Hong Kong part 6

You slowly leave the world of unconsciousness and return to the real world. You feel dazed and confused and you are not really conscious yet. You feel that you are in a parallel world, somewhere distant, somewhere far away. Images, voices and sounds fly around you, they come and go and make you even more confused and dizzy. You see your entire life passing before of you. Images from your childhood, images from your time as a teenager, from university and your working life afterwards. You see places you have been, people you have met, you see your parents, your previous relationships, scents and smells go up your nose. Two things however keep appearing and disappearing. The first one is Mi, a Chinese colleague and dear friend with whom you understand each other blindly, intuitively. She doesn't say anything. She comes and goes, but there's something in the expression and the way she looks at you. Shall this be a sign of warning or relief? Why is she appearing anyway? Has she got to do anything with this here? 

The second thing that comes and goes is the song you were humming in the foot massage parlour. 

"He ran his little monkey fingers through yellow pages

Called up some escort services and ordered some okey doke

Forty minutes later there came a knock at the door.."

Yeah, some hookers and some weed would be great now. You would certainly like that. 

All the images, scents and sounds disappear and you open your eyes. You raise your head and look around. The lights are dimmed and you can't see much. You see that you are tied to a chair in an empty room. Directly opposite is a door and on both sides are windows with curtains. Directly behind must be a corridor, because you hear some footsteps. You try to move the chair around to see what is behind you, but as you jump a few times and manage to move the chair a few inches, the door opens and two men step inside. 

One comes closer to you and the other shuts the door and places himself next to it.

The man standing in front of you asks you in perfect English:

"Do you speak Chinese?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Just because!"

"That's the wrong answer!" he says and slaps you hard on the right cheek so that your head flies to the left.

Jeez! We had this before.

You shake your head and ask: "What is wrong with speaking Chinese?"

"Nothing wrong with it, only peculiar."

You're none the wiser and don't understand what's the problem with it.

"So, why do you speak Chinese?"

"I live in the country and it's obvious to learn it, no? I speak other languages too."

"....." Silence. The man doesn't say anything and you're sure that he knows exactly who you are and what you do. Perhaps you shouldn't have said that you speak other languages.

"You speak Russian, I know, and a few other languages. I know, I know..."

You were right with your suspicion, he knows much about you.

He turns around, goes to the man by the door, gets something from him and returns. He holds up a photograph and asks you:

"Do you know this person?"

You have a closer look and once you realise who the person in the photo is, you put your best poker face on, like you learnt it in the army and say:

"No, I have no idea who this is."

"You're a fucking liar!" he shouts and slaps you again so that your head flies to the side.

"What did you do in Macau yesterday?"

"I'm sure you know what I did there. Sightseeing, didn't I?" you say with a cheeky smile.

The man turns around and says something in Cantonese to the man standing by the door. He opens the door and shouts something into the corridor. A few seconds later, four men and a young Chinese lady with her hands tied in front appear. It's the lady from the photograph. She is slim, has beautiful long black hair, dark eyes, cute face, fair skin and looks like a mixture of Pocahontas and Snow White.

"I'm asking you again, do you know the person?"

"No, why should I?"

"May we refresh your memory a bit?" he asks and snaps with his fingers, and two of the four angry looking men come forward ready to punch you.

You remain calm with your poker face still on and say: "You can refresh my memory as much as you like, I'm telling you the truth, I don't know this person."

The person in question is Mi. Of course you know her and you know her very well and you can guess why she is here. She's not only your colleague and dear friend, but she's also your Chinese teacher. You both look at each other and she is trying with the use of her fingers to pass a secret message to you, while the men have gathered together and are discussing something. You understand that you shouldn't be worried and that the situation is under control. 

"I will ask you one more time" the man says, "and I demand to hear the truth. Do you know this person? Why do you learn Chinese?"

"As I told you" you say in a calm manner, "there's nothing wrong with it and I don't know who she is."

As soon as you finish this sentence, two of the men come forward and start slapping, hitting and punching you.

In this very moment the door is being kicked down and two ladies in sexy suits appear. It's your colleague Milly and your assistant Margaret and together with Mi they are the mysterious group "μ³". Milly and Margaret kick and punch some of the men standing by the door and throw the to the floor. Milly jumps over to Mi and with a butterfly knife cuts the rope around her hands and frees her, then Mi bends down, lifts her left trouser leg and produces a knife. With some fast and spectacular movements between the men who are after her, she lands right before you, looks you in the eyes, kicks away a man who is trying to attack her from behind, whispers 'silly boy!' in your ear, reaches behind you and cuts the rope. She jumps back immediately and you stand up with a quick move, take the chair and hit one of the men with it and knock him out. 

"Quick!" shouts Margaret, while kicking one of the men in his balls. Ouch, that must hurt! Mi grabs your hand and pulls you towards the door. Milly is already in the corridor waiting with a gun in her hands. You look behind and see a bunch of men on the floor. 

The four of you run down the corridor and out of the building. There a black Mercedes is parked in which you get in. Milly takes the wheel, Margaret sits on the passenger seat and you and Mi take a place on the back seat. All of them look at you before Milly pushes down the throttle and Mi grabs your hair and says again sweetly 'silly boy' and you lean over and kiss her on her head. The car pushes forward with force so that the wheels spin and you disappear into the night and the streets of Hong Kong.

The End. 

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

An explosion of pillars, roofs, and lattice work in bright colours, this busy Taoist temple is a destination for all walks of life, from pensioners to young professionals. Some come simply to pray, others to divine the future with chìm (bamboo ‘fortune sticks’) which are shaken out of a box onto the ground and interpreted by a fortune-teller.
The complex, built in 1973, is dedicated to a deified healer named Wong Tai Sin who, as a shepherd in Zhèjiāng province, was said to have transformed boulders into sheep. In fact, the whole district is named after him – ironic given he is said to have been a hermit. When he was 15 an immortal taught Wong how to make a herbal potion that could cure all illnesses. He is thus worshipped both by the sick and those trying to avoid illness. The term ‘Wong Tai Sin’ is sometimes used to describe people who are generous to a fault.
Taoist ceremonies take place at the main altar . The image of the deity was brought to Hong Kong from Guǎngdōng province in 1915. Behind the main altar and to the right are the Good Wish Gardens, replete with pavilions (the hexagonal Unicorn Hall, with carved doors and windows, is the most beautiful), zigzag bridges and carp ponds. 

To the left as you enter the complex is an arcade of fortune-tellers (consultation from HK$100), some of whom speak English. The busiest times at the temple are around Chinese New Year, Wong Tai Sin’s birthday (23rd day of the eighth month – usually in September) and on weekends. 

Source: Lonely Planet Hong Kong.

Somewhere in Tsim Sha Tsui

Lunch

Space Museum

The Peninsula (Hotel and shops)

Clock Tower

View to central Hong Kong

Ferry crossing

Approaching central

Ferry in the terminal

Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin' ...

(Journey - Wheel in the Sky)

In case you wonder what this is, this is a bluetooth speaker that moves when you play music on your device. (Video may not show or play on iPhones and iPads)

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