We must be getting the special treatment, because we're not crammed in a cell with other sketchy figures. I'm stuck in a concrete box just barely taller than me, where the cot in the back left corner and the pot in the other call to mind images of The Gulag Archipelago. Unlike Solzhenitsyn, however, the place isn't overcrowded, and the narrow, rectangular window at the top isn't blocked entirely. It's just barred, and a peek through it shows a rather quaint scene. Quaint once you get past the yard of half-dead grass and barbed wire fence lining it. I could just barely make out a few shops or homes (it was hard to tell at the distance) where a few people meandered about with baskets. A guy drove by on a bike.
I shivered and turned away from the window. It's hard to feel sorry for yourself when other people very nearby have it worse. Planting my cold self on the cot, I started thinking about Statkus. I sure hope he's okay. It was so freaky when he fell down that hill and smashed his head. Technically it wasn't smashed, thank God, but he hurt himself pretty bad. When the blood started gushing down his face, the Chinese guys after us started freaking out. I thought for a minute that they would chill out and not be so mad with us after that for sitting on their property, but no, not so much. A couple of the guys got out some rags and cleaned up Statkus' face, and he just seemed pretty dazed.
I don't know how hurt he was. They let me look at him for a little bit, and I couldn't see any bone or anything like that. Statkus looked like he was gonna hurl, though. There's nothing quite like being both out of one's element and bashed in the head to boot, as well as being in a completely implausible place. Hopefully nothing serious is wrong with Statkus, but that's got to be an injury that needs stitches.
At that point, all the Chinese people seemed to chill out somewhat. Sure, some of the guys were still mad at us, but a couple of women showed up at that point and did some yelling at them. A really cute lady in a modern looking set of jeans and shirt tried to talk to me, but the only Chinese words I know are "nee-hou" (hello) and "gwhy-lo" (white devil). I forgot how to say "black devil" in Chinese, only that it vaguely sounds like the word "yellow". The men in the gathering crowd said both words plenty of times, I can assure you of that. Given that nobody came up with Toby in tow, I figured he got away. At first I was glad I didn't run, so that I could stay with Statkus and make sure he's cool, but now I'm in my special white devil concrete box, and who knows where Statkus is?
That's the thing I don't get about all this. Normal Chinese people are pretty cool, and the weirdest thing they do is stare at you. Are they really going to get all that worked up about three strangers, even foreign ones? The only thing weird about us was that Statkus wasn't wearing shoes. And that we had no travel papers. Or money. Or identification. And can't speak the language. And that two of us ran like mofos when a guy called us out. Okay, so we're plenty strange. Still, what's the point in getting all worked up about us?
Of course, then again, the last time I was in China, I peeked out of the train window to see a line of tanks. People don't talk much about China's communism, but it's still there. As near as I can figure, the locals had some sort of problem they're blaming on us (I really hope Aldaris' recall unit didn't do anything), or that we landed near a communist....oh, what do they call them? In the Gulag Archipelago, they were called "village soviets", where there was a communist official in charge of each collective farm. Who knows how much the Chinese kept of Soviet culture, especially now that Russia's free again and there's no Soviets around to impress? Maybe there's no village soviet. I still haven't a clue why they were so mad at us. Was it because I used korean?
All I know is, after a while, some local cops shoved me and Statkus in the back of a car. It was one of those really cute three-wheeled cars, with two in the back and one in the front. My dad says those are dangerous, but we made it to the police station alright. At this point, some of the cops realized that the villagers (is that what they were?) must have overreacted to our presence. They were a lot calmer than the farmer guys, and some of them knew enough english to ask for our passports. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate language barriers? Surely you can guess how frustrating it is to be in a foreign land with no passport to give and only enough knowledge to say, "hello, white devil". I'm sure as heck not saying that to a cop. I think they just shoved us in the cells because they didn't know what else to do. That is, if Statkus is in a cell. They could be taking care of him. Prolly are. Don't see why they wouldn't be. They didn't search me to take my notebook, so maybe they're not mad at us.
Oh crap. By now one of the cops surely has called a big-wig about us foreigners. Pretty soon someone who does know english will arrive, and guess who gets to explain everything to them. Son of a bleep. It occurred to me that I could lie, but what would I say? That I'm a lost student? They'd ask where I was staying in China and where I was learning. That I have family nearby? Pfft. That an alien with near-magical and definitely malfunctional teleportation abilities zapped us all here by accident? It's pretty sad that that's the best story we have.
They haven't taken my picture yet, but more than likely they will. Crap, Aldaris better find us soon. I don't want to be involved in an international incident! Statkus got his face busted up, and I'm not wearing any makeup, and guess what two faces are going to be in the papers? Either Aldaris better find us soon, or he may be better off just abandoning us, from his perspective. After all, we can't prove that an alien did this to us. Wow. I really hope Aldaris isn't that big of a scumbag, but we're talking about a guy who didn't care about human collateral when destroying Zerg-infested planets. Oh my crap, he's totally going to backstab us. Oh my crap...
I really hope Toby got away. If it was possible, I'd pretend that he wasn't with us. Maybe then he could find some way home from here....yeah right. Go across the planet without someone discovering him and asking questions? Not likely. If he's very, very lucky, he can find a western embassy and pretend he has amnesia. Please God, let Toby get to the embassy and pretend he has amnesia. At least one of us needs to get out of this without creating an international incident.
I don't know how hurt he was. They let me look at him for a little bit, and I couldn't see any bone or anything like that. Statkus looked like he was gonna hurl, though. There's nothing quite like being both out of one's element and bashed in the head to boot, as well as being in a completely implausible place. Hopefully nothing serious is wrong with Statkus, but that's got to be an injury that needs stitches.
At that point, all the Chinese people seemed to chill out somewhat. Sure, some of the guys were still mad at us, but a couple of women showed up at that point and did some yelling at them. A really cute lady in a modern looking set of jeans and shirt tried to talk to me, but the only Chinese words I know are "nee-hou" (hello) and "gwhy-lo" (white devil). I forgot how to say "black devil" in Chinese, only that it vaguely sounds like the word "yellow". The men in the gathering crowd said both words plenty of times, I can assure you of that. Given that nobody came up with Toby in tow, I figured he got away. At first I was glad I didn't run, so that I could stay with Statkus and make sure he's cool, but now I'm in my special white devil concrete box, and who knows where Statkus is?
That's the thing I don't get about all this. Normal Chinese people are pretty cool, and the weirdest thing they do is stare at you. Are they really going to get all that worked up about three strangers, even foreign ones? The only thing weird about us was that Statkus wasn't wearing shoes. And that we had no travel papers. Or money. Or identification. And can't speak the language. And that two of us ran like mofos when a guy called us out. Okay, so we're plenty strange. Still, what's the point in getting all worked up about us?
Of course, then again, the last time I was in China, I peeked out of the train window to see a line of tanks. People don't talk much about China's communism, but it's still there. As near as I can figure, the locals had some sort of problem they're blaming on us (I really hope Aldaris' recall unit didn't do anything), or that we landed near a communist....oh, what do they call them? In the Gulag Archipelago, they were called "village soviets", where there was a communist official in charge of each collective farm. Who knows how much the Chinese kept of Soviet culture, especially now that Russia's free again and there's no Soviets around to impress? Maybe there's no village soviet. I still haven't a clue why they were so mad at us. Was it because I used korean?
All I know is, after a while, some local cops shoved me and Statkus in the back of a car. It was one of those really cute three-wheeled cars, with two in the back and one in the front. My dad says those are dangerous, but we made it to the police station alright. At this point, some of the cops realized that the villagers (is that what they were?) must have overreacted to our presence. They were a lot calmer than the farmer guys, and some of them knew enough english to ask for our passports. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate language barriers? Surely you can guess how frustrating it is to be in a foreign land with no passport to give and only enough knowledge to say, "hello, white devil". I'm sure as heck not saying that to a cop. I think they just shoved us in the cells because they didn't know what else to do. That is, if Statkus is in a cell. They could be taking care of him. Prolly are. Don't see why they wouldn't be. They didn't search me to take my notebook, so maybe they're not mad at us.
Oh crap. By now one of the cops surely has called a big-wig about us foreigners. Pretty soon someone who does know english will arrive, and guess who gets to explain everything to them. Son of a bleep. It occurred to me that I could lie, but what would I say? That I'm a lost student? They'd ask where I was staying in China and where I was learning. That I have family nearby? Pfft. That an alien with near-magical and definitely malfunctional teleportation abilities zapped us all here by accident? It's pretty sad that that's the best story we have.
They haven't taken my picture yet, but more than likely they will. Crap, Aldaris better find us soon. I don't want to be involved in an international incident! Statkus got his face busted up, and I'm not wearing any makeup, and guess what two faces are going to be in the papers? Either Aldaris better find us soon, or he may be better off just abandoning us, from his perspective. After all, we can't prove that an alien did this to us. Wow. I really hope Aldaris isn't that big of a scumbag, but we're talking about a guy who didn't care about human collateral when destroying Zerg-infested planets. Oh my crap, he's totally going to backstab us. Oh my crap...
I really hope Toby got away. If it was possible, I'd pretend that he wasn't with us. Maybe then he could find some way home from here....yeah right. Go across the planet without someone discovering him and asking questions? Not likely. If he's very, very lucky, he can find a western embassy and pretend he has amnesia. Please God, let Toby get to the embassy and pretend he has amnesia. At least one of us needs to get out of this without creating an international incident.
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