Raoul - Part 9

Earlier
Pacing in the passage outside his office Raoul wracked his brain for a way out of the mess he seemed to have landed himself. He had lost the only clue he had, he had just barely been able to save the statue, he was staring at a possible loss of job not to mention a loss of professional credibility. He had to find a way out, at any cost.

His phone rang, he was elated when he noticed that it was  Ashraf. He skipped the greetings and asked Ahsraf if he had any good news. Ashraf replied, "Well! What do you think?"

Raoul said, "If I know you, you definitely have the information I had asked for!!"

Ashraf replied, "Oh ho.. I like the confidence you have in me. Hmm.. Well in that case, I should not disappoint you, I have found the details you had wanted. I had to do some major search, but you do know me, I nailed the damn thing."

Raoul said, "Don't let the curiosity get the better of the cat. Tell me what did you find out."

Ashraf replied jovially, "I found out that the car is registered in your name or rather in Lyana's name. Why in the world did you send me on a merry-go-round chase when it was you own car! Sometimes I really don't know what you are doing!!"

Raoul stood rooted to his spot, his mind racing ahead of him, questioning him, how could this be possible. Was it really possible that Lyana was involved? But why? Why would Lyana be involved in an attempted robbery?

He made up an excuse of trying to see if Ashraf was still the genius that he claims to be and disconnected to be gripped by the questions in his mind. He knew he had to reach home and ask Lyana the reason for the deception.

He slipped out and on reaching home, opened the door with his key. He called out to Lyana and recieved no reply; looking at his watch he realized that she must have gone to pick the kids from school. He sat down switching on the TV and absently watching the channels as he surfed from one channel to another trying to focus on what he had become aware of.

The door bell rang shortly announcing the return of Lyana with the kids in tow. Raoul tried to keep his nager and hurt under control and asked her in what he hoped was a normal voice, "Where have you been?"

Lyana replied, "I had gone to pick the kids and before that had gone to check up in that friend with whom I had been the day before. Why are you home so soon? Is everything okay?", concern obvious from her face.

Raoul ignored her questions and asked her, "That reminds me, how is your friend. Where does she live?"

Lyana unaware of the turmoil he was facing replied, "I did tell you that she stays with her mom at least for the time being with her marriage in trouble. She is doing better."

Raoul continued, "How did you spend the day?"

Lyana raised her eyebrows at the unexpected turn the questions were taking, but did not say anything, hoping it was just a way for her husband to distract his mind from the case he had been working upon. Se replied, "I was majorly home, but had got a call from the Society and had told them that I'd drop by, so had gone there before picking up the kids."

Raoul nodded his head and asked her, "Where were you on the day you had gone to meet your friend after dropping the kids at Aileen?"

Lyana stopped doing what she was doing, turned around and asked him, "What is it that you want to ask? Why don't you just ask it? Stop wavering."

Raoul said, "I am not wavering. I want to know where and how did you spend the day when you were supposed to be with your friend."

Lyana said, "I told you I had gone to her place and was there only...." Raoul interjected, his patience running thin, ".. and my car had decided to go to the Museum and be there. On its way it also picked up a passneger, or rather a driver to take it there."

Lyana said, "What are you speaking about? I have absolutely no idea. My car was with me for the whole day except when Azeez had come down to borrow it for some time. No harm in lending the car to my brother, is there?"

Raoul realxed hearing that it was not Lyana that was present in the car. He asked her, "Why did he need your car when he has his own? Why did you not tell me?"

Lyana flustered, "Well I did not know that I had to run everything by you before doing anything. Should I also require to ask if I can breathe?"

Raoul said, "Lyana, there was an attempt on stealing the 'Standing Buddha' statue from the museum and your car was used as the get-away vehicle."

.... to be continued... Raoul - 10

Raoul - Part 8

Earlier
Omar's face bore a shocked expression. He did not move for quite some time making Raoul feel all the more guilty about what he had done. Omar started to ask him something, went silent, and started again. He asked Raoul, 'What were you thinking? Why did you not tell me in the beginning, we could have taken preventive measures or you were after a story?'

One look at Raoul's face confirmed what Omar was accusing him of. Omar groaned, 'Allah! Don't show me such things in this age! I have worked hard for reaching where I am!'

Even though he was speaking to self, Raoul cringed when he heard the words and realised his mistake once again. He wanted to say something to assuage Omar, but was unable to find any words which could justify. He stood there, thinking of his folly, but he also knew that there was indeed a story in all of this, which would make it to the front pages. For once, he wanted to be selfish.

He forced himself to speak, 'Well, I will be honest. Yes. I did think of it from the point of view of the journalist  in me and no, I am not sorry for what I have done. Nothing was stolen, and you yourself have admitted that the security here is pretty lax. May be you can use this as a leverage for arranging better security arrangement, you know, shake up the bureaucracy a bit, no harm in that.'

Omar got thinking, 'What Raoul was saying was not entirely wrong and may be, just may be it could actually help me.' Relief spread over his face, Raoul picked up the subtle change in Omar's expressions and breathed a silent sigh of relief. He really did not want to loose out on the opportunity of coming to the 'crime scene' again.

Omar smiled, 'Hmm! May be that could actually work, but that does not mean that I am letting you go so easily. I would need you to work on this case and try to solve it as soon as possible. This is going to give me sleepless nights till then. I tell you, never in my working career has this kind of thing happened with me. Imagine, trying to steal in broad day light. What were they thinking?'  His confidence was increasing with each word he spoke as if hearing his own thoughts out loud was actually setting things right.

Raoul smiled inwardly to himself, thanking his stars that Omar still wanted him to work and that did actually solve his problem of gaining access to the museum. He assured Omar, 'Don't worry I do have a few other leads regarding the case and would definitely be tying up the ends very soon. I am this close', gesturing with his hands to indicate that he was indeed very close. 

He knew it was a bluff, but all he wanted right now was for Omar to believe him.

...to be continued...Raoul -9

Sketch of an Oak

Sketch I made today, felt like taking a break from story-sessions.. :) Don't know if it has come out good or not, I enjoyed making this.

Raoul - Part 7

Earlier
He was eating his dinner absent-minded, with his mind occupied with the progress he had made in finding the possible identity of the mystery 'musketeer' as he had come to call him. He had found that in one of the pictures the license plate was caught partially and he had the last four numbers along with the model and make of the car, he felt hopeful of narrowing down the list of suspects.  He had already had a word with his friend, Ashraf, in the Registration & Licensing Department, and he had assured that he would definitely give him something to work upon by the next day. Raoul thought that if it had been before the era of computers and networking, Ashraf's reply possibly would have been that he would tell him in a week or two; Raoul was amazed with the progress things had made.

He felt a sudden silence on the dining table and found the kids and Lyana staring at him. He raised his eyebrows quizzically and Lyana repeated her question, 'What are time should I drop the kids? apa yang awak fikirkan (what are you thinking?)' She had a habit of speaking in her native Malay language when she was disturbed or may be to emphasize a point she was making.

Roaul shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Aileen would expect you to be there at 10, try and not be late. You do know, how she starts to hyper-ventilate if anyone is late from the time decided!'.

Lyana chuckled, 'Darling! Could you not drop the kids? I need to be out early.'

Raoul gave her an angry look and told her, 'I've made the arrangements, I am working tomorrow, so you'd better be there'.

Lyana was taken aback; Raoul was usually not this aggressive. She realised it must be the case he was working upon, that had him on the edge and replied, 'Don't worry! I'll be there to drop the kids.'

He was a little upset with himself for being so blunt, but decided to let this one go.

Next day

Raoul had reached Omar's office early in the day, and after making the usual courtesies, he made an excuse about wanting to take down some details about the displays and was standing on the same spot as the previous day in order to stop the probable 'heist' which was being planned. He was not expecting too many footfalls to the museum like the rest of the days, making it easy for him to spot his 'three musketeers'. He was still waiting for the call from Ashraf which should be coming in at any time soon.

He knew today was going to a day requiring patience, attention and concentration. He had had a light breakfast to go along with the day's needs.

After standing at the spot for about an hour, he supposed it would be safe to actually see some of the artifacts displayed, who knows, he might just write an article on Bujang Valley. He made sure that the main entrance of the museum was visible to him from all the angles. He was half-way through his tour when he saw movement through the side of his eyes. He quickly ducked behind a display to avoid being noticed.

He noted that it was indeed his three musketeers, Anees, Hanif and the mystery man, who was dressed in a similar manner as the last time. It was the third man he was more interested; he had to find the identity of the man to get to the root of the problem.

The three moved towards the display of 'Standing Buddha'; taking advantage of the fact that they were preoccupied with the attempt at stealing the statue, Raoul quickly moved towards the display making sure he was not visible. Raoul had the advantage of taking a tour of the place, which made him reach the display earlier and just as Hanif was about to reach out to grab the statue, Raoul sprang on him, snatching the statue from his hand.

For a moment, all four were rooted to their spots; the 'three musketeers' shocked and Raoul trying to get a better look at the mystery man. Regaining their wits, the two of them made a dash for the door, while Hanif was clearly looking scared. He had not expected to be trapped, trying to wrestle himself free from Raoul, both of them fell on the floor. This somehow motivated the assistants at the museum to come out of their state of stupor and they joined the fray, not knowing who was to be detained. Taking advantage of the chaos, Hanif managed to slip out Raoul's grip and made a mad dash to join his cohorts. By the time Raoul made the two assistants understand what was happening, the 'three musketeers' were long gone and Raoul was no richer in his information about them.

He was frustrated with himself. He now had to wait for Ashraf to call and tell him any possible clues about the identity. He knew that with a failed attempt at their back, the next time 'three musketeers' would be more careful.

Omar had come out of the confines of his office and wanted some clarifications from Raoul. Raoul ran his hand through his thinning hair and cursed himself inwardly for not taking Omar in confidence earlier. Spreading his hands, he moved along with Omar to his office, telling him about what had happened.

...to be continued.. Raoul -8

Raoul - Part 6

Earlier
He was jolted out of his reveries by the ringing of the phone. It was becoming a regular thing, Lyana calling him. She called him to tell him that there was an emergency with one of her friends which required her to be away from home for the next day. She wanted to call over Raoul's sister for baby-sitting or to drop her kids at her place. Raoul was baffled with the conversation since neither Lyana nor his sister, Aileen were able to get along with each-other. Rather it could be said that they hardly saw eye-to-eye on any thing under the sun.

He sighed and gave in to Lyana's demand since he was more occupied to find out more about the 'Standing Buddha' case and he found Lyana irritating. He told her, 'Dear! If you think it is okay and if Aileen has no issues, leave the kids with her for the day. I would not be able to help you out this time. You are on your own here. I have a case I am working upon.' 

He felt Lyana wilt on the other side of the phone and felt sorry for the turn the conversation was taking. Trying to assuage her feelings, he interjected, 'Leave them there. I'll check-up upon them, and don't worry, Aileen does like to spend time with the kids. I'll call her and try to work it out for you'. 

Lyana replied in her cheery voice, 'Thanks, Darling! I Knew I could always rely upon you for to come through for me.' 

Raoul smiled and speed-dialed Aileen's number after Lyana disconnected. Not someone for a small talk, Aileen jumped straight into the conversation, picking up from where they had left the last time, making it sometimes difficult for Raoul to follow the conversation. Aileen asked him about the progress he had made in the last report he had been working upon. Raoul felt bummed out having to explain to his sistre that the report had been scrapped after he had put in his sweat into it. 'Aileen has a way of asking the wrong questions, may be at the right time, but she does have an uncanny ability', Raoul thought to himself.

Aileen continued with her one-sided conversation asking about everything that was possibly happening in is life from his kids to his attempts at elusive promotion at work. Raoul knew to get in his own word, he would have to catch her off-guard, "How is your work with the new clients coming along?", he asked her remembering that the last time she had told him of trying to finalize the deal with a company for designing their office. 

Aileen told him that she was already working on the project and was finding it challenging but invigorating. Raoul was proud of his sister, an elder sibling. They had grown together with the usual fights and camaraderie in siblings and knew the good and bad of each-other. While Aileen had been successful in all her endeavors from childhood, Raoul had always struggled to attain success.  Shaking the thoughts away, he took his chance to ask Aileen if Lyana could drop the kids with her for the next day. 

Aileen thought it over and told him, 'Umm! I am home tomorrow, the material required for working would be coming in by evening so I am free in the morning. I'd be happy to keep the kids. Would you be dropping them or would Lyana be coming over?

Raoul told her, 'It'd be easier for Lyana to come, but if you want I can come over, although I am in the middle of a case and might not be able to make it.', hoping that Aileen would agree for Lyana to drop the kids. Aileen said, 'No hassles, you or Lyana.. what difference would it make? I like to spend time with your kids. Either of you, but just ensure that you are not late or keep me waiting.'

He disconnected breathing a sigh of relief having taken care of the kids for the next day. He texted Lyana informing about Aileen's reply and also for her to drop the kids by 10 in the morning. Whatever Aileen was, she was not a morning person and would not be up before 9, so 10 was a safe time.

Getting back to the office, Raoul spread the pictures he had got developed along with the notes he had made with Omar and any other information he had been able to glean regarding the case. Squinting his eye, he tried to focus on the clues spread out in from of him. He could feel that there was something he knew but was missing out upon; something which was glaring at him, but he was not able to put his finger on it. 

Glancing at pictures, he suddenly froze and could not move for a second, he could not believe what he was seeing; it had been in front of him all the time, but it was a difficult thing to believe and his sub-conscious had probably decided to make him ignore it.

He was frozen, his heart thumping against his chest with what he had seen.. he seemed to have unraveled the mystery man from the 'three musketeers'. He could not believe it, he seemed to know the 'person'. He stood rooted to his spot thinking about what to do next, torn between the decision to be made.

... to be continued... Raoul - 7

Inspirations

Inspiration.. a word which is defined as 'stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity'.. generally the source of stimulation is an outside source at least for me.. It may be a piece of journalistic article I have read... it may be a moving picture I have seen or it may even be a conversation!

I often find myself in an 'inspired' state of emotions when I am facing an inner turmoil.. which usually gets my senses to a heightened level.. I tend to observe better.. my words seem more in sync with each other.. my thoughts are focused.... not wavering... emotions get under control.. I am able to channelize myself and the biggest plus point that I achieve is the so called 'brain fog' as a consequence of thyroid tends to go poof!!

I love to be inspired... so here's to being inspired 24 X 7! 

Flights of thoughts...

A couple of days back there had been a workshop on stress management in our school (which by the way we need almost on an hourly basis... these once in a blue moon kinds do not really work for us...!!) Anyways, so this person who had come to take the workshop had asked a question about the thoughts and the tendency of the thoughts to be all over the place.

As was bound to happen, most of us found ourselves thinking about the things he was referring to.. such as where do you stay.. how do you come to school.. and as generally does happen.. I found myself picturing the whole route from my home to workplace... (Ah!! but then that is what any normal human being would do... what... picturing the whole journey from home to work.. and for what.. because someone had asked how do you come to work.. don't tell me that was not something you were doing!)

We all often find ourselves bound by our thoughts.. no it is not the 'feelings'.. the much abused part of our emotions but the thoughts which captivate us.. which tend to take us away from the intended path for the moment. I totally agree to the reasoning that you are what you think. (Right! like that makes it all easy?!) No it does not.. who can understand this better than someone who has been struggling to control how I think.. what thoughts I allow my conscious and sub-conscious to permeate.. It is a Herculean task to say the least.. to say the least.

Of very recent, what I have started to do is if a thought is bothering me so much as to paralyze me.. I write it down.. that let's me look at it in black and white and realize that it is definitely not worth the head-ache.. (Yes.. I do get head-aches from my thoughts.. imagine and they have no existence beyond your brain... talk about presence..) I am not sure it would work as a long term measure but for now I am satisfied (and that is a feeling not a thought)

Apathy

I wonder what makes us a human race to be so insensitive to the tortures we inflict upon the other members of the Earth, may these be the small creatures like the birds; sparrows, kites, or the big graceful creatures like the elephant or the dangerous predators like the shark. We are always hunting these down for our fun and pleasure. If it is not for fun then it is for the 'economic' viability of trade that these animals offer.

We come across many articles in the course of day wherein the man as the superior being indulges in the sale purchase of the lesser species. In fact it is not even frowned upon now. From the milch cattle to the latest 'fad' pet every specie is available for a price. What we can not sell as living being, we kill, slaughter ruthlessly and then feel no remorse in selling the body parts.. piecemeal... giving no peace even in death to the animal.

We pride ourselves to be the superior race.. in what way are we superior.. that we can trap them.. we can breed them in captivity.. we can kill.. maim or hunt them.

Often I wonder, how would we feel if it was ever to happen that the tables were turned and the 'weak' species were able to trade the humans.. Would we still feel the apathy or would it raise our heckles enough to take out rallies against the ferocious animals...

Raoul - Part 5

Earlier
Raoul called up Omar as soon as he was out of the home after dropping the kids with Lyana coming back. He made up a story about trying to find about the Buddhist sculptures which had been found in the Bujang Valley and wanting some information about a few sculptures. Omar invited him to come over in his cheerful voice. Putting the car in the traffic moving towards the Bujang valley, he could not but think about the events of the last two days.

He was puzzled as to why anyone would be interested in a sculpture which had been discovered way back in 1941. He had found out in his research at the library that the 'Standing Buddha' had been shifted out of Malaysia when the Britisher's left and was kept in the London museum. It had been stolen and was out of the public eye for about next 20 years and it had been mysteriously donated to the Bujang Museum a few years back. Raoul shook his head with confusion hoping to get a clearer picture after meeting with Omar.

The museum had the usual smattering of a few visitors; it was generally the case. The museum did not offer guided tours and the two or three people who had been appointed by the Government made halfhearted attempts at interacting with the guests. It was a typical Government building which had been touched with apathy as the rest of the Government. Although there was a positive aspect to the museum; there was no entry fee to the Museum, but the fact that the visitor had to rely upon himself/herself for finding about the artifacts displayed made the visit a monotonous affair.

The security was almost non-existent at the Museum, making it easy for any possible heist very easy. Raoul was wondering if it would not be possible to just walk out of the museum with an artifact, quite unnoticed by the untrained staff. Hoping for his fears to have no basis in reality, he decided to broach the subject once he was meeting Omar.

Omar greeted Raoul with his familiar grin and escorted Raoul towards his office. Raoul launched directly into the questions, not waiting to be seated. Omar's expression changed as he listened to Raoul's query about the sculptures. He was very pleased to know that Raoul had come here to discuss about the Buddhist sculptures which had been found in the last 60 years. His expressions were animated as he discussed something which was close to his heart. Towards the end of the meeting, Raoul asked Omar if he had not felt trepidation due to a non-existent security at Museum.

Omar's face was pinched and the sadness reached his eyes, when he admitted that he was aware of the almost non-existent security present at the Museum and the probable threat of loss of an artifact; but he was helpless in view of the government's apathy towards the development of modern features for Museum. He told Raoul that he had many representations to the officials in the Department of Culture but was yet to receive an encouraging news from the ministry. Raoul nodded at Omar's information; it was only a confirmation of what he had already know. It would be a child's play to take away the prized statue.

The acceptance of the fact shook him through and he felt a chill run down his spine. He debated telling Omar about it but knew that till he actually had a proof there was not much he could do or say in the matter. He took leave from Omar assuring him that he would be returning in case of any issues requiring the genial man's help.

to be continued...Raoul - 6

Raoul -Part 4

Earlier
Raoul kept his distance from the three of them following each movement of the three. He wished he could listen in on to what they were talking about, but he knew that he could not take the risk of being discovered.
The three of them walked to the parking area and got into a steel-grey Honda Accord (Raoul made a mental note that he had to send Lyana's Accord for servicing too) and moved away. Raoul quickly rushed to where his car had been parked. By the time he was able to join the traffic moving out of the Bujong Valley Museum, he had lost on precious time (he thought to himself, should have parked near the exit... that way could have caught up with them) and the Accord was moving away from him at a rapid pace. He muttered under his breath... 'God! I did not get the registration number on that!! He cursed himself on missing out on taking down such simple a detail but gave solace to himself with the fact that the three would have to come again to the museum the next day if they actually planned on making an attempt to heist the 'Standing Buddha'.

He decided to go to the local library to try and find more about the statue. Looking at the statue, Raoul had not been able to understand the importance of it. It was a very simple statue of Buddha cast in bronze standing in the 'tribhanga' pose and was attributed to Mrs. Dorothy Wales for its 'found' status. She had probably been a lonely wife whose husband was posted in military service. She had continued with the excavations at the site in Bujang Valley when Mr. Wales (archaeologist H G Quaritch Wales) had been posted even though they had reached the shores of Malaysia as a couple and had endeavored to work as a team. Raoul was wondering how it must have been for both of them, separated in an alien land with the threat of loosing the partner weighing heavy in mind. He found out that 'his' Buddha had been discovered in 1941 and had been deposited in the Raffles Library Museum.

The thing that weighed heavy on his mind was the reason for the sudden interest being shown by the motley group of three. He just could not resist labeling them as 'Three Musketeers'. It appeared to him as a quixotic behavior, trying to steal 'his' Buddha from the museum. He thought he would get back to the Omar and try to find out some more facts about the statue of Buddha.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by the phone which buzzed in his pocket. He took it out absent-minded but was on full alert when he saw that it was Lyana calling. She hardly called him during the day except when it was a case of dire emergency. Ready for the worst, but hoping his fears would be allayed, he took the call. Relief spread upon his features when he heard Lyana saying that she had to meet up with a few friends and would appreciate if he could pick up the kids from the school and drop them home. He assured her that he would not forget like the last time and would definitely get the kids. Lyana told him that she would be calling again in an hour to remind him.

Raoul could not help himself from smiling at the conversation he had with his wife. He realized that he would have to postpone his meeting with Omar, that meant that he would not be able to meet the affable man til the next day. Hoping that it might not be too late, he moved out of the library, to update his boss Akim about the day's happening. He also had to return the camera after getting the pictures developed (who knows he just might be able to notice something which he had missed out).

.....to be continued...Raoul - 5

Raoul - Part 3

Earlier
Knocking on the door, Raoul entered the office on his hearing 'Come' from the inside. Akim was a wiry man aged about 47 (at least that was what he had been celebrating for the last 3 years... Raoul thought to himself). Akim was a man with liberal outlook to life and was always in a peaceful place. Even though he was a Muslim by religion, he believed in the teachings of Buddha and was often surrounded by Buddhist paraphernalia in his office. He used to get so excited when he found anything new, be it any teaching or a new Buddha image. Once he got to know of anything related to Buddhism being available he was overcome with a holy zeal to possess it.  Today was no different; Raoul found him engrossed in poring over a 'thangka' available on a website on the desktop, with many files lying opened on the table. A large number of files lay on the floor indicating that Akim had been the office since long. Raoul was impressed with his dedication to work.

Akim looked up from the screen and motioned him to sit down, getting once again engrossed in the screen. He motioned Raoul to come and take a look at the 'thangka' he had been so absorbed with. Raoul knew he would have to humor his boss, in order to get him to hear the news. Raoul groaned inwardly and got up from his chair, a plastic smile plastered on face, and joined Akim in looking at the 'thangka'. If it had been any other day and Raoul had time to kill, he would have been very happy to indulge Akim, but today Raoul was in a hurry. The 'thangka' he saw was very beautiful, with Buddha seated on a lotus flower with his eyes closed, right hand holding on to a rice bowl 'Buddha Shakyamuni- The Awakened One from Shakya Clan'.

Raoul nodded his head in agreement on Akim asked him if it was worth the buy. His restlessness was showing on his face, observing that Akim asked him as to what he could do. Raoul took a deep breath and launched into the recounting of yesterday's incidents. He told Akim about his meeting with the Chief Curator and his over-hearing the conversation between the two men.

After Raoul had finished, Akim rubbed his hand across his day old beard, thinking about what he had just heard; his eyes had lit up showing he had liked what he had heard. Raoul looked on expectantly, waiting with bated breath for his boss's reply. Deliberating for a couple of minutes, Akim nodded his head in agreement. Raoul leaped up from his seat, thanking Akim profusely and rushed out of the office. He heard Akim before the door closed, 'Get back all the information, I think this is going to be big'. Raoul grinned to himself, eager to reach in time.

Raoul was breathing heavy with excitement, but waited patiently discretely hidden behind the pillar for the men to come back to the 'Standing Buddha'. He looked nervously at his watch, half -expecting the men to delay their coming to the museum. He had almost given up when he had to wait for over an hour after the scheduled time had passed by. Just as he was about to move away, dejected, he saw the men coming inside.  

Raoul made sure he was not visible from where he stood. The men came near to the display and waited. Raoul found this odd, but decided to wait it out. One of them spoke up, 'How long, Anees?' The other one who obviously was Anees, replied, 'A few more minutes would not kill you Hanif. We've been asked to wait, so we wait.'  Raoul was sure Anees was the one in charge. Hanif lowered his eyes and looked away, clearly embarrassed at being snubbed but unable to retort back.

There were three of them waiting, two of them aware and one waiting for the drama to unfold. Raoul was feeling tired standing with the camera hanging around his neck, which he had borrowed on his way out from a colleague. He was not taking any chances this time.

Anees and Hanif were soon joined by another person, who had his face hidden under the baseball cap and was wearing clothes which were a size too big for him. Raoul took a few pictures, to be used later. The man who had joined asked Anees something, Anees obliged him and lead him closer to the 'Standing Buddha'. The man looked at the statue and appeared to be get very flustered. The longer he stood near the statue, more angrier he got.

He rushed out of the museum followed by Anees and Hanif closely followed by Raoul.

... to be continued.. Raoul - 4

Raoul - Part 2

Earlier
Back from the museum, Raoul had his mind in a quandary. There were questions that were there which seemed to have no answer, at least not right now. He was pacing back and forth in his home office (he smirked at the term; it was a small room with hardly space for a small table and a chair which had been pushed against the wall so that he could pace in that 2 X 2 room), trying to absorb the parts of conversations he had over-heard. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not notice the sound of soft foot-steps behind him. The hand touched him on the shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. He smiled at his his wife of 10 years, Lyana, trying to look undisturbed.

Lyana smiled back, her smile reaching her eyes, her eyes crinkling and her mouth going up from one side forming a lop-sided smile. His heart did a flip, it was her smile which had attracted him to her. He had noticed her smile from across the room that night in the party. He had turned to face her now. Her hand slid from his face and was lying softly at his shoulder, still smiling, she asked, 'You seemed to be worried! Anything bothering you?' Raoul knew that telling Lyana of the conversation would help relieve the tension he was feeling but also felt that now was not an appropriate time. Lyana belonged to the Batek tribe and was very fierce in protecting the native culture. She was one of the founding members of 'Malaysian Cultural Group' although with the babies coming along she was more of a passive member.

Raoul assured her that it was just the small tiff he had in the office with Abdul. Abdul was being his obnoxious self and was making the new interns uncomfortable with his nonsensical demands on their time and energies. Lyana's smile spread thinking about the oh-so-often tiffs Abdul and Raoul had, but were still friends. She ruffled  his hair and told him not to worry and come to bed. Raoul smiled but his mind had already gone back to the questions. He assured her, he'd be there shortly. With that promise, he gently moved Lyana out of the office towards the bed-room.

Raoul stood facing the small window, lost in his thoughts. A distant horn of a car brought him back, looking at the clock on the table, he noticed it was quite late. He decided to hit the sack and may be his subconscious would help him reach an answer soon.

Next morning, he gobbled the breakfast of fried beehoon (fried noodles) which Lyana had served today with egg. It was one of his favorite foods and he would have gone for another helping but for Lyana's eyebrows going up, the moment his hand went towards the serving bowl. Kissing his kids and being told by them, 'Ow, gross!', he moved out the house, chuckling to himself.

Punching in at the attendance machine (groaning at himself for being late again), he moved towards his desk. He still had to get his own office even after 15 years in the same paper. He had always been given the look-over when it was time for promotion. He waited patiently (it had now become a part of him.... patience) for his chance, each rejection pushing him to work harder. Keeping his bag on the chair, he nodded an early morning greetings to his colleagues and sidled to his boss's office.  He had to share his 'news' with him.

to be continued....Raoul - 3

Raoul - Part 1

He could feel stiffness in the neck muscles with him poring at the screen for the last two hours. His hands were typing with a frenzy, his mind was fired up with ideas, he did not wish to be stopped till he finished and had asked his family to go catch up on a popular movie that was showing in the nearby multiplex (he hated going to multiplexes; these were lacking in that old world charm that he had always been a sucker for, thinking of multiplex was something he could not afford. He gently nudged the thought out of his mind and got back to banging on the keys). The moment's reprieve brought on by the thoughts had allowed him to stretch out, try to get the stiffness away.

He was working against a ticking clock with the sword of deadline looming over him. When he had started with the work on the report on the archaeological finds in the Bujang Valley he had no idea that he was going to be fighting tooth and nail for the security of his family. Few more hours and the paper would be in print and he would be able to breathe easy again.

His thoughts wandered to the day he had visited the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum in order to meet with the Chief Curator, Mr. Omar, the meaning of the word Omar ironically being the highest. Omar was a man well-known in the field of Archaeology for his findings in the Bujang Valley over the last 20 years that he had been there. Omar had been working diligently to unravel the mysteries from the past era when the region was under the rule of rulers who had been influenced by Buddhist-Hinduism ideologies and had been rumored to be rich. He had even had the local universities and colleges have their students sent over to the archaeology sites so that the present generation would become aware of the richness of the land that was.

Raoul had expected a sharp man with a tough demeanor but was taken aback when he met the some-what bumbling Omar who had a pink undertones to the skin showing a proclivity to the pleasures of drink. Omar was an affable man. He recalled the meeting had gone well and it was only when he had been coming back from the meeting that he had over-heard or was it more like eaves-dropped on the conversation that had been going on between two otherwise nondescript people but for the fact that they were in a museum and were showing no interest in any of the artifacts on display. They were gesticulating and pointing towards the figure of 'Standing Buddha'. His attention was caught, his curiosity heightened and he moved stealthily towards them to try and listen in on the conversation. They were so occupied with the argument that his movements were largely unnoticed.

Standing behind the pillar near the display of 'Standing Buddha' he was able to hear them and what he heard had him shocked. He stood rooted to his place long after both of them had left. His mind was in a flurry, he decided to go talk with Omar about what he had overheard but the journalist in him got the better of him. He decided to dig deeper and wait it out a little longer.

..... to be continued  Roul - 2

Butterfly

After quite a number of days.. the 'bug' or in this case the 'butterfly' caught my attention... made this yesterday.