Ascent

by Roland Smith

  “Boomtown,” I said.

  “Boom? An explosion?”

  “In a way.” I told her about the boomtowns that had popped up in the American West near gold and silver mines in the 1800s.

  “A different kind of gold and silver,” Alessia said. “The vein will run dry when they kill all of the animals in the forest.”

  I wondered how they had gotten all of this stuff to market without roads. This was answered when we reached the far end of town. A large clearing had been carved out of the forest. In it were donkeys, elephants, oxen, and empty carts. Nick’s porters had made camp next to the makeshift corral. I hoped we weren’t staying there. The smell was making my eyes water. We waved at the porters, but they didn’t notice us. They were too busy talking to the other porters. I suspected that in the short amount of time they had been there, they’d learned more about this place than we would ever know.

  “We are strangers in a strange land,” Alessia said.

  “You’re right about that.”

  “I think we should call it Strangeland.”

  “Perfect.” I took her hand. “I guess we better try to find Ethan and Nick and see—”

  A small helicopter flew in low over the trees and began to descend into the corral. Elephants trumpeted, and donkeys brayed. The porters glanced up, then went back to their conversation as if a helicopter coming in for a landing in the middle of nowhere was as common as rain in the rainforest. We waited to see who got out. I figured it was a military helicopter, but it wasn’t. The men climbing out of the doors were civilians. Two armed men emerged first, followed by another man with a big duffel bag over his shoulder. The last man to step off was wearing white slacks, a white shirt, and a white Panama hat. He said something to the man with the duffel, who started toward town. The guy in white and the other two men watched him for a moment, then turned and started walking toward the trees. All four men were Asian.

  “Who do you think that is?” Alessia asked.

  “Whoever it is makes enough money to travel by helicopter, which is a lot easier than how we got here.” I pointed at the pack animals in the corral. “And everyone else.”

  “But they only see the tops of the trees. It is the difference between seeing a mountain from afar and climbing it. No?”

  “Yes. You’ve been spending too much time with Nick.”

  “He is very smart.”

  “Yes he is.”

  I kissed her.

  We didn’t find Ethan until after dark. Actually, we didn’t find him—​Ethan found us. We were wandering through the lantern-lit market, going from stall to stall, asking in halting Burmese where our friend was. We walked into a shop that sold tea and smoked dog, among other things, and found Ethan trying to ask the proprietor where we were. We left with a tin of tea, but passed on the dog meat.

  An old friend of Nick’s, Thuta Soe, had invited us to spend the night at his house. Thuta’s house was outside of the town, or Strangeland, along a small river. Like most Burmese homes, the house was built on stilts to protect it from flooding during the monsoon and prevent venomous snakes from getting inside. Most of the houses we’d seen in the forest had one, or maybe two, single-level rooms. They were built almost entirely out of bamboo—​easily repaired or replaced if they were blown or washed away. Thuta’s house was five times bigger than any of the houses I’d seen in the tangle. It was three stories high and lit up like a skyscraper at night.

  “Something, isn’t it?” Ethan said. “Thuta’s had to rebuild three times. Two fires. One typhoon. He says his house gets better every time. Wait until you see the inside.”

  We followed him up the ladder-like steps to the veranda. Someone was cooking something that made my mouth water. We took off our muddy shoes before stepping inside. The floor was made out of woven bamboo and covered with bamboo mats like all the other stilted houses I’d been in. It was like walking on a firm mattress. The first time I had walked on a bamboo floor, I thought I was going to fall through and land where the pigs were wallowing beneath the house. I was trying to keep my feet on the joists when the man who had invited me inside saw what I was doing and started jumping up and down on the spongy floor to demonstrate that it was safe.

  A woman wearing a colorful longyi came through an open doorway to our left and gave us a bright smile.

  “Men upstairs,” she said.

  I returned the smile and looked past her into the other room, where the delicious smell was coming from. Savory smoke was rising from a large wok heated by a charcoal flame.

  “It smells wonderful,” Alessia said,

  “Yes. Yes. But not for you. For children. You come with me. I show. You two boys go upstairs. Old men there.”

  I would have rather gone into the kitchen to see, and hopefully taste, what was sizzling in that wok, but I obeyed and followed Ethan up the stairs.

  Nick and Thuta were sitting on the floor next to a blanket covered with dried plants and flowers. A bright lantern hung above the blanket. They were both holding magnifying glasses. Thuta got to his feet, put his palms together, and bowed.

  “Are you a botanist too?” I asked.

  “Hardly,” Thuta answered in English. “I am merely an interested amateur.”

  “A very gifted amateur,” Nick said. “Thuta has found some astonishing specimens, two of which I have never seen before.”

  Thuta beamed with pleasure at the compliment. Ethan offered him the tin box of tea we had bought at the shop in the market.

  “That is very kind of you. Dr. Freestone and I have been friends since I was a boy, and before that, he was a friend of my father’s. My home is his home and, in turn, your home. Gifts are unnecessary. I hope you did not pay too much for this.”

  We bought the tea because Alessia liked the box. I didn’t know we were going to give it to him. I don’t think Ethan knew it either. He’s impulsive. He gave the box to Thuta because the box was in his hands. Simple as that.

  “You met my wife, Yati, downstairs?” Thuta asked. “The beautiful woman cooking?”

  “Alessia is in the kitchen with her,” Ethan answered.

  I could still smell the aroma wafting through the porous bamboo floors. My stomach grumbled.

  “Ah, yes, dinner. Yati was preparing a Burmese feast for you, but at the last minute, you received another dinner invitation. Do not worry. The food will not go to waste. We will share it with the poorer children. Your loss will be their gain. They will be grateful.”

  We had seen a lot of kids in the market begging, who looked like they could use a good meal. Alessia and I had given two of them some change and watched them happily run over to the betel nut vendor, buy a couple of quids, and pop them into their little mouths. After this we stopped giving out spare change.

  “Does this village have an official name?” I asked Thuta.

  He laughed. “The official answer is no, it does not. My grandfather was a trader. He brought our family here and built a home because of its close proximity to China, India, and Tibet before it came under Chinese rule. Soon other family members and friends moved here, then porters and their families. It became more of a trading post than a village.”

  “It looks more like a town now,” Ethan said.

  “That is a recent development. An unfortunate situation really, which I have no control over. Eventually the town will become unprofitable and everyone will move away, but I will remain, along with my family and friends, eking out our living in the jungle as we always have.”

  Thuta spoke with a slight British accent. “Your English is very good,” I said.

  “Thank you. That is because of Dr. Freestone. One of his graduate students lived with us for nearly three years. In exchange for room and board, he taught our family English and other subjects. With his help, I was able to matriculate and go to the university.”

  “But you came back here.”

  “There was never any doubt about that. This is my home, or it will be again when everyone leaves.”


  It didn’t appear to me that anyone was leaving anytime soon.

  “I didn’t see any soldiers in town,” Ethan said.

  “That is because we do not exist.” Thuta smiled at me. “Officially. But the military does come here every few weeks to collect unofficial taxes so that we may remain nonexistent. They have spies here so they know what they are due. I think you call this ransom in your country.”

  “Extortion,” Ethan corrected.

  “Ah yes, that is the word. My father paid extortion too. It is the way of the jungle. But enough of this. You do not want to be late for dinner.”

  “Where are we going to dinner?” Nick asked.

  “A wealthy businessman invited you. He’s a relative newcomer to the village. You will like him. He is interested in westerners. It is not unusual for him to invite people to dinner in order to know them better.”

  “How did he find out about us?” Alessia asked.

  Thuta smiled. “This is a small place. Everyone knows everything about everybody.”

  Nine

  The full moon filtered through the giant trees lighting the narrow path along the river. We walked past several more stilted houses, but none as elaborate as Thuta’s. He said that most of the houses along the river belonged to his children and relatives.

  “That is my daughter’s home,” he said, pointing. “Over there is my son’s home. It is small because he is not yet married.”

  “Can anyone build along the river?” Ethan asked.

  “Certainly. We do not own the river. But few people build out here. They prefer to live in town. My family has always lived out here. My grandfather was fond of saying, ‘What is the point of living in the forest if you do not live in the forest?’”

  The houses became fewer in between until there were none left. All that remained was the moon, the trail, and the river. I was about to ask Thuta how much farther it would be when we rounded a corner and saw our destination. It was a house, a very big house, built on a promontory overlooking the river. It was two stories, built out of hardwood. It was not on stilts. A tall, sturdy fence surrounded it, lit with powerful electric floodlights.

  “Generator,” Ethan said.

  “Yes,” Thuta said. “A small one for the security lights.”

  “What’s the man’s name?” Nick asked, sounding a little irritated.

  “I didn’t tell you? I am so sorry. You are having dinner with Mr. Chin. He built this house two years ago.”

  “What kind of business is he in?” Ethan asked.

  Thuta didn’t answer, because a wooden gate opened in front of us.

  Ethan pointed to the top of the fence and whispered, “Surveillance cameras and motion detectors. High-end gear. Armed men on rooftop. Ten o’clock and two o’clock. I’ll take the lead.”

  I glanced up. Two shadowy figures. It was too dark to see if they were armed or not, but I believed him. Ethan had a trained eye for that kind of thing.

  “More spots on the roof,” Ethan mumbled. “Manually operated. That way they can blind intruders.”

  Ethan was in full bodyguard now, standing directly in front of Alessia to shield her from any kind of threat. An elaborately carved front door swung open, and a man stepped out. He gave us a small bow.

  “Welcome to my home. My name is Zhang Wei, but please call me Chin as all my friends do. Please come inside.”

  It was the man in the Panama hat from the helicopter, minus the hat. His white linen suit stood out in the dim light of the inner fence. We followed him into a large lantern-lit room that smelled of kerosene, incense, and fried food. The food cooking did not smell as good as Yati’s, but it was close. In front of us was a screened veranda overlooking the river. The hardwood floor had no bounce to it. On our right was a long dining table set with plates, utensils, cloth napkins, and glasses. At the head of the table was a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. On our left was a door that led to what must have been the kitchen because that was where the good smells were coming from. All in all, the layout was like Thuta’s, but enlarged and solid. The big room was rustically furnished with carved teak benches and chairs. We had been in a shop that day with handmade furniture very much like this.

  “Can you find your way back?” Thuta asked.

  “You are not dining with us?” Chin inquired.

  “I cannot. I must return and help Yati.”

  “Pity,” Chin said.

  “We can find our way back,” Nick said, looking a little confused.

  I was confused too. Thuta bowed and walked back outside. I didn’t think that Yati needed his help. Maybe he preferred her food to Chin’s. I nearly followed him.

  “I guess introductions are in order.” Chin looked at Nick. “You must be Dr. Freestone. I know of you, but I have not read your papers. My passion is for gems, not plants, but I have heard nothing but praise for your work.” He turned to me.

  “Peak Marcello,” I said.

  “Good to meet you . . . Peak? As in summit?”

  I nodded.

  “For some reason, you look familiar. Is that possible?”

  “I don’t see how. This is my first time in Burma.”

  Chin shrugged and looked at Ethan, who gave him a grin.

  “Ethan Todd.”

  “I don’t know that name, but you too look familiar.”

  “Just one of those faces,” Ethan said. “Thanks for inviting us to dinner.”

  “Think nothing of it. You are doing me a favor. It sometimes gets lonely out here.”

  That was hard to believe with two men posted on the roof, probably another upstairs. His security guys hadn’t looked very domestic, which meant there was at least one more person in the kitchen cooking.

  Chin turned his attention to Alessia and looked surprised.

  “You are Alessia Charbonneau, are you not?”

  Now Alessia looked surprised. “We know each other?”

  “No, we have never met, but I saw you at the French embassy in Yangon during a reception for your mother. There were many . . .” He looked back at Ethan. “You were there too! I remember now. You were watching everyone, looking uncomfortable in a suit and tie.”

  Ethan laughed. “That was probably me, all right.”

  It was hard to imagine Ethan in a suit and tie. It was hard to imagine that he owned a suit and tie. He was wearing lightweight nylon pants and a T-shirt. So was Alessia. They had both changed into western clothes at Thuta’s.

  “Security?” Chin asked.

  Ethan nodded. “The only downside to the job is the suit. Luckily, I don’t have to wear it very often.”

  Chin stepped back and looked at us, smiling. I noticed he was missing the index finger and thumb on his left hand. “I have put it all together,” he said enthusiastically. “Later I will tell you what I have discovered. Come out onto the veranda for refreshments.”

  I wasn’t sure what he meant by his discovery, but what I discovered on the veranda was lemonade with ICE. I downed it without taking the glass away from my lips. Alessia laughed, but I noticed that she had gulped down most of her glass too. Nick and Ethan had passed on the lemonade and were drinking cold beers.

  Alessia and I took our freshly filled glasses to the end of the veranda away from everyone. Chin had cut down a few of the trees along the river. We leaned over the rail and, in the moonlight, could see the water clearly thirty feet below.

  “What do you think of Chin?” Alessia asked quietly.

  “I’m not sure, but I’m happy for the ice.”

  “Soon we will have all the ice we want. Glacial ice.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. How are you feeling?”

  “I am fine—​well, perhaps a little weak still.”

  “Maybe we should rest here another day.” I took several gulps of lemonade.

  “Ha. You just want to drink more cold lemonade. I want to go to the mountain. I do not know how well this man knows my mother. He may contact her, or the embassy, and tell them where we are
. Mother believes we are trekking in the forest.”

  “You didn’t tell her about Hkakabo Razi?”

  Alessia shook her head. “Did you tell your mother?”

  “Yes.” The deal I have with Mom is that I don’t have to ask permission, but I have to tell her what I’m up to. If I don’t and get hurt, or die, she will dig me up and kill me again. She wasn’t thrilled about the climb, but she was happy I had told her. “Maybe you should tell her,” I said.

  “She is very busy,” Alessia said. “I don’t want to worry her.”

  Which, I interpreted as I don’t want to get in an argument with her. I shrugged. It wasn’t my place to tell Alessia what to do. “Chin can’t get in touch with her from here,” I said.

  “He has a satellite phone on a table next to the front door. You did not see it?”

  I shook my head. Our sat phone had gone dead. We hadn’t discovered this until we tried to use it when Alessia’s malaria had worsened. Ethan had forgotten to turn it off when we were looking for alternative transportation after the motorcycles came unhinged.

  “As far as Chin knows, we are trekking in the forest. I doubt Ethan or Nick will tell him about our plans for Hkakabo Razi.”

  “But if he tells my mother where we are, she will know our intentions. I am not terribly concerned about what will happen to me if my mother finds out about the mountain, but I am concerned about Ethan. She might dismiss him.”

  “I’m sure he’s thought about that. I don’t want to sound harsh, but I doubt he cares about being fired.” Alessia looked hurt. “Don’t get me wrong, he likes you a lot. I’m sure he likes your mom too. But this is the longest time he’s held the same job since he was in the marines. He’s an adrenaline junkie, and I doubt he’s getting what he needs dressed in a suit and tie at an embassy function.”