Summer 2016 and it is a lovely Sunday afternoon. Billy is walking down the banks of the Baakens River enter the Settler’s park from Valley road near the center of Port Elizabeth a coastal town of South Africa. He is coming from Danny’s place at the bottom of the steep Brickmakers’ cliff road. They had been doing fitness training together and he is heading back to his home via the park. He always enjoys walking via this beautiful and tranquil park. Billy stays on Park Drive near the How Avenue entrance to the park that is on top of Central Hill. Park Drive surrounds the lovely St Georges Park, where the cricket stadium, squash courts, rugby fields, bowling club, tennis courts and the public swimming pool are amongst beautiful gardens and other attractions. Billy runs every night at least twice around St Georges Park sprinting in between before retire to bath and sleep. A quick 5 kilometer keeps him a healthy 17-year-old pupil. He plays squash for the Crusaders in the back of the Cricket stadium. Other times he swims a few kilometers in the swimming pool when it is quiet.
He always walks up this steep pathway to the top of the park. Today there is an old man with a big beard sitting against a tree as he enters the pathway. He looks like he can be a professor at the university. He has two books open and focus so much on what he is doing, he don’t even notice Billy passing by. The man studies the one book and then again the other. Billy wonders if he is trying to translate something or what.
Billy feels an urge to empty his bladder as the pathway leads him around the corner from the man. He steps in between the bushes and starts relieving himself. He hears voices getting louder from the direction where the old man is sitting. It sounds like a few men arguing feverishly. Billy finishes what he is doing and walks back the path to investigate.
The bearded old man is now standing with his back to Billy. He tries to fend off two men in black with his left hand. One of his books is in his right hand. He suddenly throws the book away from them up the path and it landed in front of Billy. Billy bends down and picks it up.
Billy looks up just as one of the men pulls the old man towards himself. He skillfully turns and manipulates the old man into a deadly strangling position from behind. The other man lifts his right hand up in the air and a blade shoots out. Billy feels a cold hand touching his heart when he realizes it is a flick knife. The man stabs the old man many times. The cries of pain tear Billy’s whole being and he looks on in disbelief as if he is dreaming. The man holding the old man lets him drops to the ground. The men’s eyes search up the pathway for the book. They look straight at Billy with the book in his hands. Billy spins around and starts running up the path. One of the men shouts at him as he disappears around the corner. “Give it here man, just drop it and we’ll leave you!”
, , ,
The birds are singing love songs in the trees. The sky is cloudless and blue over Settlers’ park. The park covers 54 hectares along the banks of the Baakens River. There are three official entrances to the park. How avenue just off Park drive, Chelmsford Avenue off Target cliff road where the Guinea Fowl trial starts on that side of town and Third Avenue Walmer. There are pathways covered by high tree and plant that runs between the different sections of the beautiful botanic garden. Lovely grassy picnic areas are ample. The tranquil park is rich of indigenous flora, rock pools with stepping stones, bird life, small buck and other fauna.
A family enjoys picnic on the grass near the How avenue entrance on top of the hill. “What a lovely Sunday? We are so lucky to stay near this beautiful park.” Jack looks satisfied at his beautiful wife and daughter opposite him. His lovely 16 year old, Kadin is flat on her stomach busy writing in her little notebook on their picnic blanket. She stops and closes her book. She turns on her back and stare up at the blue sky in a world of her own. Jack wonders what is going on in his brilliant daughter’s mind. She always finds the most interesting facts about the history of a place.
Rene, his wife, looks up at him from where she is sitting next to Kadin scratching in their picnic basket. “It is great to have you with us this weekend. If you are not sleeping, you are working.”
“What can I do? It is the name of the game. We need this overtime and I am just lucky to get the opportunity. I cannot refuse for anyone else will take my place.”
Kadin looks at her dad. “You are going to work yourself to death dad. We never see you. Like mom says. Either you are sleeping or you are working.”
“We want to make sure you can join the varsity Kadin. Times are hard and even being first in your class will not get you any bursary? You know the political situation. We might even have to send you to study in another country.”
Kadin looks concerned at her parents. “You don’t have to sacrifice so much. I can find work and do it part time.”
Jack smiles. “Why waste time? You have so much talent. You are so intelligent. You make a success of everything you do.” He looks to Rene for support.
Rene takes his hand. “Kadin you are the light in our lives. One day you shall understand if you have a child of your own. We must make the most of your talent. You are always first or second in everything at school.”
Kadin takes her little notebook and sticks her pen inside the special slot to hold it. She sticks it into her jean pocket. She gets up and stretches herself out looking up into the sky. She yawns lazily. “I am going to relieve myself. The two of you can enjoy each others’ company for a while without me.”
Jack looks amused. “Make sure the right one comes back.”
“Yeah, sure dad...” She sticks her tongue out before disappearing into the pathway towards the public toilets.
Jack looks as she walks away. She is transforming into a stunning model. Her long brownish hair is hanging loose over her shoulders. “She is growing up too fast. I fear the day she drops her Tomboy bravado and starts getting interested in the boys.”
, , ,
Kadin enjoys the lovely green canvas of plant covering the path towards the public toilets. There is an enticing sound of a little bird in a nearby tree. She gets off the path and move in between plant and tree searching for the bird. There it is. She watches how it lifts its little head when it sings its unique song. She wonders if it is a male calling for a mate. It is a strikingly colorful specimen.
The sound of hurried footsteps resonates up from another path that leads down to the bottom of the park down in the valley. It sounds like someone is running up the path. She moves deeper in between the greens until she can look down at the path down below from her. A young man comes to a sudden stop. He looks back anxiously towards the direction from which he was running. He looks familiar to her. She saw him somewhere before. He has something in his hands. He bends down and it looks like he quickly hides the thing in between the bushes. Then he jumps up and runs off further up the path. He has just disappeared when Kadin hears heavier footsteps coming up the path. Kadin sees two men in black passing by. It looks like they must be chasing after the boy. They are looking aggressive and determined.
What is going on? Did he steal something belonging to them? Kadin walks around to where the two paths meet and goes down the other until she gets to the place where the young man had something hidden. She scratches in between the bush and find something. She lifts it up and looks at it. It looks like a book. She sticks it into her jeans at her back hiding it under her T-shirt and walk up to the toilets.
Once in private inside the toilet, she takes it out from her back as she drops her pants. She sits down to do her thing and opens the book. What strange script is this? She never saw anything like this. There is no alphabet. She is sure those men were chasing the boy because they are after this book. Why is it so important? It looks like someone had placed a very old ancient book on a copy machine and copied it that way. The original book looks like it was not printed, but written by hand with some ancient kind of pen. Maybe it originates before the time of printed text. The pages are blank on the one side and clamped together on top with a nameless hard cover on both sides. Maybe it belongs to a student that was busy studying this old book. Maybe it is someone from the University of Port Elizabeth.
She feels a little guilty for taking the book. The young man will surely come back to look for it, if he gets away from those two men. If he does not, then they may all come back for the book and he will be in trouble. She gets an idea. She takes her notebook out and writes a note. “Meet me Monday 4pm at the reference section of the Central library. I have your book, Kadin.” She will hide the note where she had found the book. The boy should find it if he comes back.
, , ,
Back with her mom and dad, Kadin shows the book to Jack. “Look what I had found Dad. Someone had lost this book. What language could this be?” She decided not to tell her parents about the chase. She does not want them to get paranoid about the book.
Jack takes the book from her and opens it up. “Interesting, this looks like Sanskrit.”
“How do you recognize it, it is so different?”
“There was a time in my life when I was interested in philosophy. I visited many different religions and learnt about their philosophy. This is where I had seen Sanskrit. It is a very ancient language. Some believe that it did not originate on earth. They call it a transcendental language that is from another dimension.”
“This is fascinating. I did not know you know so much about these things Dad. You never talk about it. So can you read Sanskrit?”
“No, never. Very few people can master the real original Sanskrit. Only a few fortunate who was born in the right family at the right time learn the Vedic traditions by way of Sanskrit. They have their own personal teacher in a spiritual school from a very young age. Some claim that there are chants and rituals that can evoke powerful magic.”
“So why don’t you ever talk about these things Dad?”
Jack smiles and looks at Rene, who is enjoying their conversation. “Philosophy gets you nowhere. The more answers you get only lead to more questions. To know is to know that you never will know. I do not care to find answers for the unexplained anymore. I care only for the here and now.”
“It is strange to hear that there was a time that you were interested in philosophy since we never practice any religion dad. How did that happen? Most of my class is Christians and they are going to church. Why you and mother never talks about religion?”
Rene answers now. “We do not want to influence you. We are happy to try answering your questions to the best of our ability. The questions must come from you.”
“What do you believe mother? Is there a God?”
Rene looks at Jack for help and he does. “It is not important what we believe Kadin. That is the point your mother is trying to make. What do you believe Kadin?”
“Dad, you said you had studied many philosophies, I do not understand how you end up without any religion?”
“Like I said Kadin, I care only for the here and now. The precious moments with you and your mother, is the only important thing for me.”
Kadin goes down on her knees next to Jack. She hugs him and kisses him unexpectedly. “I love you dad.”