Wraith

by Shane Smithers

  James faltered. Then said, ‘Mum . . . it’s James. Um . . . I’m all right . . . bye,’ and hung up.

  Aureole gazed at him in amazement. ‘Is that all you are going to tell her? That is the shortest I am okay message I have ever heard. She will be even more worried now.’

  James knew she was right, but . . . ‘I hate talking to the message bank. I never know what to say.’ He went to hand the phone back, changed his mind. ‘I’ll just try Dad.’

  Aureole sighed. ‘Hurry up, then.’

  His father couldn’t be reached at all. Reluctantly, he gave Aureole back the phone. ‘I still can’t believe your mobile.’

  She gazed down at it with a slight frown. ‘Why? What’s wrong with it?

  ‘It’s so ancient.’

  Her frown deepened.

  ‘I just thought, with all your advanced technology, you’d have something . . . better.’

  ‘This is my backup. If you remember Angie fried my Supasmart.’

  ‘Yeah, but still. Look at it. You can’t even put apps on it, or get wifi.’

  ‘I brought one I thought would not look too conspicuous.’ James laughed. ‘A teenage girl with a ten-year-old phone . . . trust me, you’re going to stand out.’

  Aureole shot him a look over her sunglasses. ‘At least I have one. I do not see you flashing one about.’

  ‘Fair point.’

  ~

  Inside the busy hospital foyer, they quickly located the Information desk and strode over.

  ‘Yes?’ said the woman behind the counter in a tone that suggested she didn’t have all day.

  James cleared his throat and beamed a smile. ‘Good morning,’ he said, in his most charming voice. ‘We’re looking for a Japanese sailor who may have come in here a few days ago.’

  The woman looked them up and down.

  ‘With a finger missing,’ added Aureole, smiling politely.

  ‘Only family are allowed to see patients,’ said the woman. ‘Are you family?’

  ‘Um . . . no,’ said James. ‘But . . .’

  ‘Sorry, only family,’ said the woman, turning away.

  James shot Aureole an anxious glance. ‘Can’t you at least tell us if he’s here?’ he asked.

  The woman swivelled on the spot and glared at James. For an instant, James wanted to turn and run. ‘Only family,’ she hissed. ‘Now go away.’

  This woman has serious anger issues, thought James. He was about to open his mouth again when Aureole grabbed his arm and shook her head.

  ‘Excuse me,’ said Aureole, smiling sweetly at the woman. ‘Could you please tell me where the toilets are?’

  ‘Over to the right and straight down the corridor.’ The woman’s eyes shifted back to glare at James.

  As they walked away, James said under his breath, loud enough for Aureole to hear, ‘What a dragon!’ He glanced back at the woman just before they turned the corner. ‘She’s still looking at me. I swear, at any moment, fire’s going to come out of her nostrils.’

  ‘Wait here,’ instructed Aureole.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  Aureole cocked her head to the side. ‘To the toilet, of course. I really do need to go.’ Ten minutes later, she returned.

  ‘Why do girls take so long in the toilet?’ he asked.

  ‘That is none of your business,’ said Aureole, affronted.

  ‘Yeah, but boys don’t take that long.’

  ‘This is not a conversation I want to be having. Just accept that that is the way it is and move on.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because . . .’ started Aureole, her brow furrowing. ‘Because it is an unwritten law of nature obeyed by all human species. You cannot change it.’

  James contemplated her answer on their way to find the lift. It was a cop-out, saying it was an unwritten law of nature, but now was not the time to pursue the matter. ‘What makes you think this sailor with the missing finger has the SAFFIRE?’ he said when they reached the lift.

  ‘I did not say he had the SAFFIRE,’ said Aureole. She was staring at the lift doors. ‘But he was obviously the first one to touch it.’ Frowning, she placed her hand on the metal.

  James leaned across and pushed the lift button. ‘How do you know he was the first one to touch it?

  ‘That is how he lost his finger.’

  ‘Come again?’

  ‘Living flesh will burn if it comes into contact with the SAFFIRE.’

  ‘What?’ said James.

  ‘He went to pick it up, and plop, off came his middle digit.’ She sounded nonchalant.

  ‘And when were you going to tell me this little itty bitty fact about the SAFFIRE – sometime – never?’

  ‘I forgot, all right?’ she said, avoiding his gaze.

  ‘I thought you had a very good memory.’

  ‘This shaft is not working,’ said Aureole pressing the lift button half a dozen times.

  James spun her around to face him. ‘It’s working fine and so is your memory.’

  ‘I am sorry. Okay?’ said Aureole in an annoyed tone.

  ‘You need to start trusting me, or we’re never going to find the SAFFIRE,’ said James, raising his voice.

  Aureole looked around, lowered her voice. ‘I said I am sorry. What more can I do?’

  ‘Tell me how we’re supposed to take the SAFFIRE back to Nebulosity if we can’t touch it?’ James almost spat the words out.

  ‘We will need to encase it in metal.’

  James thought for a moment. In a calmer voice, he asked, ‘Is that how they removed the SAFFIRE from the engine room? They picked it up with metal tongs or something like that?’

  ‘Yes, I think so. But what made you say “they”?’

  ‘Well, obviously the sailor with the severed finger isn’t going to be thinking straight. I know I wouldn’t be if I’d just lost a finger. He probably called for help, or someone was already with him, and that person picked up the SAFFIRE. There were plenty of metal tools lying around down there.’

  ‘I agree. So, all we have to do now is find this injured sailor,’ said Aureole. ‘He would have been brought to emergency, but by now he should be stable.’

  ‘He’s probably in the burns ward on level three,’ said James, pointing to an information board on the wall beside them.

  The lift dinged and the doors slid open.

  ‘Wow,’ said Aureole, arching her eyebrows. ‘It has a floor. In ours you get carried up by wind currents.’

  James let out a laugh. ‘We’re not in the clouds now,’ he said. He pushed the button for level three and leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed.

  A short time later, the lift opened and there, directly opposite, was the burns unit.

  ‘You go in first,’ said Aureole in a hushed tone as they stepped out into the corridor. ‘Sit down in the waiting room, and then just follow my lead.’

  ‘Follow your lead? What does that mean, follow your lead?’ said James, his brow creasing.

  Aureole pushed him ahead of her. ‘Just go,’ she ordered.

  FORTY

  Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia

  James stumbled forward into the burns unit. A nurse behind the desk was talking on the phone.

  ‘Yes, visiting hours are between ten and one . . . That’s right . . . No, you can’t come after one.’

  He slipped quietly past her and into the empty waiting room, picked up a magazine and sat down, making sure he had a clear view of the desk. He had no idea what Aureole wanted him to do, but whatever her plan was, he hoped it was going to work.

  A few minutes later, a young woman with long jet-black hair walked up to the nurse’s counter. James peeped over his magazine. His jaw dropped – it was Aureole.

  The nurse, who was now filing documents, looked over to Aureole. ‘Hi, can I help you?’ she asked, smiling. This nurse is absolutely nothing like the dragon downstairs, thought James.

  Aureole said something to the nurse and he could see the nurse’s
expression change immediately. ‘I’m sorry, miss. I don’t understand,’ said the young nurse.

  Aureole responded by waving her hands in the air and raising her voice. In an instant, James realised what she was doing. Aureole was speaking Japanese.

  ‘I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re saying,’ said the nurse, pronouncing each word slowly, as if this would make it easier for Aureole to comprehend. But this just made Aureole act even more frantic.

  James realized this was his cue. He jumped up and strode over and rested his arm on the desk. ‘I know a bit of Japanese,’ he said confidently. The nurse looked at him uncertainly. ‘Learnt it in school,’ he added with a suave smile, hoping she wouldn’t ask him to say something in Japanese to prove it.

  ‘What’s she saying?’ asked the nurse.

  ‘She said, she is looking for her . . . her . . . uncle,’ said James. Man, I hope she buys this.

  Aureole continued her performance, tears trickling down her cheeks as she spoke. James nodded at her every word, making stuff up as he interpreted. ‘She said, her uncle came in a few days ago, but she has only just found out. She said his finger was chopped off in a boating accident and that he’s a very brave sailor.’ He patted Aureole on the shoulder.

  At the mention of the sailor, the nurse’s face suddenly lit up. ‘Oh, she must mean Mr Yakuza. He’s in the minor burns section – Room 105, Bed 3 – just down the hall and to the left. You poor girl.’ She gave Aureole a warm smile, stepped out from behind the counter and took her arm. ‘Here, let me take you down to him.’

  ‘No, I’ll take her,’ said James quickly. ‘It will give me a chance to brush up on my Japanese.’ The nurse hesitated and he raised his eyebrows as if to say, ‘Pleeease.’ ‘Yes, all right then,’ she said.

  James took Aureole by the arm and pointed her in the direction they needed to go. As they walked down the corridor he glanced back at the nurse, who gave him a quick wink. ‘You’re a natural,’ he whispered to Aureole when they were far enough away.

  Aureole let out another loud sob. ‘Thanks,’ she whispered back, ‘so are you.’

  Room 105 contained a number of patients, most of whom were fast asleep. In the bed closest to the window sat a man with a bandaged hand, reading a Japanese newspaper. He glanced up when he heard James and Aureole walk over, clearly surprised at having two young visitors. His face was tanned and his skin looked leathery, no doubt from spending too many hours in the salt and sun.

  Aureole was the first to speak. She bowed politely (James did the same), and then, from what James could make out, introduced herself in Japanese. The rest of the conversation was impossible to follow.

  ‘What did he say?’ asked James, several long minutes later.

  ‘Mr Yakuza said that a meteorite fell from the sky and hit their boat,’ replied Aureole.

  ‘He thinks the SAFFIRE is a meteorite?’

  ‘Apparently.’

  ‘Did he say anything else? Like where it is now?

  ‘Be patient, James. I cannot just ask him straight out. I have to be polite about the whole situation.’ The sailor held up his bandaged hand, explaining what had happened when he went to pick up the “meteorite”.

  James glanced around at the other patients, some of whom had woken and were now taking a great interest in the only conversation in the room. Outside, an orderly pushing a gurney with a squeaky wheel glanced in as he passed by.

  ‘What’s Mr Yakuza saying now?’ said James, feeling they’d better hurry this conversation along.

  Aureole waited until the sailor had finished speaking. ‘He said that he and another sailor looked for his missing finger for nearly an hour.’

  ‘What? Wasn’t he in a lot of pain?’

  ‘Apparently, when he touched the SAFFIRE, it not only cut off his finger, it seared the wound as well, so he did not lose any blood. But he said it hurt like hell.’

  The sailor continued, evidently describing in great detail his lost finger.

  ‘Ask him where the SAFFIRE is now,’ interrupted an elderly man who was sitting on the edge of his bed, trying to put on his bathrobe, not realising he had one of the sleeves inside out. James eyed him suspiciously.

  ‘Go on,’ urged another patient, also intrigued by the mysterious conversation.

  James was about to tell them to mind their own business, when Aureole produced a folded handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Mr Yakuza.

  Several patients leaned forward in their beds to get a better look as the sailor carefully unfolded the cloth. Suddenly, the elderly man, who had finally put on his robe, let out a gasp, nearly falling off his bed. Another patient across the room released a long, slow whistle.

  ‘You’re giving him back his finger?’ said James, not knowing whether to feel surprise or horror.

  Mr Yakuza, holding the handkerchief with the finger in his palms, bowed repeatedly to both of them. He looked as if he was about to cry.

  ‘That’s so touching,’ came a teary whisper from a patient across the room.

  The sailor wrapped the finger up again and stowed it under his pillow. Aureole bowed once more, spoke a few words and then turned to leave. Mr Yakuza grabbed Aureole’s arm with his uninjured hand and beckoned her to come closer. He whispered into her ear. Her eyebrows pulled together for an instant, and then she bowed again and strode out of the room.

  James stared at Mr Yakuza for a few moments and then dashed out after her. ‘Wait up,’ he whispered hoarsely, running just to keep up with her. ‘What’s going on? What did he say just then?’

  Aureole kept walking.

  ‘Hey, is everything okay?’ asked the nurse as they hurried past the counter.

  James turned and shrugged. ‘She’s a little bit upset,’ he said. ‘I’d better go comfort her.’

  ‘That might help,’ said the nurse with a smile and another wink.

  Aureole was already at the lift doors, but as they sprang open and she went to step in, two men barged out, nearly knocking her to the ground.

  ‘Hey, watch where you’re goin’,’ said the taller of the two.

  Aureole bent down to pick up her sunglasses, which had fallen to the floor.

  ‘Leave her alone. Can’t you see she’s upset?’ said James, racing to her side.

  ‘Watch it, kid. Me associate here eats children for break . . .’ The man stopped talking and took a step backwards. He had just caught a glimpse of Aureole’s eyes as she fumbled with her sunglasses.

  James, seeing his opportunity, quickly sidestepped the men, grabbed Aureole by the arm and pulled her into the lift. ‘Later,’ he said, pushing the button to the ground floor.

  FORTY-ONE

  Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia

  The lift doors closed and Wilson and Collins stared at each other for a moment. ‘Later?’ said Wilson, stunned. ‘What a cheeky little bugger.’ He turned, spotted the nurse, who was quietly talking to one of the orderlies, walked up to her.

  ‘We’re here to see a Mr Yakuza.’ The nurse raised a sharp eyebrow. ‘Please,’ he added, with a smile that could easily crack a mirror.

  ‘I’m sorry, visiting hours are over. You will have to come back tomorrow,’ said the nurse, smiling back awkwardly.

  Collins looked at the clock on the wall and grunted his disapproval.

  ‘It’s only just turned one o’clock,’ said Wilson.

  ‘Yes, that’s right. Visiting hours are between ten and one.’

  Wilson sighed. ‘But we really need to talk to him. Our boss is not gonna be happy.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but rules are rules,’ said the nurse.

  ‘We won’t be long. We just need some information from him. It’s a family matter,’ said Wilson.

  ‘You do realise Mr Yakuza can’t speak English?’ said the nurse.

  Wilson smiled again, which made the nurse give a little shudder. ‘That’s all right,’ he said, pointing a thumb at Collins, ‘me associate here speaks Japanese.’

  The
nurse looked sceptical. ‘Well, if your . . .’ She glanced at Collins and then at the lizard tattoo etched on his right arm, ‘. . . associate can speak Japanese, why don’t you talk to the sailor’s niece. She just left. You might catch her if you hurry.’

  ‘His niece?’ said Wilson.

  ‘You must have passed her in the hall.’

  ‘Was there a boy with her?’ asked Wilson.

  ‘Yes, that’s right. Did you see them?’

  Wilson and Collins shot each other a knowing look.

  ‘We’ll be back,’ growled Wilson, hurrying toward the elevator.

  ‘I hope not,’ muttered the nurse.

  ~

  As the lift descended, James let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the lift wall. ‘Did you see that thug’s tattoo on the back of his head?’ he asked Aureole, who nodded. ‘Did you recognise it?’

  ‘A tree?’ mumbled Aureole, screwing her eyes shut.

  ‘Not just any tree, a Wollemi pine! They reckon they’ve been around since the dinosaurs. Some people call them dinosaur trees or living fossils.’

  ‘So?’ said Aureole, her eyes still shut.

  ‘So, I just thought it was pretty cool, that’s all,’ muttered James.

  ‘Hmm,’ said Aureole.

  ‘Maybe I should get one.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  James realised that Aureole wasn’t listening, so he said, ‘Or better yet, maybe you should get one.’

  ‘Yeah, maybe,’ mumbled Aureole.

  ‘On your bottom.’

  ‘Yeah – what? What should I get on my bottom?’ Her eyelids sprang open just as the black in her hair faded and her natural blonde colour reappeared.

  ‘Wow! Tell me how you did that.’

  The lift doors opened and Aureole stepped out, flicking her hair and throwing James a smug look. ‘Maybe later.’ She stared at a sign on the wall that read cafeteria, pointed to it and said, ‘Hungry?’

  James took a large bite out of his soggy hamburger. ‘Hospital food generally gets a bad rap, but this tastes okay.’ he said between mouthfuls. ‘So, what did Mr Yakuza say?’ He took another bite and a piece of beetroot fell out of his burger and onto his lap. He picked it up and shoved it in his mouth.