Secret Of the Sighing Mountains (The Quest Trilogy) (8 page)

“After your morning yoga session, you will all be given time to freshen up and have breakfast after which, you will come to the training grounds outside for your first lesson.

When you leave this hall, you will all find your time-tables along with your beginner kits waiting for you on your respective beds. Please take a few minutes to label your belongings in order to avoid confusion and disputes later on. Am I clear so far?”

All those present nodded in acknowledgement. Satisfied, Master Shengdu went on;

“There are ninety eight of you in all. Though it is not the biggest batch I have had, it is quite substantial. Now, I am sure you will all agree that training, feeding and looking after such a large group in an organized manner is absolutely necessary for the smooth functioning of the monastery. Therefore, you are going to be further divided into three smaller batches. Each group will be assigned duties that they will have to carry out for a month in addition to the training lessons after which, your duties will be changed, a process that I will explain in a few minutes. I will now begin calling out your names according to the groups you are to be placed in. please start collecting together according to your group number.”

Master Shengdu removed a long scroll from the pocket of his robe and began reading out the names of the sequestors and assigning them their respective groups. Both Sierra and Diego were in group one. Moto and Ashitaka, they noted with relief, were in group two and three respectively.

“I am now going to assign you your duties.” said Master Shengdu. “Group one, for the first month, you will have kitchen duty. We have to make sure ninety eight sequestors are well fed in addition to the staff already present here. So someone’s got to peel the potatoes, stir the broth, do the dishes … you get the idea.” This announcement was met by a round of groans from the members of the group in question but Master Shengdu ignored them and went on. “Group two; you will help with the laundry and housekeeping responsibilities. Know that this does not mean someone else will clean and keep your rooms for you. You are all responsible for the maintenance of your own dorm rooms.  Every morning before you report here for your morning yoga session, you will make sure your rooms are clean, your beds are made, your clothes are ironed and that you look presentable when you give your attendance. Those of you who are a little … shall we say, slow? … in following the rules, you will be referred to Mrs. Will , who will teach you in a very simple manner how to keep pace with the rest of us here and ensure the smooth sailing of this ship.”

None of the sequestors knew who Mrs. Will was or what Master Shengdu was talking about, but they understood that if they didn’t fall in line with the way things worked here, they would be taken to task in some manner.

“Lastly, group number three; you will help with the grounds-keeping duties. Mowing the grass, keeping the gardens and the general are free of litter and also helping out with the farming and gardening. You should know, Mt. Chimpu is self sustaining and has its own animal farm and fruit garden. We grow all our own organic vegetables. All of these also need care and attention and besides, it will also help you with your training since you will learn basic skills, such as … how to milk a goat.”

This statement was met with jeers and laughter directed at the third group by members of the first two groups.

“Don’t be too happy.” Master Shengdu’s voice cut through the commotion. “Your duties will change after the first month. Group one will take over the duties of group two, group two will take on the duties of group three and so on. Your duties will keep rotating with each passing month.”

Members of group three took this opportunity to make faces back at the members of the first two groups and Master Shengdu sighed. “You’ll grow up here, don’t worry.” He muttered to no one in particular. He called the sequestors to attention. “Let us now begin with our very first session of yoga, which will be taken by me.”

Master Shengdu removed his blue and white robes to reveal a loose t-shirt and track-pants worn underneath. “Please stand in neat rows one behind the other.” instructed Master Shengdu, and the sequestors shuffled about to take their places.

“Shall we begin? Good. Now take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Let’s start with slow rotations of the neck …”

Forty five minutes later, they had wrapped up and were all heading back to their dorm rooms. Sierra and Diego entered their room to find their kits on their respective beds. Sierra leapt up onto his bunk and tore off the clear plastic wrapping. Inside, he found two pristine white garments that looked like karate suits. They had the maroon and gold dragon’s head emblem of Mt. Chimpu embroidered on them, on one side of the collar.

Besides that, there was a large, printed manual, a pair of gloves – one full and one half, and a yoga mat.

Sierra lifted up his karate suit and its slim white belt to examine it better.

“We got a Gi and Obi.” He lifted and opened a small note tucked inside the suit and read out loud, “Wear these for your morning training sessions as they are more conducive to free movement. Well … okay.” shrugged Sierra. He moved on to the thick manual and opened it. “What’s this? Oh … our time-table and the exact nature of our different lessons. First, there’s the yoga, followed by an hour’s break for breakfast. Then, our first training session … where we’re gonna start with ‘a history of weapons’ and then ‘introduction to martial arts,’ oh yeah, baby! Four hours gone into that, then we break for lunch. Then there’s time for a nap. Afternoons are slotted for ‘practical skills’ and our first class is …”

Sierra looked up at Diego with disgust. “You won’t believe this, D … we’re going to learn
stitching.
How silly is that?” he didn’t wait for a response but continued, “Then, we break for our respective group duties, then dinner and after that … Games and Life skills? Wonder what’s that? Oh, games that require logic and strategy. It says here we can also use this time to study, pursue personal interests and hobbies, whatever they may be …” Sierra thought about this for a minute. “Do girls count as a hobby?”

Diego, who had been successfully ignoring Sierra until now and had been going through his own kit, now took the time to give some attention to his babbling brother.

“First of all, Si, does it strike your thick head that I have a manual of my own and am perfectly capable of reading? Secondly, we’ve only been given an hour’s break of which, thirty minutes have already gone. We need to shower, dress up and be at the dining hall in fifteen minutes or we’ll miss breakfast.”

“Breakfast!” cried Sierra, clutching his tummy, “If I miss breakfast I’ll die!”

Diego rolled his eyes at Sierra. “Stop being such a drama queen, stinky. Let’s go take a shower first.”

“But it might make me miss breakfast.”

“Come
on
… you don’t need half an hour to eat your breakfast. You inhale your food, in any case.”

“Just half an hour!” exclaimed Sierra. With a sigh, Diego gave up and walked out of the room with his things. His mission accomplished, Sierra jumped down from his bunk with a big grin splitting his face and followed after Diego with his own towel and clothes bundled in his arms.

*****

The next day, the sequestors were all a mass of aches, pains and bruises. For Diego and Sierra, the first few days at Mt. Chimpu were spent adjusting to the new environment.

Sierra didn’t waste a day in trying out his belt. The first item that he hid in it was a banana that he had nicked from the dinner table. That night in his room he fished around for it in his pocket and found, to his surprise, that it was intact and not smashed. Exhilarated that the belt really worked, he would regularly fleece things off of the dinner and lunch tables and stuff it all in his belt. Whenever he got the chance, he’d remove his stash and feast on the accumulated goodies. No matter how much he stuffed into the belt, it never seemed to get any heavier. He decided that next he would try to find out how long perishable goods could be kept. That experiment failed miserably when he found spoilt buns in his belt. After that he decided to eat whatever he managed to pilfer quickly, in order to prevent such a tragedy from re-occurring. The result was that, despite all the strenuous training, Sierra was a happy man.

For his part, Diego managed to hold out on testing the ring for all of two weeks, waiting for its powers grow on him. But by the third week, he could wait no more. After an archery session he lingered behind, waiting for everyone to leave. Once the grounds were empty, he walked over to where the fruit trees were and proceeded to test his strength by punching a tree trunk several times. He left a fist sized impression in the trunk each time without feeling much impact in his body. Encouraged, he searched for something harder. He found a round, flat stone, slightly bigger than his hand and placed it on the ground. This would do. He aimed a carefully measured punch at it.

Nothing happened to the stone.

But nothing happened to his fist either. Diego bent down and hit the stone again, harder. Once. Twice. The third time there was an audible crack as fist met stone. He looked down at the stone, which now lay smashed into smithereens at his feet, and then at his fist, which had only gone slightly red. This was amazing. A broad grin began to stretch across his face. He swiped his fist through the air in a victory motion and then doubled over as searing pain shot from his fingers down the entire length of his right arm, making him cry out in agony.

He ran straight to the in- house hospital, where he found the doctor sitting at his desk with a book in hand, looking thoughtfully out the window.

“Doctor...I need help!” he panted, “please.”

He extended his arm to show the doctor his rapidly swelling hand which was now turning blue at the knuckles.

The doctor led him to a bed, asking him to calm down as he examined his hands gently.

He gave a few instructions to one of the nurses who was hovering nearby and then turned to look at Diego through concerned blue eyes.

“What is your name, young man?” he asked, drawing a chair next to the bed and sitting down on it.

“Diego”

“Okay, Diego. I’m Dr. Hope.” He said, smiling and taking Diego’s hand in order to examine it again. “You seem to have fractured your hand pretty badly. Can you straighten your fingers?”

Diego tried, but pain ripped through his hand again and he stopped, gasping for breath.

“Hmm… looks worse than I thought. Let’s take an X-ray to see the extent of damage, and then we’ll decide if you need to go in for surgery or just a cast will do.” said Dr. Hope, moving out of the way of the two nurses who were closing in on Diego already, leading him to the X-ray room.

Diego paled. Surgery? This meant sharp instruments. This meant …
needles
! No!

He was as brave as they came, but needles? They scared the life out of him.

“I don’t want surgery.” he said in a panicked voice.

“Relax. Just let me have a look first … then panic.” The doctor smiled warmly, but Diego could not see the joke being made here.

He looked around, wondering at his chances of an escape. The in- house hospital was a very futuristic looking place with machines that Diego had only seen in science fiction movies. There was even a very sophisticated-looking operation theatre.

“Wow, this place is equipped.” Diego said to the nurse preparing the X-ray machine.

“Yes. All thanks to Dr. Hope. He makes sure everything here is in top order and nothing is lacking… I’m Generosity, by the way.” she said, adjusting his hand to take different angles. Diego noticed the wide gold band on her right wrist. The doctor was wearing one, too. It had an emblem of a dragon’s head on it - the image they had all come to associate as the symbol of Mt. Chimpu. Maybe this was some kind of uniform they all had to wear in order to be recognized as staff, surmised Diego.

Nurse Generosity finished taking the X-ray and asked Diego to go lie down outside and wait while she developed the film.

When he walked back into the room, Diego was greeted by the sight of a haggard looking Sierra sprawled over the bed he had vacated only minutes ago.

“It’s not working, doctor…” Sierra was saying weakly, “I need something stronger.”

“Well, well. Look what the wind blew in.” remarked Diego, sitting down on the opposite bed.

Sierra was eyeing him suspiciously.

“What are you doing here? Did you follow me?” Sierra mumbled.

“Yeah, as soon as I changed into my superman costume.” said Diego sarcastically.

“Go away.” said Sierra, motioning with his right hand and then leaving it dangling limply from the edge of the bed.

Diego turned to Dr. Hope. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked.

“Just a bad case of indigestion.” replied the doctor.

He handed Sierra some pills and a bottle filled with electrolyte solution.

“Here, take these twice a day. Keep off of solid food for two days. Just have soup and juices. See me on the third day.” he instructed Sierra, who took the pills and gulped them down with some of the liquid. He heaved his body off the bed, shuffling slowly to the door.

Dr. Hope turned to Diego. “Diego, while we wait for your X-ray reports, why don’t you tell me how you fractured your hand?”

Diego’s eyes flew to the door where Sierra had stopped short and was now turning around, slowly making his way back into the room.

“What the hell are you coming back in, for?” he snapped at Sierra. “You’re done, now go!”

“Not a chance!” smirked Sierra, who seemed to be getting better by the second. He seated himself on the bed again and looked expectantly at Diego.

“Go on, D, tell the doctor how you fractured your hand.” he encouraged.

Giving Sierra a glare, Diego turned reluctantly to face Dr. Hope.

“I… ah … it was… um…fell…and, err…an accident.” he mumbled incoherently.

“I’m sorry? Could you be a little clearer?” Dr. Hope asked. “Did you say you fell?”