Larof was a city. Some said it was too small to be a city but it had a temple and it had been decreed that any place with a temple was deemed to be a city and so Larof was a city. It was a very ordinary place nothing special happened there. People got on with their daily lives as best they could. Life was pretty good. This was a period of peace. In fact there had been no wars for a century. The century before, however, had been the bloodiest the world had ever seen. Whole nations had been wiped out. Ethnic cleansing on a scale never witnessed before. That was then and hardly anyone was alive to remember the carnage of those times. Now life was so calm that some would even say that it was boring. ‘Nothing ever happens around here’ was the comment of a few who craved change. But the life they were leading was in fact a massive change from the life led by their predecessors.
Everything had changed from the way they were governed to the way they brushed their teeth. Everything had a recommended way and a not recommended way but if you had a better, easier or preferred way of doing something that didn’t matter as long as it respected the rights of others. That was the most important rule that everyone lived by. ‘If your neighbour is happy, you are happy’. This was the motto that the whole world had chosen to live by and for a century now the world enjoyed the kind of security never before imagined. The ruling had echoes of the now dismembered United Nations who claimed ‘never again’ to the atrocities of the world wars but then proceeded to either turn a blind eye to butcherously ferocious wars or conducted their own acts of butchery. The new world government had put an end to all that. It had put an end to the north south divide, to greed, to corruption, to poverty, to crime in fact to most of the ills associated with the governments of the 20th and 21st centuries.
People still had problems though, the kinds of problems that most people have. But the great thing was that others were there to offer a helping hand. There was a lot of selflessness around and if you took there were always plenty of opportunities to give too so no-one exploited anyone else.
One particular problem had been a worry for quite some time. Princess Stephanie, had married Prince Hamnot two years ago. They now had a baby daughter called Noora, who was six months old and from the time that she was born she had not slept. She never got tired it seemed. She wanted to play and whenever one of her parents tried putting her to bed she cried and cried. They had taken her to the doctor who had recommended a certain child specialist in the city. The specialist had taken months to check the baby with endless tests but to no avail.
Larof was the capital of the Kingdom of Misria
The king considered the problem serious enough to call a world council. All the world’s representatives attended. Their gathering lasted three days but they could find no remedy. On the last day of the gathering the king threw a banquet for his guests. Towards the end of the banquet he rose to give his closing speech. He had just finished sharing his thoughts of how sad he was that nothing could be done for his granddaughter, when the scraping of a chair could be heard from the back of the banquet hall.
A woman rose. She was tall, much taller than anyone else in the hall. Her hair was white and tied up in a neat bun on the back of her head. When she spoke the room seemed to get colder and some people seemed to nestle deeper into their clothing. “I can cure this child,” she said. Everyone in the room turned to peer at her. “Why has she waited until now to say something?” one person whispered to her neighbour. She had remained silent for three days and now she spoke with a voice that sent shivers down the spines of those seated near her.
The king stopped in mid sentence and looked towards the interruption. He also thought it strange that someone should speak up now rather than say something during the three day proceedings. He asked her to come forward and present herself before him, which she duly did. He looked at her carefully. Her piercing blue eyes stared back at her. A northerner he thought. Very few of them remained. Millions were wiped out during the Great War and those that survived had been scattered in all the directions of the compass. Many of them still had access to the ancient knowledge. He knew very little about it but he prided himself in keeping an open mind. “Why have you waited until now to speak out,” he asked her.
“I’ve been ill these last few days,” she replied. “I haven’t had a chance to say anything until now.”
Her piercing eyes seemed to flash as if to say ‘how dare you question me like this’. She didn’t look to be a person you could defy and get away with it. Not even a king. The king looked at her thoughtfully. Her expression didn’t give anything away. He had no way of knowing she was telling the truth. Should he listen to her? What could she say that had not already been said by some of the best minds in the world? He didn’t know who she was or where she was from.
“What is your name?” He asked her.
“Alubia,” she replied.
“And where are you from?”
“Malawi
‘She has travelled far to get here,’ thought the king. He knew that some of the northern tribes had settled there. They had been welcomed and shown the highest standards of hospitality, something that the people of Malawi
“A wise and respected people,” said the king loudly so that the whole court could hear. “We welcome your presence and would gladly hear any advice you have to give.”
Alubia gave a short nod to show that she was honoured to be so highly praised. “I was briefed about your problem before I came to your palace your majesty,” she began. “I began a search and my computers came up with the perfect remedy. We are a wise people, as you have kindly said. Our wisdom goes back thousands of years to when we were the rulers of a vast kingdom. Few now know the secrets that were once known only to the scholars of the ancestral laws. They were considered to be backwards, behind the times. Our youth wanted the modern, the new and exciting. My family made sure these traditions would not die out once the scholars passed away. We used the technology of the time and stored away every piece of information we could find no matter how obscure. Today I am pleased to announce that that information has come to the aid of the greatest kingdom the world has ever see. May your reign last forever.”
A buzz of excitement ran through the large hall. The scholastic reputation of the Malawites was not unknown. Combined with the ancient knowledge of the northern races, no matter how outdated, could produce some interesting results. People sitting close to Alubia stared in wonder at her blue eyes as though they were looking at her now for the first time. She certainly was a rarity in these parts if not the whole world. Alubia stood straight, her body erect and her chin raised. ‘Let them look at me’ she thought. Our race was well known for its good looks. She wasn’t really a good example of this but she was vain enough to think she was.
“An impressive speech,” said the king. “We wait to see what you have for us.” Alubia reached into her cloak and fished out a small, square, wooden object from an inner pocket. She held it in her outstretched palm for all to see. It was a cube of about six centimeter sides. Its sides and top were carved with symbols and shapes, which were not recognized by those who could see them. It had a lid that fit snuggly on top and was connected to the base with a silver hinge. It wasn’t unlike the cheap trinkets sold in the local handicraft shops.
“Do not be deceived by looks,” said Alubia, reading the kings thoughts. This is the most powerful remedy of its kind. It will accomplish what you want. She proceeded to give instructions on its use. The parents were to open the box at night when they wanted the child to sleep. The box would produce music that would send their child to sleep. As soon as the child closed its eyes they were to close the box until the following night. This process was to be repeated for forty days after which the box would stop producing music and the child would continue to go to sleep at the right time without it.
The king nodded. He had heard of such things. She must still have knowledge of the ancient wisdom of the north. He took the box from Alubia and thanked her. She would leave for Malawi
The king retired to his palace. He was troubled. He wasn’t sure why but he knew it had something to do with Alubia. He had felt the coldness of her stare just like the others. He hadn’t said anything but the other guests had mentioned a chill in the air. He had put it down to imagination. Her ancestors did come from a cold climate and looking at her reminded many people of the origins of her kind. There was also the cold nature of these people. Although they had fully integrated with the people who had adopted them, this still lingered in people’s minds. This would of course affect the way people treated them. Although the law of the land forbade discrimination on the grounds of ancestral origin and there had been a complete change in the way people treated others over the last century, the king was sure that these people still bore the stigma attached to them. A century had passed and those alive today could not be blamed for the atrocities committed by their forefathers. Everyone understood this but there were some who still didn’t trust them. “Once a northerner always a northerner,” was their claim. This was never said openly though and everyone went out of their way to show them kindness and compassion. Today’s coldness in Alubia’s eyes showed that no amount of kindness and compassion was enough to melt some people’s hearts.
But no he would not continue thinking in this way. Hadn’t Alubia given them a cure for something that no-one else could find? Hadn’t she attended this council even though she had been ill? Hadn’t she spent time searching for an answer to their problem before leaving Malawi Malawi
The next morning there was much toing and froing as people bade farewell to friends and colleagues and got themselves ready to leave. Special bullet trains had been laid on to take people to the air stations from where they would take flyers to their home cities. The king woke early to oversee the departures. After he had bathed and had breakfast, he sent for word of Alubia. A messenger returned to say that she had left just before dawn. She had said that she was feeling unwell and needed to see her doctors back in Malawi
He returned to his chambers and walked toward the table on which Alubia’s wooden box was placed. He picked it up and looked at the carvings. They were beautiful. This kind of craftsmanship was no match to the carvings on the trinkets found in Larof’s markets. It was clear that the object he held in his hand was very old. The symbols were old too. They held no meaning for him. A language, if it did represent a language, that had been lost in the folds of time. ‘Did Alubia understand these symbols,’ he wondered. He would have liked to talk to her about them. Should he send word to recall her. No, it would not be wise especially if she wasn’t feeling well. He would wait a few days and then send someone to enquire about her health. Then if she was well, he would invite her to the palace as an honoured guest. A privilege she would not be able to refuse. He smiled to himself. Did he think she would want to refuse an invitation by the king of the world? She would be only too pleased to come. Her tribe and country’s breasts would swell with pride that one of their own had been honoured thus. They would hold parties to celebrate the occasion and have a grand procession to see her off. It wasn’t everyday that the king invited you as an honoured guest. He placed the box on the table and sent word to his daughter and her husband to come to the palace. They were to come and see him at six o’clock this evening and were to bring Noora, his granddaughter, with them.
Noora and her parents arrived at the appointed time and were ushered into the king’s private chambers so that he could speak to them alone. Servants brought in refreshments, a cooling plum squash and snacks to nibble on whilst they waited for the king to arrive. The surroundings were aimed at providing comfort rather than giving an outward show of wealth. There was no real poverty now like there was in the past and so shows of wealth were considered to be an act of vanity or tackiness. There were always people who did show off but they born with grace. People who tried to put others down were not and they would be subject to severe criticism. That wasn’t common though. Who wanted to be humiliated by their friends and relatives? The little girl wriggled out of her mothers lap to play on the floor. She followed the lines of the mosaic patterns with her finger and gurgled happily. The two parents kept a watchful eye on her. She showed no signs of fatigue but both her parents had black rings around their eyes from lack of sleep. Princess Stephanie sighed heavily hoping that their sleepless nights might now be over.
It is these black rings that the king noticed at he walked towards them. ‘How tired they both look,’ he thought. He embraced both his daughter and his son in law and gave Noora an affectionate kiss on her cheek. He hoped their ordeal would now over. He sat beside them and enquired about their and their child’s health and they enquired after his. Ritual greetings over, the king quickly came to the point of their meeting. He showed them the small wooden box with the intricately carved exterior that Alubia had given him. He gave them instructions on how to use it. As night fell they dined with the king and then retired. The king accompanied them with the box.
As Princess Stephanie put Noora to bed, the child began to struggle and cry. The king came and stood beside her and opened the lid of the box. The room was instantly fill with the most exquisite music they had ever hear. It sounded very much like bird song but much, much sweeter. The child stopped her crying and listened carefully to the music. She turned towards the music with wide open eyes. The adults listened and watched with bated breath. As they watched, Noora became less tense. Her muscles began to relax and she lay down quietly resting her head on the soft downy pillow. She yawned. Her eyes began to droop sleepily and she closed her eyes. Her parents were amazed. “Is she asleep,” asked her father. All three leaned forward to get a closer look at the reclining baby. “Lets give her another few minutes just to be on the safe side,” said the mother. The king agreed. He didn’t want to close the box if there was any chance that Noora was not yet asleep. So they waited for another minute or so and drank in the beautiful music until they were sure that the child was asleep. Then the king closed the box and quietly left the room wishing them a pleasant night and saying that he would see them the next day at breakfast. The parents took one last look at the sleeping child and with joyful faces retired for the night.
The following morning the king rose early and was eager to learn of his little granddaughter but he decided not to rouse them because he remembered how tired the couple had looked the previous night and thought they deserved a lie in. Noora also who had never slept at all might need some time to catch up on her lost sleep. It was almost midday when the parents finally woke up. They were very apologetic that they had missed breakfast with the king but the king would not hear any sort of apology. “No one was more deserving to have a lie in than them”, he said. The child was still asleep and rather than wake her they had decided to let her sleep.
As they day progressed the king received a message, which said that the cities hospitals were beginning to fill with children who had fallen into a coma like state. When pressed for further information. The messenger gave the king the number of the doctor who was investigating most of the cases. His name was Doctor Wai. He phoned the doctor immediately and spoke to the doctor. “There have been 400 new cases reported in the past hour,” said the doctor. “Whatever it is seems to have just affected children within the city boundaries. There have been no cases reported in any other city. We are having difficulty in coping with these large numbers of sick children.”
“Do you have any idea of the cause of this doctor?” asked the king.
“None whatsoever,” said the doctor. “The only thing we do know is that all the cases are of children under five years of age.”
“Thank you doctor,” said the king. “Please keep me informed of any new developments.” He gave the doctor his private phone number and asked him to give him a ring at the end of the day.
The king put down his phone and sat down heavily. His head was swimming. What was happening? Nothing like this had happened in anyone’s lifetime. All major diseases had been eradicated. The developments in genetic engineering had meant that people could avoid defects in the genetic make up of their children. Global immunization meant that many of the bacteria that caused disease had long since died out. New strains of bacteria that emerged from time to time were quickly dealt with by a very well equipped bacteriology research center that promptly produced the relevant vaccines, which were quickly distributed to the affected regions. This volume of illness was unprecedented. ‘What was happening?’ he asked himself again.
Suddenly he remembered the family under his own roof. Was Noora awake yet. He rushed over to their room and found the two parents around the child’s bed. She was still asleep. It was almost twenty four hours since she closed her eyes and she had not woken up. “Have you tried to wake her?” asked the king.
“Yes,” said the mother, “but she won’t respond. What should we do?”
The king was lost for words. He didn’t know what to think but he had a feeling there was a connection with the box. He called for an attendant and ordered a messenger to be sent out immediately to demand the immediate presence of Alubia. She would have the answers to the questions he wanted to ask. If Alubia’s box was the reason behind all these children falling into comas, the biggest question would be why? Why would she do something like this to innocent children? Once again he stopped himself from speculating. These events may not be linked. It may be just a coincidence that the two happened at around the same time. Even so he would have to follow up the leads he had and the prime suspect at present had to be Alubia until another link was found. “We will do everything in our means to discover the reason behind this problem,” he told his daughter.
He left them standing in the same position as when he arrived and went into his private chamber. He phoned Dr. Wai. “Hello Dr.
“No I’m afraid not,” said Dr. Wai.
“I have another case for you,” said the king and told the doctor about his granddaughter. “I’m sending her and her parents to you right now,” he said.
“we have decided to shift all the children to the largest hospital so that they can be kept under observation together. We are shifting all other patients to other hospitals. So far we have over ten thousand children in various hospitals throughout the city. There have been no new cases during this last hour so I think that’s the lot. The media is asking people to bring in anyone who has similar symptoms to the children so people are aware of what to do.” The king was worried. He hoped the media would act sensibly and not create too much panic. This had the potential of creating mass hysteria amongst his subjects.
The first thing to do was to trace the whereabouts of Alubia. He should have heard from the messenger he sent by now. He called the chief of police and asked her to get in touch with the regional chief in Malawi
The car was approaching the hospital. They could see people lining the streets. Fear was etched on their faces. They were confused with no one to supply them with answers. He needed to say something to calm them. They would listen to him. The car stopped outside the main entrance of the hospital’s emergency wing. The family was ushered in to be attended by the waiting hospital staff. The king approached the huddle of reporters and camera crews and made a short statement. There was very little he could tell them but he tried to reassure them that everything that could be done was being done and that they could rest assured that their children were in safe hands. “Did the king know how this had happened?” asked one reporter. “Was there any link between the cities children and the illness of his granddaughter?” He did not answer these questions but said only that when he had further information he would be glad to share it with them. He turned to go into the hospital. So, a tentative link had already been made. How long would it take to take the link back to Alubia?
In the hospital he was surrounded with grieving parents and relatives. He repeated to them what he has said outside and then went to talk to Dr. Wai. The doctor was busy arranging rooms for the children who were due to arrive within the next few hours. He had also ordered for accommodation to be available for any accompanying family members. Things were going as planned and he was satisfied with the preparations that had already been made. He had just finished talking to the head of nursing staff when he saw the king walking towards him. They shook hands and exchanged greetings. Dr. Wai showed the king into his office.
“By the time the children arrive from neighbouring areas we will have enough beds to accommodate them all. We have conducted initial checks on the children already here and the all seem be in a deep sleep. All major organs are functioning but at a much slower rate than is expected during normal sleep. It’s almost as though they are hibernating. I called a friend who is a zoologist. He was involved in research into hibernating mammals especially the grizzly bears of Alaska Malawi
Later on that night when the king arrived back at his palace and entered his private chambers, he noticed his mail box flashing. Someone had left a message for him. He flicked a switch by the side of the mail box and a 3D image appeared in middle of the room. It was his messenger who reported his failure to locate Alubia in Malawi Malawi Malawi
“I’m afraid we underestimated Alubia,” said Krona, Head of the Malawi Council. “We thought we had nipped her subversive activities in the bud and her removal would be enough humiliation to stop her from doing any further mischief. We should have kept her under watch and monitored her work more closely. I took the liberty of talking to the representative for the council of scholars, Alan Rehman, Who told me that records containing details of her research work had been wiped clean as soon as the council realized what she was up to. Even though the council took this precaution it is very likely that Alubia made back up copies. This is of course an offence and had she been caught she would have had to face a very heavy fine and a number of years in prison.”
“Can you give me any information as to her present whereabouts,” asked the king.
“I’m afraid not your majesty,” said Krona. She left Malawi Greece
“Why didn’t the computers detect this,” asked the king.
“We don’t know, your majesty,” normally the authorities would be alerted if someone had not used any of the official facilities for over a week but in Alubia’s case no alert was given. It appears that her programs were changed to make sure that no alarm was set off. As far as we know, Alubia does not have the kind of expertise to change the kinds of sophisticated programs that are used. This means that she was being help by someone else. We could be talking about a network of people.”
“We have had no violence for a century now,” said the king. “We have destroyed all weapons of mass destruction and the means to make them. We have enjoyed the kind of peace that was never possible in the past because of rival governments looking for excuses for wars. Who are these people who would want to change all this? Why would they want to revert back to the times when there was no security?” The king shook his head in dismay.
“Alubia is a member of the northern tribes and although we love them like our own kith and kin, we have been aware that they have not assimilated as well as we would have liked them to. They still retain some of their old ways, which in themselves are not bad but they represent a differenceness that creates a distance between the indigenous people of Malawi
“That is good to hear,” said the king. “You are a good and honourable people. If Alubia is behind what has happened here in Larof, this should not change the way others of her tribe are treated. They should not be punished for another person’s sins. Just as the atrocities committed during the great war cannot be blamed on the surviving northern tribes. The biggest thing I fear right now is a return to the madness that reigned a century ago.”
I understand your concerns your majesty,” said Krona. I assure you that we will do the utmost to ensure that this does not happen.”
At that their conversation ended and the king decided to contact his chief of security but then thought better of it. He was suddenly very tired. Waves of fatigue swept over him and his head and limbs became heavy. His neck was suddenly too narrow to support the colossal weight above it. He had to get some sleep. He had been running around all day and the events of the day were still like a dream to him. He was amazed that so much could happen in one day. He was so sleepy that his eyelids were beginning to droop. He made his way to the bedroom and fully clothed flopped into bed.
****
I have a dream said Martin Luther King. His was a waking dream a vision for the future. It was an inspiration, something to hope for, something to work towards. Throughout the ages there have been dreamers. Some with visionary ideas to share like Martin Luther King and John Lennon but others who saw visions in their sleep. The greatest number of examples can be found amongst the Prophets of the Monotheistic traditions. Abraham was told to sacrifice his son in a dream, Noah to build the ark and Joseph saw his brothers as the stars and himself as the sun. Joseph was also an interpreter of dreams. He was the one who correctly interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream of seven fat cows and seven thin cows, when his own royal interpreters were unsuccessful. That was a period in history when dreams were given high regard especially if the dreamers were people of status like leaders and kings.
Then a period arose where dreamers and their interpreters were ridiculed. People did not pay attention to their dreams. It was considered superstitious to seek out means of interpreting them whether through books or through those who claimed to be interpreters. In fact very few people, if any, were real interpreters of dreams. Theirs was a way of earning an income by preying on the gullible. These people tarnished the reputation of dreams even further. Dream interpretation was denigrated to the status of a hobby, a bit of fun to pass the time but not to be taken seriously.
It has been only relatively recently that we have seen a revival of dream therapy, as it is now being called. Scientific research in this field has revealed that dreams can be and are a real source of information that can be utilized by the dreamer to solve problems that he may face in his life. In dreams the subconscious mind is busy solving problems that we have encountered during our waking period. Thoughts are processed and are relayed to us through dreams. It is up to us to understand the meaning of the symbols we see in our dreams and react to them appropriately. Thanks to years of research on this topic people are now able to use dreams as a resource to help them solve their personal problems. People may not always be happy with the advise their dreams give them and they may choose not to follow their advice and choose an alternative course of action but dreams will always be there to help them if they need it.
The largest center for dream research was set up in Malawi
This is where Alubia began her academic career, first as an undergraduate and then as a research student on a full scholarship. She managed to secure the highest marks in her department and was highly acclaimed as the student with the highest marks in dream therapy in the history of the Malawi Dream Research Centre. Her research on the cutting edges of dream therapy won her further recognition as a leading expert in her field and soon after receiving her PhD she became the youngest member of the Council of Scholars first as an associate professor and then as a full research professor three years later. She was known the world over as the guru of dream therapy and a semester did not go by without invitations to speak at conferences throughout the world. She was the sweetheart of the academic circles. Scholars couldn’t get enough of her and then on that fateful November morning days before the beginning of the Malawi Dream Research Centre Annual conference, one of her colleagues stumbled across something that made her contact her mentor. She wasn’t sure what it was at the time but she had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Subsequently, as most strange feelings usually prove to be, she was right, something was terribly wrong. Her mentor was alarmed by what she had been shown and called an emergency meeting. Alubia was promptly called to explain herself. There would obviously be some reasonable explanation that would calm their fears. Alubia was after all a well respected colleague of international repute. She may have seen something worth pursuing that would not take her down the road they had automatically assumed. Alubia was called and she came but there was no explanation. Alubia refused to say anything. Did she not realize that silence was an admission of guilt? Had she nothing to say in her defence?
Overnight Alubia went from the darling of dream research to an outcast. A pariah of the academic world. Suddenly her name was removed from all conversations, guest lists and conference programmes. Bookshops removed her books from their shelves, Authors stopped quoting her work in their bibliographies in fact the whole world erased her name and work from their collective memories. No trace of her was left behind. It was as if she had never existed. But what had she done to warrant such a severe reaction? It would have been inadmissible to ask such a question even in private. Even dream therapists who put some of Alubia’s work to practical use on a daily basis refused to talk about her and pretended that her discoveries were around long before she had even dreamed of going to university.
Even as the academic world shunned her she was welcomed into another world with open arms. They had great need of her and her work. She could provide them with the power that they needed to achieve their goals. Alubia knew this. She knew what her knowledge was capable of achieving and she reveled in the power she had and the attention she was receiving. She had sacrificed her reputation, her career, her family and friends for a cause that, for her, was infinitely more desirable. She knew what she had to do and she was willing to pay the price for it. The council fired question after question at her but she continued to maintain her silence. They pleaded with her to say something. For her own sake, for the sake of her career, for the reputation of the center but still they could not break the wall she had built around herself. The pleading gave way to admonishment and then when they began to realize that she was perhaps protecting others by her silence. That it might be possible that other members of the center could be involved, they began to threaten her with all kinds of sanctions. Nothing. Alubia spoke not one word.
She left that room with her career in shreds, torn to pieces by rabid dogs but she left with her head held high, arrogant to the last. Withing twenty four hours she had packed her bags, bought herself a flight to Athens , Greece Malawi Malawi Athens
This went on for a whole year. A year of solitude and tranquility until one day she went out for one of her long walks and did not return. She took no bag with her to suggest she was going away for a short trip. She had only the clothes she was wearing. Security continued to keep watch on her flat in case she or someone came back for her possessions but no one came even after six months. Hospitals were checked in case a woman matching her description had been admitted, airports and bus and train terminals were contacted but no trace of her could be found. For over six months they kept tabs on her bank account and credit cards in case she used them but she didn’t. She didn’t go to the doctor, dentist, start a job, join a library or other organization all of which would have required her to use her identity card number but nothing turned up. It was as if she no longer existed. Had she died they would have known too. A death certificate would have been issued once again with her identification card number and they knew she was carrying the card on her person when she went missing.
As soon as the surveillance officer realized they had lost Alubia, they alerted the authorities in Malawi Athens Athens
****
The smell of baking filled the whole of the small house and gave it a friendly lived in feel. The kitchen was boiling hot. The window overlooking the sink was flung open to let in the autumn air. I had been a hot morning but now the sky was overcast with the promise (or threat) of a light shower before the day was done. A woman hummed to herself as the stood over the stove inspecting the various pots and pans brimming with delicious things in different stages of preparation. All the hobs were burning and the oven was also in use and every available space was covered with either food or dishes and cutlery. The woman was cooking with a vengeance but she had an air of authority. Everything was under control and things were how they should be. This symphony of food was being orchestrated with the utmost concentration to detail by an experienced hand.
A girl of around fifteen came into the room. She wore her hair in a pony tail, tied with a red ribbon and two shiny butterfly clips whose wings fluttered as she walked. “Mum, people are starting to arrive,” she said. Her mum looked up from the stove and glanced at her watch. “I’m almost done here,” she said. “The food’s ready the only thing left is the dishes.” She carefully turned off the gas from under all the pans and turned the oven off. “Laura love, will you sort them out while I pop upstairs to have a quick shower and change?”
“No problem mum,” said Laura.
“I won’t be long,” said her mum. “Can you tell aunty Noreen to keep an eye on the twins?” and with that she was gone. Laura took a quick peep under the saucepan lids and then set about her tasks.
Aunty Noreen was in the living room. She was wearing her best dress and wore several inches of make up on her round face. Her body wobbled like an oversize trifle as she chuckled at something she was reading in her women’s magazine. She stole glances at uncle Norman, her husband, and chuckled some more. She was clearly comparing him to the kind of men women’s magazine’s talk about and found poor Norman
Both husband and wife were so huge that some wondered how the two had sex. A crane and scaffolding had once been suggested. Sex clearly interested aunty Noreen. She avidly swallowed whole pages of sex tips but to what avail? It was hardly likely she could put into practice the things that had women fifty kilos lighter in mind. But swallow them she did and sometimes when passion got the better of her she had a go at swallowing something else, much to the surprise, and pleasure of uncle Norman.
He wanted to give off the image of a man who could still pull if he wanted to but of course he never did. He told his mates in the pub that he never needed to. His missus never left him wanting. His lust was sufficiently sated at home thank you very much. His mates laughed and poked fun at him but he was not deterred. Jealous. That’s what they were. Both husband and wife were content to live in the little worlds of their own creation and when their own imagery got them hot under the collar a quick wank was just what the doctor ordered.
Laura poked her head round the kitchen door. “Aunty Noreen, mum sez to keep an eye on the twins. She won’t be long. She’s just gone upstairs to change.”
“I suppose I’ll have to go out into the garden then,” she said heaving herself up from the armchair she had been sitting in. “They’ll be up to no good I expect,” she grumbled as she walked towards the door.
Out in the large garden a table had been set in the middle of the lawn and chairs arranged along the back fence. Streamers and balloons hung from the apple tree to the right of the garden and a string of lights wound around the branches of the tree lit up the guests in the gradually darkening afternoon. Carlos Samad squinted up at the sky. “Looks like it could rain,” he said.
“Don’t say that,” said his sister glancing up worriedly. Hatty has gone to a lot of trouble to arrange all this. You don’t want to tempt fate do you?” she scolded. Hatty had been busy all day cooking and cleaning arranging the decorations and making sure everything was just right. No, he didn’t want to temp fate. He didn’t want to see his wife get upset after all the hard work she had put into everything. She had been so happy and excited all day. Much more excited than Ali and Sam whose birthday it was today.
Ali and Sam were five. After their initial excitement at opening their cards and presents this morning they had not been too interested in the all the preparations for this evenings party. It was to be really special because both sets of grandparents where in town and were going to attend. Both Ali and Sam had sped off on their new bikes soon after lunch and Carlos hadn’t seen them since. Perhaps he should go out and look for them he thought. Just as he was about to get up he heard someone wheezing up to him. It was aunty Noreen. The walk across the garden had done her in and she was panting like an asthmatic dog. “Have you seen Ali and Sam,” she managed to get out between breaths.
“I was just going to see where they were,” said Carlos. “Why don’t you sit down.” He pointed to his own chair, now vacant. Sue will get you a glass of water.” His sister obligingly went to fetch the water. Aunty Noreen’s “I could do with something a little stronger” was ignored. She would have to wait until a lot later for a stronger beverage.
Carlos and Hatty had three children, Laura the eldest, who was fourteen, and Ali and Sam who were identical twins. “Like two peas in a pod,” said aunty Noreen when she first saw them. “How are you ever going to tell them apart?”
“I’m sure we’ll think of a way,” Hatty had said as she and Carlos held a baby each, posing for a photo for the family photo album. They were born ten minutes apart. Ali was the older of the two and tended to be the decision maker whereas Sam was the doer. They made a good team. They never argued and fought like other brothers. “They’re hardly ever naughty unlike some boys I know.” She was referring to her sister Noreen’s great lumps, who were always fighting and getting into trouble. Noreen didn’t like her children being criticized although she was always the first to find fault with other people’s children. Her princes were angels and she wouldn’t hear a word said against them. Since Hatty’s reference didn’t amount to a direct assault, she let it pass but made a mental note of it just the same. She would have plenty of opportunities to right wrongs in the future.
Carlos had often wondered how two sisters could be so different. Hatty was kind and thoughtful. She was so organized that she ran her household and worked as a Nursery school teacher. She also made time to paint and write poetry. She had arranged three exhibitions for her paintings and had had a book of poetry published. She had a wide following and had a fan club for both her poetry and her paintings. She had recently appeared in an arts programme on television too. She also made sure she went to the gym twice a week. She had to keep in shape in order to lead the busy life she had chosen for herself. She was successful in all the different facets of her life and she always carried with her an air of joy. Even with all the success she enjoyed, she was never conceited and was almost humble when she talked about her many skills.
Noreen, however, had a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude to her household chores. Her house was always untidy. Weeks would go by without anyone mopping the kitchen floor or hoovering the carpets. Bits of food dropped on the floor en route from the kitchen to the front of the television would either be licked clean by one of Noreen’s five cats or left to coagulate and form a dark marbled effect on the floor. Carton’s half filled with curdled milk littered the windowsills and clean plates were a premium as most were piled high in the sink. The lower levels coated with moulds that could warrant scientific interest. Noreen sat regally in her filthy home not seeming to see the dirt and grime. Not embarrassed about what visitors might think or say. It was her house and this is the way she liked it. It was as simple as that. It was no wonder then that Norman
Noreen’s health was also a problem. She was far too overweight for comfort and she suffered from high blood pressure. Her jealousy of her sister didn’t help things. In fact her blood pressure would rise just thinking about her. She hated her sister for being all the things she wasn’t. She hated not having all the things she had. She sometimes fell into long bouts of depression but she would never dream of doing anything about her health or lifestyle no matter how bad it was for her. On the contrary she would dig in her heels and go on binges but the hole she really wanted to fill couldn’t really be filled with food. What she didn’t see is that it made things worse and was leading to her own ultimate destruction. Doctors had repeatedly warned her of this but she would pay no heed.
Hatty was concerned about her sister. No matter how horrid she could be at times, she was still family and she didn’t like to see her like this. She had tried to talk to her but she was always rebuffed. “I don’t want any of your lectures, save them for your students,” she would say. “Who do you think you are? You get onto a crappy tv show and you think you can push people around. This is my life not yours,” she would say.
‘And she’s right,’ Hatty would think. ‘It is her life and she’s an adult. She knows what she’s doing. She also knows what is going to happen is she continues in her ways but what’s stopping her from changing?’ Hatty would go home and have a cry but she wouldn’t feel better. “Why does our relationship have to be so difficult? I sometimes have to force myself to like my own sister. What happened?” she would ask Carlos as she nestled into his warm, soft comforting shoulder. Carlos would say nothing. What could he say or do except quietly hold her in his arms until she fell asleep.
Ali and Sam had been found, grandparents, other family members and friends had been assembled and it was time to cut the cake. It was a huge chocolate covered steam engine with a lump of dry ice popped into the chimney to make authentic looking smoke. There were five big candles on the roof of the train which were duly blown out amid cheers and cries of happy birthday. Laura had set the table beautifully and as the food arrived the guests needed no encouragement to tuck in. Hatty’s reputation preceded her. She was an excellent cook and much praise was showered on her and the food. Much to the consternation of Noreen who was forced to concede that the food was okay but anyone could cook well if they spent all day slaving away in the kitchen. Women today, she believed have got better things to do with their time. People close to her nodded and smiled to keep the peace. Slowly the party came to an end as people began to leave. The Samad’s waved them off. Noreen and Norman were the last to leave. They helped with the clearing long enough to fill a few large doggy bags and then it was must go, got to feed the cats.
It was late by the time they finally got the last of the plates and dishes in from the garden. Hatty noticed the twins looked very tired. They were bravely trying to keep their eyes open so they wouldn’t be sent to bed yet. After all it was their birthday but their eyes kept sliding shut and they were really fighting hard to prize them open again. Hatty smiled at the two sleepy children. “Time for bed,” she said and before they could complain, “Off you go. I’ll come up in five minutes and read your favourite story,” she added. Off they went and got ready for bed and even before their mum had finished the end of the story, they had fallen fast asleep. Hatty watched their sleeping forms fondly. ‘Five years old already,’ she thought. ‘It’s gone in a blink of an eye.’ She kissed each little forehead, closed the bedroom door and went back to join Carlos and Laura downstairs.
The following morning Hatty and Carlos woke to a pile of washing up in the sink. They had decided the dishes could wait until the morning. Now they stared at each other glumly. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to wake up to. Hatty’s kitchen normally shone and she wanted to regain that state as soon as possible. Husband and wife had a quick cup of tea and a slice of toast each with a thin layer of strawberry jam and set to work on the pots and pans. ‘The kids could sleep in for a while longer,’ thought Hatty. It was the weekend, which meant no school. They would all pop down to the local supermarket later on to do the weekly shopping.
For now all was quiet in the Samad household except for the gentle click of plates as they were placed together on the drainer. They passed the time talking amiably about the night’s party and how nice it was to see all the grandparents together. They normally lived on opposite sides of the world and hardly ever got a chance to see each other. When they did they got on really well and the goodbyes could be rather tearful. Both sets of grandparents were going to stay in Larof for a few months at least so there were no tears at the party except for the tears of laughter when Chenny, Carlos’ younger brother, did his comedy sketch for them. He had them in stitches and Hatty couldn’t breathe for laughing so much. She really liked Carlos’ family and since Sue, Carlos’s sister and Chenny also lived in Larof they made frequent visits to each other’s homes and sometimes even went on holiday together.
The dishes were washed and put away in no time at all. Their happy chatter made the time roller blade by so smoothly. Hatty dried her hands on a tea towel and went to the foot of the stairs and called up for Laura to get up and wake the twins, breakfast would be on the table in fifteen minutes. A little later Laura came downstairs washed and dressed followed by Ali a few minutes later. “Is Sam almost ready?” asked his mum.
“He’s not even up yet,” said Ali. “He wouldn’t get up when I tried to wake him.”
‘That wasn’t like Sam,’ thought Hatty. “I hope he isn’t coming down with something. Perhaps I should go and check on him,” she said.
“He’s probably still tired from the party,” said Carlos. “Why don’t you give him another half an hour to catch up on his sleep and we can try waking him after breakfast?”
That sounded fair to Hatty and so they sat down to breakfast without Sam.
Carlos dipped a piece of toast into the runny yolk of his fried egg and started eating. He was ravenous after this morning’s clear up. The kitchen was spotless again and it was pleasant sitting around the kitchen table with the morning sun streaming through the window, warming his face. He was surrounded by the most important people in his life and he loved them all till it hurt. He felt he was the luckiest person alive to have such a wonderful family. They chatted about their plans for the weekend, which would start with the supermarket trip. They always enjoyed having meals together around the same table, sharing ideas, stories and experiences. It was a special time and Carlos and Hatty cherished it because they knew that too soon they would have to end as their children passed on to adulthood and started making their own paths in life. Who knew where they may end up and how often they would be able to meet together. That was why the previous night’s party was so special. To have so many family members under the same roof was no short of a miracle.
Breakfast was now over and Sam had not appeared. “Sam,” called his mum from the foot of the stairs. “Come down and have some breakfast. It’s almost time to leave for the supermarket.” There was no reply. “Sam if I have to come upstairs to get you out of bed there’s going to be trouble,” she threatened halfheartedly. There was still no reply so she stomped up the stairs and into his bedroom. “Sam Samad you lazybones, get up at once,” she said playfully tweaking one of his toes but Sam didn’t get up. He didn’t even move. “Sam?” said Hatty with a hint of panic in her voice. She touched his chest and thanked God that he was breathing. What was wrong? Why wasn’t he waking up? She shook him but nothing happened. She shook him harder but still nothing. She tried to pull him up into a sitting position and patted his cheeks and he still didn’t rouse. She cried out to Carlos and it came out as a stifled shriek. It was alarming enough to make the whole family come running. “He won’t wake up,” she said and began sobbing. Everyone was stunned for a moment. They were rooted to the spot. Carlos was the first to come out of their confusion and told Laura to phone for an ambulance.
At the hospital they soon discovered that Sam wasn’t the only one being admitted hundreds of families were bringing in their sleeping children and the city’s ambulances who had been manically trying to answer all the calls for help were stretched to their limit. Sam was one of the first cases and the ambulance staff had rushed him into St. Noon Hospital’s emergency unit and doctors quickly did some tests and asked the family what had happened prior to the child’s falling asleep. All the tests came up negative they could find nothing wrong with him. His breathing was a little slower than normal but all the signs were that he was in a deep sleep, nothing more.
They decided to monitor Sam’s brain activity and hooked him up to a machine that detected the wavelengths produced by the brain during sleep. Instead of the normal alpha waves produced during deep sleep when the sleeper went into REM mode (Rapid Eye Movement) and began dreaming, doctors discovered a completely different set of waves that the brain did not produce at any time during the sleep process. Sam wasn’t alone in producing this wavelength. As more and more children arrived in the hospital and were being tested they saw more of the same kinds of results. This was the only clue they had to try to find a solution the problem but they had no idea what it meant. No one had ever seen such a thing before.
The doctor in charge talked to Carlos and Hatty and the other parents waiting for news of their children that there was no cause for alarm. Their children had responded normally to all their tests and were not in any kind of distress. They were all in what he could only describe as a deep sleep. He told them that doctors were working hard to discover the reason behind this phenomenon so that they could cure their children as quickly as possible. He stressed that they were not in any kind of danger but the hospital would like to keep all children under observation on the premises. He advised people to go home to allow the smooth admission of other children who were now arriving in a steady stream. They would make arrangements for families who wished to stay with their children later on in the day. He finished by handing everyone a special telephone number set up to deal solely with these particular cases. A staff member was also on standby to take everyone’s contact numbers so that the hospital could get hold of them as soon as there was any change in any child’s condition.
Most of the families were in shock and silently clung to each other for support. They heard everything the doctor had said. They had been desperate for any news of their children. Their waiting had been unbearable. Not knowing had been hell but now having been told, nothing had sunk in except a dullness that robbed them of the ability to speak or move their limbs. Those that could shuffled towards the doors and got onto waiting buses or into their cars and stared into space. Busloads of zombified people were transported back to their homes where their children stared at them silently through the glass of picture frames on walls or on mantelpieces.
In the Samad home Ali could not be consoled. His brother and best friend was in hospital and he wanted to be with him. Tears streamed down the other family members’ eyes as they could do nothing but watch little Ali cry himself to sleep. Hatty was scared he might not wake up and woke him after half an hour just to make sure. He grunted sleepily as he opened his eyes and then promptly fell asleep again. Carlos and Hatty’s parents came as soon as Carlos had called them. Sue was on her way but Chen Wan had been called out of town early that morning and couldn’t get back until the following day and Noreen and Norman
Hatty got up to make everyone a cup of tea. Mainly to keep herself busy but also because she at least could do with one and she was sure others wouldn’t say no to a cup. Her mum joined her and her company and the familiar routine of making tea helped to calm her a little. “Try not to worry too much love,” said her mum. “I’m sure the doctors are doing everything they can. This thing has affected the whole city. There will be a simple explanation and then Sam will be back. You’ll see. Doctors can work wonders nowadays we’re not in the dark ages now Hatty. Everything will be fine.”
“I know you’re right mum,” sniffed Hatty, “but it’s really hard not to worry.”
“Be brave my love,” said her mum. “We’re all here for you.” Hatty tried to smile but her mascara had run down her face when she had been crying and she looked awful.
“Why don’t I finish here and you go and wash your face and freshen up a little and we’ll all have a nice cup of tea.” Hatty tried another smile and succeeded this time. She was glad her mum was here. She was in need of a lot of support.
Hatty and her mum entered the living room at almost the same time. Hatty had decided to have a quick shower and felt much better for it. Hatty’s mum was carrying the tea things. She set them on the coffee table and began to pour for everyone. Just as she was adding milk Sue arrived and everyone went through the course of events whilst they drank their tea. Sue just couldn’t believe it. Things like this just didn’t happen. It seemed to impossible, too far fetched. It was like something out of a science fiction novel. Yet the strangest thing of all was that it was none of those things. It was reality. “Well they do say that fact is stranger than fiction,” she said hoping no one thought her too flippant. This impossible thing was possible and her family was directly involved. How real could you get?
“What we need to find out is how this has happened. There has to be a cause,” said Sue. She was thinking aloud but the others were listening. ”The doctors say that the children were behaving normally. Apart from being asleep there was nothing wrong with them,” said Carlos.
“Except …,” interrupted Sue and then bit her tongue. She had a friend who was a doctor at St. Noon’s Hospital and she had told her about the strange wavelengths their brains were producing. Her friend had told her to keep the news quiet, as the doctors weren’t sure what this meant, but it wouldn’t hurt to tell her family, would it?
“Except what?” asked Hatty. Sue was still hesitant to tell them. “Sue, if you know something we don’t then surely we have a right to know,” said Carlos.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll tell you but on one else has been told anything yet the doctors are still looking into it. I have a friend at the hospital who said that the children were dreaming differently.”
“What do you mean dreaming differently?” asked Carlos’ father, Migel, his curiosity aroused.
“Well, according to my friend their brains were producing unusual signals with wavelengths that were very different to the normal sleeping ones,” said Sue.
Something that Sue had told them rang a bell in Migel’s head but he wasn’t sure what.
Just then the phone rang. Carlos picked up the receiver. It was Noreen. “I’ve just seen the news on the telly and I’ve phoned to see if you’re alright,” she said. Carlos told her what had happened during which he heard a gasp and an “Oh Lord! Norman Norman Norman
While his son was talking to Noreen, Migel tried hard to wrack his brains and remember what it was that attracted his attention. Bit by bit he began remembering and he started to tell his wife Silvia. “Silvia, do you remember that conference we went to in Malawi
“Oh yes!” she said. “That was years ago. It must be about five years ago now.”
“That’s right, Said Migel, it was exactly five years ago. It was the conference at the Dream Research Centre.” The last three words caught everyone’s attention. Carlos had put the phone down by now and he and everyone else in the room waited to hear what Migel would say next. “That was the year that there was that big scandal about one of their academic staff. We never discovered what it was about but she was sacked and wasn’t allowed to speak during the conference. I remember being curious about what she would have talked about and looked through the programme of conference events I’d been given to discover the title of her lecture. The programmes had been printed before the scandal and I don’t think there was enough time to withdraw them and print new ones. I think she was fired just before the conference. It turns out she was doing research on children’s dreams.”
“Surely there can’t be a connection,” said Sue when Migel had finished speaking. “That conference was five years ago now and universities are very careful about research projects. Everyone has to follow very strict guidelines. What happened today couldn’t be linked with what happened then. She said the last sentence in an almost questioning tone, which meant that she wasn’t sure what to think. There seemed to be too much of a coincidence that both Sue and her father would mention something about dreams and that the woman expelled from the university was involved in research specifically related to children’s dreams. Had they stumbled across the cause?
****
The Malawi Dream Research Centre had received a number of calls that day. The head of the center, her head spinning, called an emergency meeting that evening at her residence. All heads of departments were asked to attend. Everyone arrived promptly at eight o’clock that evening. There were a lot of questioning faces seated in Thelma Sacchi’s living room that evening. No one knew why they had been called to an unprecedented meeting at the head’s residence but suspected that whatever it was it was going to be big news.
For the past five years the center had played a fairly low key role in the University of Malawi Malawi
Young researchers had long gone to pursue careers in different but related areas. The number of undergraduate and post graduate students had dwindled. The department that had attracted the world’s brightest students and the most able scientists now housed dead wood. Professors who had long lost interest in their subjects and were more interested in maintaining their status and salary rather than doing anything for the academic community. Students who couldn’t get a place in the department of their choice or whose marks weren’t up to scratch now came to them and the level of studies was very poor. Combined with heavy restrictions on what could and could not be taught at both undergraduate and post graduate levels, the department was in a very sorry state.
All this was now about to change the head of the center now informed them. All academic staff had to re apply for their jobs as job descriptions had been changed and required staff who were prepared to spend more time on high level research. Salaries had been reviewed and successful job applicants would see their salaried doubled. The amount of funding received from the council was about to change. Starting from the next academic year funding levels would be raised to three times the amount they enjoyed five years ago. Also starting from next year generous scholarships would be offered to all new students for both undergraduate and post graduate courses. All would be given on merit and no scholarship would be awarded to students not achieving the required criteria (which would be decided later).
Many of the professors seated in the room realized that they were in danger of losing their jobs. Rather than welcoming the rejuvenation of their department they tried to save their own skins by complaining loudly over the reselection of staff. This was quickly quashed by the head who told everyone that if they were not happy with the new arrangements they had until midday tomorrow to submit their resignations. This was not a time to quarrel. It was a time to start the wheels rolling and work towards a new department that would outshine its former glory.
Many of the staff members wondered about the sudden change. What had persuaded the council to put in so much money into an area which only five years ago had faced such heavy cuts. Thelma Sacchi did not supply them with any answers and quickly called an end to the meeting informing them that once all the changes had been made she would call a meeting to discuss things in more detail. For now this was all the information she could give them. She was sure they would agree that it was very good news for dream science and dream research in particular. To celebrate this good news she invited them all to a celebratory dinner she had planned to host this weekend. She had aimed to finish on this high note but she realized that the dead wood amongst them would be aware that their jobs at the center would come to an end once the new plans were set into motion. Personally she would be glad to get rid of them. They had been a big drain on her resources and they had dragged the department further down than she would have liked. She was also aware that at their age they would find it difficult to find employment elsewhere and she was negotiating with the authorities about the possibility of offering early voluntary retirement packages to those people who wanted them. She would hopefully have something to tell everyone before the midday deadline she had set for resignations.
So Alubia was the reason for the downfall of this department and she was behind its return to grace. Thelma marveled at how quickly fate dealt its cards. One minute they were pariahs of the academic world and the next they were being put on a pedestal and asked to save the world from some impending calamity. Alubia was definitely up to something but she had always been very secretive about her work. Now a hospital in Larof was interested in what she had been doing and the King no less had asked for assistance to solve the riddle of the sleeping children. He hadn’t talked to her himself but the Head of the Malawi Council had delivered his personal message when she came to see her earlier that day. She had asked Thelma to personally read through all the work Alubia had produced to date and try to find some sort of link with the problem in Larof. She had asked the librarian to look through the university archives and bring her all books that had either been written by Alubia or referred to her work. Her files on her personal computer had all been destroyed so there was no way of getting hold of a detailed account of what she was working on at the time of her dismissal.
Tomorrow she and her deputy would begin the long process of reading through all the literature her librarian could get hold of. Once they found any interesting leads, this would form the basis of the coming years research areas for both postgraduate students and the newly appointed research professors. She knew that the year Alubia left she was about to give a paper on children’s dreams at their annual conference. The conference had gone ahead but without their key speaker. Much to the disappointment of many of those attending the conference. Word had got round of Alubia’s expulsion even though they had tried to keep things quiet until after the conference but these sorts of things did have a habit of being leaked on the grapevine. That was the last time they had a conference. She was hoping that their return to the fold would not be short lived and that they could enjoy the same kind of prestige they held previously and be able to host the kind of conferences everyone had become accustomed to. Tomorrow she would begin with looking for any references to children’s dreams but now it was getting late and she had had a long day. She yawned and went upstairs to have a long relaxing bath and then retire for the night.
Migel Samad was a psychologist and specialized in child psychology. He had worked in this field for a great many years and his visit to Malawi
One of these practitioners, a life long friend knew the head of the Dream Research Centre. He thought it would be worth giving him a ring to get her number or get him to talk to her about him. She might be able to shed some light on what his family was facing and let them know whether there was a link with the research center and the children of Larof. It was worth a try and if she was interested he could tell her about his work if it would help her in any small way.
Thelma Sacchi was very interested indeed in what Migel had to say about his work. No further work had been done on Alubia’s research findings and here was a man who had been putting her research to practical use in a very positive way. She was so interested that she invited him to Malawi
Migel was quite astonished but assured her that he was willing to help her as much as he possibly could. He took a few minutes to talk to his family and then phoned her back to say that he would fly out on the next available flight. His wife preferred to stay with Hatty but said that she would fly out later to join him. He put the phone down and looked at his family. They stared back. In a few minutes things has changed so drastically. They were now in the thick of things. Their family would be helping to contribute to the solution to one of the biggest if not the biggest emergency this century. It was a proud moment for the whole family. Now that there was a bit more information and that one of them was in a position to do something concrete, everyone felt a little less tense.
There wasn’t a moment to lose. There were preparations to be made, a flight to be booked, and a dinner to be cooked. Everyone suddenly realized that they had not eaten lunch and it was now six o’clock in the evening. They all realized they were famished. Hatty and her mother headed for the kitchen, Sue got on the phone and tried to find out when the next flight to Malawi Malawi
Laura sat with her aunt Sue and tried to collect her thoughts. She was amazed that so much could be packed into one day. What started out as an ordinary Saturday had turned out completely haywire. Poor Sam was still in hospital but she was glad that he wasn’t ill just in a deep sleep and they still had to do the weekly shopping. She thought it unwise to mention the last bit just yet but as she was very practically minded she wondered how long it would take her mum to realize they had run out of quite a few things. As she was thinking these thoughts, as if by telepathy Hatty exclaimed that they hadn’t been shopping that morning and they were out of all sorts of things. Sue and Laura walked into the kitchen as she finished saying it. “Mum!” she said, her mouth falling open. “I was just thinking that.”
“Well you are your mother’s daughter,” said Sue smiling. “Come on lets drive to the superstore and get the groceries,” she said. Hatty drew out a list of things they needed and Sue and Laura drove off to the superstore in Sue’s dark blue Ford Escort.
***
Alubia’s reappearance in Larof had not gone unnoticed by the intelligence services in Athens Malawi Athens Morocco six thirty . It arrived in Rabat eight o’clock the same morning. That was twelve hours ago. The credit card details also revealed that she had taken a taxi from the airport. They traced the payment to the taxi company she had used who identified the driver who had picked her up. He told them that he had dropped her off at the docks. After that they had no idea what had happened to her.
They decided to fly to Rabat Morocco
***
Rows upon rows of children slept silently in their beds. They were oblivious to anything around them or if they were they did not or could not respond. Time had come to a stand still for them and the building too seemed to be in a time warp. The clocks that still ran punctually telling the right time seemed out of place. A wart of normalcy in an otherwise pure, timeless place. Their chests rose and fell almost in unison but otherwise they were still. Resembling the seven sleepers and their dog only they were in their thousands and there was no dog. The seven sleepers had slept for two hundred years before they awoke and thought they had dropped off for the space of an afternoon. These children had been sleeping for a much less time but it was far too long for their families. Almost five years had now gone by. Many wondered how they had got through them. There wasn’t a single family in the capital that had been affected by this tragedy and although very few now kept a daily vigil choosing to return their lives to a semblance of normalcy, the pain was still there and each time they saw their children it momentarily intensified a little more.
For the past five years doctors had kept a close watch on the children monitoring them carefully. Making sure that their conditions did not deteriorate. Every child seemed remarkably healthy considering they had lain in the same positions for over one thousand eight hundred days. Dr. Wai wrote in his last yearly report that the children needed no external food. Their bodies had slowed down to such a rate that very little energy was being consumed. They had put each child on a drip but later found it unnecessary. Their muscles still remained well maintained which also surprised the doctor who feared that they would begin to lose strength and size through lack of use.
One of Dr. Wai’s friends was a biologist who was involved in studies of hibernation in large mammals. He had specialized in the grizzly bear and his studies made the same kinds of observations being seen in the children. He had asked for a sample blood test and found the same chemical in that was present in hibernating grizzly bears blood. This chemical was instrumental in suppressing the bodies chemical reactions and slowed down the activity of all the major organs of the body. What remained unanswered was what had triggered the children to produce such a chemical?
Dr. Wai knew it had something to do with the wooden music box the king had shown him five years ago. Strict instructions had been given not to open the box. No one had any idea what might happen if it was opened for a second time. The box was then passed on to the Malawi Dream Research Centre where they examined it thoroughly. The symbols intricately carved on the wooden sides of the box were just for show. They did not hold any hidden meanings of secret incantations. The inside of the box was most interesting. The Dream Research Centre also avoided opening the box but the scans they made of the interior showed a complex signal device. They weren’t sure what to make of it and so called the engineering and electronics department.
They spent a week examining it and it certainly created a lot of excitement in the electronics department. The tiny device inside the music box was the most sophisticated piece of electronic equipment they had ever seen. It acted like a go between and was able to make contact with some other devise via their own satellites circling the earth. Although the piece of equipment at the other end could be a variety of different devices, their guess was that it was something that sent signals of high intensity and of a set frequency that could be strong enough to effect the wave patterns of the brain. Young children would be more vulnerable to these wavelengths as their brains were still developing and could easily be manipulated. It seemed, from the ages of the children affected, that the cut off point where children were able to resist the manipulation was five years old. These findings were passed on to the dream science department who included them in their growing bank of information.
Five years on no one had come up with a solution. There was mounting pressure on the Dream Research Centre to show the authorities results. They wanted concrete evidence that the money they had invested in the center was being put to good use. There was growing opposition to the large budget allocated to the center and many people were demanding that the budget be withdrawn and spent in more pressing areas like housing, education and health. Thelma knew that this time the center faced the real possibility of closure. If public opinion swayed against them and people saw dream science as a tool for evil from which no good was forthcoming, they would never agree to further funding. Once again they would be thrown into the abyss of infamy. Redesignated the untouchables of the academic community. In order to avoid this scenario they had to act now and show the rest of them what kind of metal dream scientists were made of. There would be no second chances. They had to get things right the first time round.
She said as much during the weekly staff meeting, which all staff were required to attend. She was surrounded by the best brains in dream science and she did not need to tell them that they were now fighting for the survival. She knew she could trust them to give their all for this department but now one hundred percent was not good enough. She wanted two hundred percent. The staff did not begrudge her this comment. They knew perfectly well what they were up against. If they succeeded they would be the darlings of the whole world. If they failed they would be deemed to be on a par with Satan. Their science would be labeled as a source of evil as would the scientists.
When they first arrived in Malawi
Migel, who arrived in Malawi
Migel was as disappointed as the rest of the scientists more so when he thought of his son and daughter in law in Larof who had endured five years of anguish without their son Sam. When Hatty got angry he understood but also saw the amount of work his department was doing and felt proud to be a member of it. No matter what the outcome would be he knew that this group of people had vouched their lives for a cause that was greater than any of them. They had given it their best shot and that was good enough for him. Every person on the team would always remain a friend for the rest of his life. He wouldn’t start feeling nostalgic just yet though. They weren’t finished yet for a long run. They were all prepared to struggle and fight to the bitter end, although he hoped it would not be bitter. They still had a lot to give and if it was two hundred percent that they wanted then two hundred percent it would be.
All researchers worked ate and slept on campus to ensure that they were never too far away from their work areas. The work had top priority and everyone worked startlingly long hours which included weekends and holidays.
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