Hong Kong

J

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II

Thomas received fair money for a kilo of gold. Not for the historical value of the piece sold. Nor was he paid a good price for it. 800 $ a gram... Anyway... No invoice, with old bills, in 4. plastic bags All stored in an old toyota hiace diesel he bought at an auction. He was confident that the 160 bales of 500 $100 bills were complete in the 4 bags he was carrying. Nervously he moved on hoping not to get a police hold.

He sighed with relief when he parked at the hospital....

He had made several purchases and always with a cold sweat on his back from nerves.... Now he was not at the rooftop pool parties of Hong Kong's well-to-do kids...

-- We are in competition again... Albeit in a different league... -- he said as he watched his friends on i********: die off, Zoom, Duo and Whassap remained unmoved, and his Tik Tok no longer had any followers.

He reached the hallway, saw the teenager standing in the middle of it, with a blank stare, dressed in her school uniform, washed and her backpack. Another victim for whom no one would claim.

Thomas walked over and saw the huge black circles under her pale face.

He hoped he wasn't wrong. He felt her heart beating.

-- Do you trust me? -- he asked, calculating the girl's weight. I thought I remembered 100 pounds. The backpack. Plus his own backpack.

-- What the hell. The gym must have been good for something -- he thought.

-- He bought me the g*n?

-- Yeah.

--So... Where are we going?

-- That's what we're going to find out," Thomas said, unexpectedly loading it. He ran as fast as he could. He pushed himself as far as he could, jumping off the balcony, as they both let out a scream that woke up all the sick...

II

Kathy felt that returning to her hometown would be a major psychological shock. Here she was a person, she was treated with respect, she was the rival of a beautiful woman, who was afraid of her, because she thought she could lose the love of a handsome man.

So, going back to the hospital and starting her job was not appealing to her.

She touched the fabric of her green suit, embossed with gold threads, and sighed.

-- Some price must be paid," he whispered, watching as the imposing and handsome Qiang Ling approached.

-- You must come with me," the man said.

She nodded silently.

-- It is time," she said, walking, gazing at the warrior's broad back.

II

The small detachment left through the main gate of the castle. Mr. Count Qiang

Qiang Ling, behind his chief escort. Further back the maid Kathy Hung. And then an escort of warriors. In the main courtyard, at the foot of the stairs Akame and her maidens were waiting, bowing as the Gentle Man passed.

Akame could not conceal his distress at seeing Kathy marching behind the count.... He greeted her and looked at her, the astonishment struck her like a bolt of lightning.....

III

24 years and 8 months and 29 days before the departure of Qiang Li and his escort from the castle....

They made love with the beauty and tenderness that is between two lovers; he was ten and six years old. She was fourteen and a half years old.

-- What have we done? I have disgraced your lineage, your beauty, your heritage. I must offer my life to pay for my baseness," said he, contemplating the unearthly beauty of the young girl.

-- For I love you with madness," she whispered, spellbound by the taste of passion in his body.

-- This is impossible. There is no future in this. I am to blame. I should not have laid eyes on you.

-- And I allowed it. I love you. So do you. The gods will be kind; for they allowed it.

-- I must no longer be weak. I must take care of you. You belong in another life.

-- I forbid you to do what you are thinking. There is no life for me without you.

-- You condemn me to suffer unspeakably on the day I see you leave for your wedding ceremony.

-- We'll run away to the Gobi. We'll take the silk road.

-- First die before you suffer any want on my account.

She was about to answer.

The doors opened violently and the young man entered preceding the group of guards.

-- It was this. This is what it is all about. A palace service satiating itself on a maiden destined for a marriage of his level.

-- He's not to blame. I drugged him. I seduced him. I ordered him to give me pleasure-- she cried out, sitting up, covering herself with the sheets.

-- It is clear to me that he is the one she loves. But I cannot allow this desecration of the bloodline.

The boy was brutally taken by the guards and brought to his knees. The man took a dagger and plunged it into the boy's throat.

The corpse was dragged outside and the man looked at the horrified teenage girl, who was screaming and crying.

The man stood in the pool of blood, holding the dagger in his hands.

-- The whole palace knew. And if not, it is now public. Do you think my guards are mute and don't comment? My sister was screwing a servant.

-- He is not to blame. I drugged him. I seduced him. I ordered him to give me pleasure," she cried, sitting up, pulling the sheets over herself.

-- It is clear to me that he is the one she loves. But I cannot allow this desecration of the bloodline.

The boy was brutally taken by the guards and brought to his knees. The man took a dagger and plunged it into the boy's throat.

The corpse was dragged outside and the man looked at the horrified teenage girl, who was screaming and crying.

The man stood in the pool of blood, holding the dagger in his hands.

-- The whole palace knew. And if not, it is now public. Do you think my guards are mute and don't comment? My sister was screwing a servant.

A guard entered and muttered something in the man's ear.

The man turned his face violently towards the guard and he swallowed thickly and nodded.

-- Damn it! How could this happen," said the man, raising his dagger at his sister.

She got up from the bed, wrapped in sheets and standing barefoot in the pool of blood, next to her brother she said, while raising her face to him.

-- Take my life. I don't care anymore.

-- He was not a eunuch. How could that happen?

****************

III

As soon as the group of riders departed, Akame ran up the stairs sobbing, followed by her maid. Not caring in the least that everyone saw her, she collapsed in tears kneeling on Qiang Ling's ceremonial chair.

The other comforted her and said in her ear.

-- Don't exaggerate. They may think otherwise.

-- I don't care," Akame said, still crying, "I have just seen and understood that I cannot compete with her.

-- Please! The count can't say no. Her going with him doesn't mean anything.

-- You can't understand what I saw... Now I know everything...

****************

Thomas and the teenage girl rolled on the floor...

The girl screamed in terror.

-- I'm dead. You killed me. -- She repeated mechanically, trying to balance her hyperventilating breathing.

Thomas sat up slowly. His heart was about to explode, he was breathing anxiously and an immense desire to vomit was attacking him. As best he could, he knelt on the floor. Disoriented, confused.

They were in the middle of a dark night. He looked up. A sky full of stars. His own stars of the northern hemisphere.

-- We're okay. We're alive. But not in the hospital," he said, sitting up, touching his whole body.

-- I can't see anything," the girl said with the same anguish.

-- Lower your voice. We have to get our bearings.

-- What did you do? Why did you kill me and kill yourself?

-- Understand. The day you saw the man who defiled you; he jumped off the balcony and he must be here somewhere. You want to look for him? Well, this is where he is. We're not dead. I don't know how it works, but we're somewhere else.

-- How are you so sure? And how will we get back?

-- I don't know. But I know we are.

-- I'm cold, the girl said.

-- Me too," he said, trying to warm her; it was true. The cold was bone chilling.

-- Don't you dare touch me. I can't tolerate any man touching me...

-Be calm, Mei To. You're safe with me.

Little by little she began to pace her breathing. They both looked around.

-- There. In the distance-- Mei To pointed out-- there's a campfire. We must go there.

-- It's not that easy. They might be bandits.

-- So? I'd like a cup of tea or coffee.

-- So would I... Let's get closer.

The girl took out her cell phone and searched for google maps.

-- There's no signal -- she said showing him the Iphone -- GPS doesn't work either.

II.

24 years before Mei Li will show the Iphone to Thomas.... Only in another possible time...

The young man looked at the cold and rainy autumn afternoon.

He drank a cup of ging seng tea.

The midwife approached.

He looked at her and she made a negative gesture. The cup fell from her hands and at full speed she ran into the room.

On the bed was the girl. Livida. With open eyes staring into infinity.

The midwife knelt before the man.

-- I did everything. It was not possible. The hemorrhage was too strong. I couldn't control it... Take my life. I offer my life for my incompetence.

He pushed her away abruptly and looked at his sister's face.

A service approached and said to him.

-- My lord. She is a child.

He refused to look at her. With a tremulous hand he refused to see the child.

Staggering he left the room. In a choked voice he said to his chief warrior.

-- I beat the drum for Luto.

-- Yes, my lord.

Her parents died of the black plague. Now his sister at the age of fifteen died leaving him a child. He understood. He was alone. At 18 he was alone.

-#--

The group enjoyed the campfire.

-- Sir. The men are ready for guard duty.

Qiang Ling nodded. He was in the vastness of the meadow. He supposed that the spies inside the palace had not yet had a chance to report their arrival. However, any foresight was not foolish.

She stood beside the man.

-- You must sleep," the Count indicated.

-- It's hard for me. I still can't get used to it. I seem to be curing him on the mat in my apartment.

-- It was a humiliating defeat. It's not a good memory.

-- How old are you?

-- Forty-two. The count said.

-- I don't really know the customs. Why does your girlfriend cry every five minutes?. Especially when she sees me near you.

-- If she showed tranquility, it would be frowned upon. It's the custom.

-- Well. In Hong Kong if one finds the groom with another, he drags her all over the sidewalk.

-- I see," said the Count, preparing to close his eyes.

-- Will you sleep sitting down?

-- I will calm my mind. However, I will keep my guard up.

She kept silent.

With closed eyes Qiang Ling said to her.

-- The man I was fighting that day is called Hang Hing.  We both know that in this land there is a lost gold mine. Having that fortune gives you the power to aspire to be viceroy of the province.

-- You aspire to be viceroy.

-- I have no choice.

-- Why? You are not satisfied with what you have?.

-- He who loses in aspiration, loses his life.

-- Is it law?

-- No. It's custom.

-- Just an alpha male in the herd.

-- Something like that.

-- Other than that he gets to keep the beautiful Akame.

-- It's the trophy for the winner. I can't condemn her to live that down.

IV

Akame was warm, but the cold midnight breeze could curdle her lips. She knew perfectly well that nothing escaped the count's eyes.

Silently the man came and whispered from the darkness.

-- You have no idea how my blood boils just imagining how he touches your precious body.

-- Jealousy is the easiest way to lose everything you have done; my dear Hang Hing.

The man came and embraced her, melting her against his chest. Desperately he sought her lips, kissing them passionately.

-- You are mine. I don't know how I can bear you not being with me. I'm burning with passion, with the desire of love for you," said Hang Hing anxiously.

-- Everything is going as it should. Qiang Ling asked me to marry her.

-- That's excellent news," said the man, "I don't know if there will be another chance to see you. I'll find a way, though. We must seize every opportunity. Here.

The man gave her an envelope.

-- What is it?

-- It was made from the other side of the portal. It causes no discomfort. It leaves no traces. It's colorless, tasteless, no antidote.

The woman received the envelope and put it away.

-- Will you take me to the other side of the gate?

-- We'll live there and here. Let's say there will be the winter palace.

She smiled softly.

The man kissed her again greedily. Then with regret he let her go and walked away.... She silently retraced her steps and wiped her lips.