog had pulled back from the buildings, leaving the streets damp and dark but visible. The air was still cold, but she didn't shiver.
He was waiting for her.
“The results came back,” she said.
“What did they find?”
“Heavy metals. Lead, mercury, arsenic. And industrial chemicals—the kind that come from factories.”
He was quiet for a moment. “There are no factories near your village.”
“I know.”
“Then someone is putting them there.”
“Someone with money. Someone with resources.” She looked at him. “Someone like your uncle.”
His hands curled into fists.
“Viktor,” he said.
“The symbol you recognized—the snake. Is it connected to him?”
He didn't answer immediately. The grey city seemed to hold its breath.
“I don't know,” he said finally. “But I'm going to find out.”
The fog at the horizon shifted.
“Don't go back to the spring,” he said.
“I have to.”
“You have the proof. You have the lab report. Let the authorities handle it.”
“The authorities won't do anything. Mbah Ratu owns half the officials in the district.”
“Then let me handle it.”
She stepped closer. “How?”
“I have people. Lawyers. Investigators. I can trace Viktor's money, find the connection, bring the whole thing down.”
“You'd do that? For my village?”
He looked at her. His face was still shadowed, but she felt the weight of his gaze.
“I'd do it for you,” he said.
The words hung in the air.
She didn't know what to say. So she said nothing.
She just reached out and took his hand.
“Stay,” she whispered.
“Stay,” he answered.
The grey city held.
- Writer
