House of Trembling Leaves, The Read Online Free Page B
Author: Julian Lees
grew up in the buckwheat fields of Lhasa.ââ
ââAnd the way youâre dressed it looks like you still work in one.ââ Lu See flicked the catches of one of the eel skin bags. ââHere,ââ she said pressing a folded clutch of blue cotton into Sum Sumâs hands.
ââWhatâs this?ââ
ââWhat do you think it is, pumpkin-head? Itâs a sundress.ââ
ââWhat do you want me to do with it?ââ
ââI want you to wear it, of course.ââ
Sum Sum positioned her hands firmly on her hips and looked down at her white amahâs tunic. ââWhy?ââ
ââBecause weâve run away from home and my motherâs going to try and track us down. We sail first thing tomorrow.ââ
ââI bet this is what it feels like when youâve robbed a bank.ââ
ââIâve booked our tickets on the Jutlandia under an assumed name but Father and Third-uncle Big Jowl will be asking round for a young Chinese woman and her pumpkin-headed maid.ââ
ââAn assumed name? Ayo , damn-powerful exciting, lah! What did you call yourself?ââ
ââLucy Apricot.ââ
ââCrazy crackpot idea. Going to England is like fairy tale story. I love it!ââ
ââI know. And if you wear this weâll be less conspicuous. Big Jowl Uncle will never find us.ââ
ââIn which case, maybe you give me some of your jewellery too? How about the jade earrings with the tigers, lah. I should wear those as well, no?ââ
ââSometimes I wonder why I didnât just leave you behind.ââ Lu See looked out into the stillness and shook her head slowly.
The tongkang drifted. Everything around them grew still. A forest bird shrieked.
Sum Sum gave a little shudder. ââIâm scared of the jungle at night. Scared of the Pontianak.ââ She meant the vampire of Malay folklore.
ââNonsense, thereâs no such thing.ââ
ââIts eyeballs roll up into its head.ââ
ââQuiet, will you?ââ
Lu See stood beside the metal railings, gripping them. She listened to the night fall in around her and heard in her head the juvenile refrain her brothers would sing when she lay in her motherâs bed sick with the flu: Naughty girl, naughty girl pretending to be sick, Big Jowl uncle is coming with his stick .
And she knew, instinctively, that he was already hot on her trail.
2
Following the early morning rains, the sun threw its heat slantwise over Penang port; an unyielding tropical blanket that tore the moisture from your skin like a furnace. All along the dock the Lascars sat on their haunches, chewing bhang and sucking on hand-rolled bidis to get them going, blowing the smoke downwind. And whilst the dogs barked and the roosters crowed, hawkers set up their stalls by the quay from one end of Chulia Street to the other, busily grilling stingrays and skewering satays over charcoal and cracking eggs to make oyster omelettes on cast-iron woks. Tamil, Hokkien, Bahasa, pidgin English and Cantonese pinged back and forth like flies in the tall grass.
Standing on the deck of the MS Jutlandia where the life rafts were stowed, Lu See had long ago resolved to sketch every detail of her crossing. She knew Sum Sum would be elsewhere on ship snapping photographs with the Kodak Retina, but it didnât stop her. This, she decided, was a journey of a lifetime, especially for a girl whoâd never ventured beyond the Straits of Malacca. She unclipped a pencil from her sketchbook and began folding back pages, scribbling notes and making quick outline observations â every tint of cloud and sea shimmer, each scent whether it was perfumed or putrid, every sound from the piston blast of the shipâs horn to the calls of the Mullah citing his morning
ââAnd the way youâre dressed it looks like you still work in one.ââ Lu See flicked the catches of one of the eel skin bags. ââHere,ââ she said pressing a folded clutch of blue cotton into Sum Sumâs hands.
ââWhatâs this?ââ
ââWhat do you think it is, pumpkin-head? Itâs a sundress.ââ
ââWhat do you want me to do with it?ââ
ââI want you to wear it, of course.ââ
Sum Sum positioned her hands firmly on her hips and looked down at her white amahâs tunic. ââWhy?ââ
ââBecause weâve run away from home and my motherâs going to try and track us down. We sail first thing tomorrow.ââ
ââI bet this is what it feels like when youâve robbed a bank.ââ
ââIâve booked our tickets on the Jutlandia under an assumed name but Father and Third-uncle Big Jowl will be asking round for a young Chinese woman and her pumpkin-headed maid.ââ
ââAn assumed name? Ayo , damn-powerful exciting, lah! What did you call yourself?ââ
ââLucy Apricot.ââ
ââCrazy crackpot idea. Going to England is like fairy tale story. I love it!ââ
ââI know. And if you wear this weâll be less conspicuous. Big Jowl Uncle will never find us.ââ
ââIn which case, maybe you give me some of your jewellery too? How about the jade earrings with the tigers, lah. I should wear those as well, no?ââ
ââSometimes I wonder why I didnât just leave you behind.ââ Lu See looked out into the stillness and shook her head slowly.
The tongkang drifted. Everything around them grew still. A forest bird shrieked.
Sum Sum gave a little shudder. ââIâm scared of the jungle at night. Scared of the Pontianak.ââ She meant the vampire of Malay folklore.
ââNonsense, thereâs no such thing.ââ
ââIts eyeballs roll up into its head.ââ
ââQuiet, will you?ââ
Lu See stood beside the metal railings, gripping them. She listened to the night fall in around her and heard in her head the juvenile refrain her brothers would sing when she lay in her motherâs bed sick with the flu: Naughty girl, naughty girl pretending to be sick, Big Jowl uncle is coming with his stick .
And she knew, instinctively, that he was already hot on her trail.
2
Following the early morning rains, the sun threw its heat slantwise over Penang port; an unyielding tropical blanket that tore the moisture from your skin like a furnace. All along the dock the Lascars sat on their haunches, chewing bhang and sucking on hand-rolled bidis to get them going, blowing the smoke downwind. And whilst the dogs barked and the roosters crowed, hawkers set up their stalls by the quay from one end of Chulia Street to the other, busily grilling stingrays and skewering satays over charcoal and cracking eggs to make oyster omelettes on cast-iron woks. Tamil, Hokkien, Bahasa, pidgin English and Cantonese pinged back and forth like flies in the tall grass.
Standing on the deck of the MS Jutlandia where the life rafts were stowed, Lu See had long ago resolved to sketch every detail of her crossing. She knew Sum Sum would be elsewhere on ship snapping photographs with the Kodak Retina, but it didnât stop her. This, she decided, was a journey of a lifetime, especially for a girl whoâd never ventured beyond the Straits of Malacca. She unclipped a pencil from her sketchbook and began folding back pages, scribbling notes and making quick outline observations â every tint of cloud and sea shimmer, each scent whether it was perfumed or putrid, every sound from the piston blast of the shipâs horn to the calls of the Mullah citing his morning
Readers choose
Zayne Michaels
Melanie Thorne
Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Maria Hudgins
Geoffrey Household
Elle Kennedy
Karolyn Cairns
Beverly Barton
Jean Plaidy
Spring Stevens