The Fruit Picker

by Bea Eschen

  “No. True, I would have noticed.” Dural said.

  Janda asked Dual, “Do you have your GPS running on your trips?”

  “Well, yes, because I am a ranger and our country is remote. I am supposed to have it running for emergencies.”

  “They may have tracked you down that way,” Janda said.

  “Fuck, they must be sophisticated if they can do that,” Dural replied.

  Janda explained, “We are dealing with perpetrators we have never seen here before. They work with all means, including technological. Besides, our camp is the closest one to Signal Hill and in its early stages it was advertised as prime tourist accommodation, then later deleted.”

  “But why only now?” asked Sebastian.

  Janda: “It takes time to organise it. Find a hacker who can get into the witness protection services system, track global positioning systems, monitor the movements of those working for the WPS; get people over here to track you down. They are obviously foreigners from Indonesia or China. And yes, they are sophisticated and killing is their profession. It is organised crime big time!”

  There was a chilling silence. Janda’s theory made sense.

  Dural asked Sebastian, “Why do they want you dead?”

  “Because without my statement, the prosecution wouldn’t have enough evidence against the murderer. The bastard was clever. He left no fingerprints or DNA. Arief Lee, provides for their livelihood well, and this is the reason they want to protect him.”

  Dural was getting emotional. “In Indonesia he would get the death penalty, no matter if he was a murderer or a drug trafficker. I hope this guy will be sent to Indonesia.”

  Sebastian: “Glenn Moore said that because of the death penalty for murder or drug trafficking in Indonesia, Australia rejects Indonesia’s application for extradition.”

  Dural: “He will end up in prison here anyway, no matter if he gets a guilty verdict for murder or drug trafficking.”

  Sebastian: “If they find enough evidence for drug trafficking, then yes.”

  Dural, now upset. “Haha, our judges protect an Indonesian criminal from getting what he deserves; the death penalty. But they are letting their First Australians die a long slow death.”

  Janda was unperturbed by Dural’s sarcasm as his priority was to save his license to protect witnesses. Helping the witness protection program supplied his rehabilitation camp with the needed financial means. Losing it would be a disaster.

  “I will think of a plan to assure your safety. Give me the night to think it through.” He said to Sebastian.

  He turned to his brother: “In the meantime, Wundurra will stand guard over the camp. He is an excellent tracker.”

  Wundurra, who had been silent throughout the discussion, nodded in agreement, noticeably proud about the praise from his big brother and to be of use.

  That night Sebastian was feeling agitated. Knowing his killers were close made a chill go through him. He had become the centre of attraction to many people. His court statement would make a life changing difference to the murderer and all those who made a living from the drug business. He remembered what Aaron said just after the murder. It's our Karma. Sebastian now believed his calling was to learn strength and endeavor. Being homosexual was one thing but to live with the consequences yet another. He was yearning for a loving relationship − for a person to share his life with.

  But how could he make it happen? Just the thought of going back to live with his parents made him feel sick. What he needed was a fundamental change. A life in Australia was tempting; in Sydney, where locals accepted an open gay culture.

  He was tossing and turning in bed with too many thoughts on his mind, when he heard a knock on the door. Although he knew that Wundurra was stationed near his hut Sebastian was cautious when he opened slowly. It was Janda. With his spear and huge smile he sat down and told Sebastian of his plan to get rid of the killers. It sounded unrealistic but Sebastian had grown familiar with Janda's way of thinking. Just this time Sebastian himself played a crucial role in it, which he wasn’t comfortable with. Then Janda showed Sebastian an escape route from his hut. It was a hand dug tunnel, starting from under a floor tile in the bathroom and leading away from the hut, ending in bush land about fifty meters away. They went to the bathroom and used a stick with a hook to lift the tile. Janda pulled the tile up with a strong jolt. The men jumped back. A brownish serpent, at least one and a half meters long, shot out of the dark, as terrified as the men. She jerked threateningly before Sebastian, who stood frozen in front of her.

  “Do not move!” Shouted Janda.

  Too late. In panic, Sebastian took a step to the side and the snake snapped. Quickly it threw itself back into the dark hole and disappeared. Janda acted instinctively. He took the tile and closed the hole as fast as he could. Then he shouted at Sebastian.

  “Sit down and lean against the wall. Stretch out your leg and hold it still!”

  He rolled up Sebastian’s trouser leg. There it was – the bite looked like a small scratch. He tore off his armband and wrapped it just above the bite. Again, he told Sebastian not to move or touch the wound.

  "I'm going to get a bandage and the VDK, then we call the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Stay quiet and still. I'm hurrying."

  VDK? What does he mean with that? Royal Flying Doctor Service? I'm fine and the scratch cannot possibly be a bite from this snake. Confused, Sebastian nodded, remained silent and waited for symptoms. He felt normal and doubted Janda's overreaction.

  Janda returned after five minutes, equipped with the Venom Detection Kit, with which he could take a sample of the poison from the bite and identify it. Then he tied Sebastian's leg from the foot to the knee, and used the stick with the hook as a brace.

  "It was a brown snake - I thought so." Janda concluded after the detector identified the snake’s poison.

  "Will I die?" Sebastian asked, laughing in spite of the serious situation.

  "No, you will not die, as long as you remain calm. I’ll call the Flying Doctor, and they will deliver the antiserum by helicopter."

  "What?" Sebastian did not trust his ears. "Am I really poisoned?"

  "Yes, you are. But because of the bandage the poison can not get into your blood circulation.

  We have about thirty hours. So, do not panic."

  After Janda had called the Royal Flying Doctor Service, he helped Sebastian into his bed and lay down beside him. They spent a sleepless night, but said little.

  "Hey Janda, why did you show me the escape route?"

  "Because I wanted to calm you," Janda replied, suppressing a laugh.

  "Apart from the snake I would not fit anyway!" Now they both laughed loudly.

  "Okay, I admit it. My idea turned out a disaster."

  At dawn they heard the helicopter. Janda stood up at once to pick up the doctor from the plateau of Signal Hill. Sebastian was surprised that he was doing well. Still no symptoms, thank god.

  "You have no symptoms because of the firm bandage and good advice of your friend to stay still," said the doctor, who immediately examined him and injected the antiserum. Now Sebastian was feeling sick and he vomited several times, because the effect of the counter-poison was strong. It took another two days until he felt well again. Then came the day when Janda's dreamlike plan came into force, for Dural announced that the professional killers from China had arrived.

  Death Dance

  They were raised as cold-blooded killers by their foster parents − the kind of child soldiers you find in guerrilla wars. Xie and Ling Li, twin brothers from the Yunnan province and active members of the Chinese mafia, were hired by Megawati's manager Imam to kill Sebastian, key witness to the murder of the Eagle, Jakarta's most powerful drug king. Arief Lee, his brother-in-law and murderer, was as powerful as the late Eagle because of his connections to the Chinese suppliers. It was in the interest of the entire drug cartel that Arief was set free so he could continue with the lucrative drug dealings, which benefitted all those in
volved.

  Xie, who was the more intelligent of the brothers, killed people to make a living. Ling killed people because he enjoyed it. Each time an order came in he got excited and looked forward to the death stare in his victim’s face. After a killing, Ling felt pleased with himself, which scared his brother. It concerned Xie that one day his own twin brother would kill him to feel good. In his nightmares he saw Ling with red zombie eyes approach him and stabbing him slowly as he collapsed. He saw himself lying on the floor begging his brother to spare his life, but Ling gave him the final blow coldly. Their once close and trustful fraternal relationship deteriorated increasingly. Xie was suffering from anxiety and Ling seemed to like Xie's condition.

  The order to kill Sebastian differed from all their previous orders. So far they had always executed their targets within China. These had previously been easy, because their orders had been devised down to the last detail and they knew the reactions of their countrymen. Shooting, stifling, shooting, poisoning - they were experts in every method of killing. They had never been in another country, and in Australia everything was different. Officially they had come into the country as tourists with fake passports, which their employer had given them.

  An unknown source in Darwin told them where they would find Sebastian.

  The searing heat and loneliness of the red deserts drove them almost crazy. They lost their way despite their navigation, because the gravel roads could not be distinguished by anything. Although they were only driving and moving as little as possible, they were always thirsty. Their teeth crunched with sand and dust. The faulty air conditioning was useless. They could not wash themselves, since they had strict instructions not to book in anywhere. No drop of water far and wide. Old stinking sweat stuck to them. The stench had penetrated their clothing, and the insects attacked them at dusk. Scratched mosquitoe bites inflamed and emitted a purulent fluid. Xie and Ling were sick and tired of sleeping hidden in the bush in the old Mercedes that they had picked up from a remote place near Darwin. As soon as possible the job should be done so that they could fly back home and receive their promised share. After a long, challenging ride, they were almost at their destination.

  Three days after Ling had sped away from Dural, the brothers made their way towards the old tourist camp near Signal Hill, where they would find Sebastian. They had a high tech gun and silencer, a knife and strangling rope with them. Ling parked the old Mercedes next to another car in a designated parking area. On closer examination, Xie discovered that the other car was a hearse. Fresh flowers decorated the black station wagon and both front doors were signed with an undertaker's logo. The back door was open, giving view into an empty space provided for a coffin. Ling had a weird grin on his face that hinted at his sick thoughts. The bizarre situation troubled and confused both men. Superstitious thoughts went through Xie’s mind. Why is a goddam hearse standing in the middle of nowhere with an open backdoor? Is this a coincidence or is someone playing a game? Are we cursed or blessed? Is this the devil showing his face or is God warning us? Fear and self-doubt consumed him while he blindly followed his brother along the path toward the camp near Signal Hill.

  As they got closer, they smelled smoke and heard chanting and clapping in between other sounds they had never heard before. The bush became thicker and the rising hot morning sun sucked the remaining night moisture out of the earth producing a warm rising steam. With the humidity the mosquitos emerged feasting on the white soft skin of the intruders. Ling got agitated and tried to kill as many mosquitos as he could. Swearing, he hit and kicked wildly into the surrounding air.

  An eerie feeling made them come to a standstill. Three aboriginal elder women, each with a digging stick, appeared out of the nowhere. They surrounded Ling and Xie, standing so close they almost touched the men, who stood perfectly still. The women's stare was mesmerising. It seemed to come from a distant past loaded with spiritualism, transcending the tangible world and penetrating the men’s soul.

  Ling felt deeply intimidated. No one had ever looked through him like this, but these women could do just that. Under the elders' spell he didn't dare to move or speak. Even breathing became an effort at such physical closeness and intense observation. There was a complete absence of movement, as if the women were made of stone. Without batting an eye, one of the elder women placed her digging stick between Ling's feet.

  "You here to see death dance?"

  Silence.

  "Who died?" Xie, who was standing behind his brother, asked in the little English he knew.

  "White fella died." Aroonah answered, careful to sound mysterious.

  "Who white fella?" Xie asked, becoming curious.

  Aroonah produced a crumpled piece of old newspaper and held up Sebastian's picture.

  "White fella this man."

  Silence.

  Ling swallowed his disappointment and turned to his brother, speaking in Chinese: "We have to see his body!"

  "We come see death dance." Xie said to Aroonah, who was enjoying her role as a mourner, which Janda had given her the day before. She’d insisted to get help from her two best friends, Auntie Fa and Mama Pippa, who also seemed to enjoy the distraction from their daily routines.

  "Follow," Aroonah said, waving her digging stick to command everybody to walk behind her.

  The group set off. Aroonah was leading, followed by Ling and Xie, and then Auntie Fa followed by Mama Pippa. When they got closer to the mourning site, Mama Pippa hit her clapping sticks, and the women sang and shouted cries of sadness.

  The women's voices alarmed Janda, Wundurra, Dural and Hunter Chase who had just finished painting Sebastian's face. Mama Pippa, being a ngangkari, something between a general practitioner and a psychiatrist and with an ancient wisdom of bush medicine, knew of a remedy comprising two plants, Cooba and Pituri, causing a coma-like sleep. It scared Sebastian to smoke the ash of the burnt leaves, but Mama Pippa confirmed again and again that she knew what she was doing. She adjusted the correct dose to his weight and made sure he had a good meal before he inhaled it. Ten minutes later, Sebastian felt exhausted and, with Janda's help, crept into the hollow termite eaten tree trunk, which Wundurra and Hunter Chase had prepared for him. They painted a huge sea turtle on it − Sebastian's totem that should continue to protect him during his journey from the state of living into the spiritual world. A cut out area at the head end of the trunk allowed the mourner to see the face of the deceased. The cut out wooden piece would seal the hollow trunk with the body inside. The trunk would then be carried away like a coffin for a burial or a cremation.

  Sebastian's face was painted with yellow-brown ochre. He had gone into a deep sleep with his heart rate down to a minimum. Janda placed the handcrafted sea turtle on his chest. This would merge Sebastian’s spirit with his totem, and ensure his spirit would not interfere with those of the living. Wundurra also painted Sebastian’s lips with white clay and created lines around his eyes making his face look lifeless.

  Dural disappeared when the men heard the group arriving. His job had been to erect wooden posts and piles of dirt around Sebastian's coffin, which acted as physical barriers to chase away the bad spirits. He had also lit a fire that produced a lot of smoke. The smoke would become part of the death dance, for which Wundurra, Hunter Chase and Janda were now preparing. Janda was the lead singer while the other two men joined in with chants and screams. They had painted their bodies and imitated the crawling movement of the sea turtle. This was in honor of Sebastian, who had unexpectedly died of an unknown cause, which made his death superstitious. The dancers expressed their grief and disbelief about his sudden death by repeatedly throwing up their arms, shaking their heads and producing wailing screams. Then they fell back into their dance routine, imitating the slow crawl of the sea turtle, her egg laying, digging them under the sand and protecting her eggs from wild animals.

  To Ling and Xie it was beyond their capacity to grab the meaning of the death dance. Yet they were both overwhelmed by what was going on
before them. Ling experienced something he had never felt before − awe. He just stood there staring. Auntie Fa led the would-be killers to the log to show them Sebastian's lifeless face. In a show of magic she threw a handful of ash up into the air, which slowly settled on Sebastian's face turning it grey. Auntie Fa gave a horrible scream. The scream could have come from a bird but came quite unexpectedly from this old woman. Ling was so frightened that he jumped backwards and hit his brother's foot. Xie cried out with pain and whimpered, and in this moment the didgeridoo sounded out loud from somewhere within the bush. It was Dural, doing his utmost best to get the instrument working by blowing hard into it.

  Suddenly it all stopped.

  Deathly silence filled the air in remembrance of Sebastian and to start Sorry Business. During Sorry Business the name of the deceased would not be mentioned as his spirits might be disturbed and to avoid exposing sacred details.

  After a long stillness, Dural appeared with his helper – he was unrecognisable with his wild hair tied in a ponytail, a high hat, plaited beard and a formal black uniform. Without words they closed the lid of the log and carried the coffin away along the path that led to the parked hearse.

  Ling and Xie followed close behind. Xie limped heavily.

  When Dural and his helper loaded Sebastian's coffin in the hearse, Xie asked Dural:

  "Where you take white fella?"

  Dural answered matter-of-factly: "Straight to the airport. He's going home to Germany for burial."

  Janda's plan was a success. Ling and Xie drove away and went back to China believing they had accomplished their mission.

  Sebastian woke two hours after his funeral ceremony. He was lying in his bed with Mama Pippa leaning over him. He noticed light strokes in his face and when he opened his eyes, he saw Mama Pippa bending over him. She helped him to sit up and gave him a drink. It tasted bitter and strong, like a herb schnapps, so Sebastian guessed, for he had never drunk herbal schnapps. He felt the fluid running through his esophagus and spreading in his stomach. A short while after he was awake and feeling refreshed. All he could remember was the moment when he crawled into the hollow log. The group crowded around him and with bursts of laughter told him every detail about their show and the would-be killers’ reaction. Even Hunter Chase laughed so hard his tears flowed down his cheeks.