Second Chance

Chapter 6 - Devil Falls

Jake was determined to find the white-haired woman.

The old monk had done him a good turn by revealing the dwelling place of his quarry. So now that I know where she hides, I can storm her abode, drag her out, and demand answers, he said to himself, flushing with fervour. Wow, am I aggressive or what?

He was also pleased to receive a call from the factory located further down south from his home. They informed him that the tea shipment to London had left the port yesterday. Fueled by his buoyant mood, he instructed the bookkeeper to reward each and every one of them with a hung bao equivalent to a month’s pay for their industriousness. The wild hurray on the other end of the line was music to his ears.

Mao-chan, smartly dressed in a dark blue chauffeur uniform and cap, was using a feather duster on the black limousine, although there was hardly a speck of dust. When he saw Jake sauntering towards him with a knapsack on his back, he knew at once his master was taking a little trip.

After wishing Jake a happy morning, the chubby and jovial-faced chauffeur went behind the car and opened the rear passenger door. “Going on an outing, Master?” he asked in his throaty voice, the duster still in his hand.

Jake smiled and returned his greeting. “Yeah, sort of, but I don’t need the car. Just saddle up my horse for me, will you?”

The chauffeur was wide-eyed in surprise.

“What’s the matter?” Jake inquired. “Are you all right?”

Quickly recollecting himself, Mao-chan bowed his head and apologised. “Oh, please forgive me. You caught me unaware when you said that – horse riding, I mean. You haven’t done that since Madam … err … passed away.”

Jake shrugged, a half shrug actually, just his left shoulder. It lent an air of nonchalance to his gesture. “So I guess now is a very good time to restart this activity, don’t you agree?”

“Yes, Master,” Mao-chan grinned, closing the car door. He then dashed to the stable at the back of the mansion. A few minutes later, he returned with a snow-white stallion, its shiny coat short and coarse, its long mane flowing smoothly down, and its bushy tail carried high.

Jake beamed and gave the animal a good scratch on the neck. “Hi, Flash, it’s been a long while, I’ve missed you,” he said softly to the horse. “And to make up for lost time, you and I are setting out on another adventure today. What say you?”

The stallion neighed, his ears sticking up. He then rubbed his nose against Jake’s head – yes, he was ready for the challenge.

When he was mounted, Jake turned to his chauffeur and said, “Should Mun Gor call, tell him I’ll be back in a day or two.”

“May I know where you are going, Master?”

Knowing very well that the place he was heading would put a lot of undue worry on Mao-chan, Jake decided to tell him a little white lie: “To Baiwang Mountain near the Summer Palace; heard that the best time to view the red autumnal leaves there is late November.” Thereafter he rode off.

It was a hazy morning. Swirling silver mists were still veiling the mansion’s grounds, the dew on the green leaves were twinkling, and the air smelled like spearmint. When Jake reached the main road, he nudged Flash in the direction of Devil Falls, and his horse galloped away. As he snaked through the wilderness, its steep, grandiose land of endless canyons, trees, and snow-peaked hills dwarfing man and animal, a silly grin spread across his face once more, and he felt the adrenaline rush through his veins like a raging river. Inevitably, the fast ride also brought back delightful memories of his horse-riding excursions with Mei-suet and the many thought-provoking conversations they had together.

“Tell me frankly, Jake. Do you like killing people?”

“Of course not. But it’s my job.”

“You’re always one decision away from a completely different life, you know.”

“Perhaps in your world, Mei-suet. It doesn’t work with mine. I will always be a gunman.”

“Who says so? Your sifu? Make a decision, Jake. And you shouldn’t feel bad if that decision upsets him. You are responsible for your own happiness, not his.”

The sun had climbed past noon when Jake reached a stream that flowed across bars of blue pebbles. Since Devil Falls was another hour’s ride away, he decided to take a short rest here. He had to. His feet had fallen asleep and his behind had grown numb on the hard saddle. Sitting on the soft green grass under a big tree beside the bank, he took his lunch – Ah Ying’s pancakes were delicious – while reviving his deadened feet by paddling in the cool water.

After a short nap to reinvigorate himself, he was off again. It was slowly turning dim, for the sun was descending behind the green ridge. At last he reached the edge of the woods, a moss-veiled path under a gloomy batch of huge black trees leading to Devil Falls before him. Shreds of white mist began to surface, their icy crystals frosting the air. Jake sniffed; the smell was stale like a week-long dead fish. He halted, his heart quailing as spooky thoughts sparked inside his head.

Flash neighed. The dread was heavy on him too.

“Only now do I fully understand why they call it Devil Falls,” Jake said to himself. “I am picking up so many bad vibes from this place.”

Still he had to enter if he was to find Chin-ling. With that thought, he took a deep breath and squeezed his legs. But Flash refused to budge. He squeezed a little harder. The animal only gave him a face.

“Come on, let’s go, Flash,” Jake whispered into the stallion’s ear. “Don’t be afraid. I have walked in far more darker places of the world. This is nothing.”

Nevertheless, Flash would have none of Jake’s hogwash. He stood his ground.

The ex-hit-man was left with no option; he dismounted. Just as he was about to lead Flash about, the trembling animal broke free and fled. Jake was floored. “Hey, come back here, you coward!”

Jake chased after him to no avail – Flash vanished from sight soon after. With no horse now, it looked like he had to continue his journey on foot. Adjusting his knapsack on his back, he headed back to the woods, shouting expletives at the amber-tinted sky to release his frustration.

Before long the fog had rose above his head and rolled up to the trees to become a roof, engulfing him in a sea of mist. He felt as though a net was closing in on him; he didn’t fancy the notion. So along the beaten path he ran as quickly as he could. His speed seemed slower than usual, much to his bafflement. But he ran anyway.

When he came to a small stony bridge, he crossed over without any hesitation. After that, the path became difficult to follow – the mist was getting thicker and colder. It was so cold he had to stop and take his coat out from his knapsack. He had brought along a torchlight too. Switching it on, he made his way deeper into the woods. The going was sluggish; he could barely see a thing in front of him except the light from his torch.

The path appeared to stretch on endlessly, prompting Jake to wonder whether he had made a wrong turn somewhere. He checked his compass and found to his dismay that its needle was swinging erratically – there was some kind of magnetic disturbance here.

Suddenly there was a hollow echo, its sound similar to the hushed tones inside a great marble-slabbed cathedral, all about the woods. Someone or something was following him. Yet he saw nothing. A million tiny cockroach legs went scuttling down his back.

The next thing he knew, there was a loud crunching sound beneath his feet. He seemed to have stepped on something hard. He shone his torch down and to his horror, saw a human skull sticking out of the earth. There were also broken human limbs and bones littered around him; he was standing on a mass shallow grave!

“That’s it, I’m out of here!” he screamed, his first impulse to turn tail and run. No wonder Flash bolted, he thought. That four-hoofed mammal knew what he was getting himself into; this is the forest of death!

However, all the paths out of the woods only led Jake back to the very same spot he started from. Two hours or so later, he lost all sense of direction. And his legs grew heavy. He dragged himself forward and sat with his back to a tree trunk, turning his head from side to side to check his surroundings. All was quiet now. Nothing stirred. Everything felt so surreal … like he had stumbled into a nightmare that he could not wake up from.

As he was pondering his chances of getting out of this place alive, he noticed a dim yellow light some distance off. It was twinkling and appeared to be beckoning to him.

Standing on his feet once more, Jake said to himself, “Hell, what have I got to lose?”

He followed the light until the trees came to an end and the fog was left far behind. Up ahead was a wide sweep of smooth, soft grass. Above, the black sky was lit by white stars. To the east, the water was murmuring and he caught sight of a white glimmer of foam where the river flowed downstream. Walking along a path which was now plain before him, he was delighted with the thought of not yielding to the darkness of the woods.

At last he saw a cottage; the twinkling light was coming from there. Quickly he went towards it, craving a kind soul and a pot of wine.

The door was open and light was streaming out of it.

Switching off his torchlight, he gently knocked at the door to announce himself.

A female voice answered: “Come in, Mr Jake Lone. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Jake stepped over the wooden threshold and paused, accustoming his eyes to the bright light emitting from the lamps hung on the roof beam. When his vision cleared, he saw a woman sitting upright on the couch at the far end corner. She wore a seductive smile. Her long white hair was rustling softly down her waist. And her gown was the same one she wore at the creek. She was Chin-ling!

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Author's Note: English Translation

hung bao - red packet