The Hunt for the Tree of Life (Book One 1)

by Zulu, Arthur

  “We are destined to have this elixir. That is why things are working for us,” he said. “Since the pirates intercepted the ship in the Marianas, a United States Marine or Coast Guard in the surrounding American islands may have found and foolishly sold it.”

  “The Marine was wise, not foolish, sir. It was sold to us,” said Yong.

  “You are right. The Marine sold it to a China shop. We will give your niece and her fiancé the best wedding. Now, have the plant. Do everything possible to make it grow. And give the garden maximum security.”

  He kissed it again and returned it to Yong.

  The plant was planted in China soil. The best soil scientists and horticulturists in China were employed to take care of it. They worked in shifts – day and night.

  The garden was fenced, and armed security guards gave the growing plant round the clock protection.

  Good news: The plant kept growing and growing.

  The U.S. Attorney General, Paul Lawman, was sitting in his office reflecting on the latest satellite photos. It did not make him comfortable.

  He thought the plant and fruits perished in the Pacific Ocean. How did the Chinese recover the lost plant? He kept comparing pictures.

  He saw a growing plant, about one meter high, well-guarded by security officers and attended to by tree experts. Could it be that the Chinese were finding success?

  Well, he will keep watching the development of the plant. Perhaps the United States team in Turkey would have found Eden before it grew into a fruit-bearing tree.

  Mr. Hunter and his team had already left Erzurum. They did not find the tree of life in the forbidden forest. It was the labor of Sisyphus.

  They arrived at the last of the two towns in their adventure: Mus and Tatvan. They must find the object of their quest here. They had no other option.

  The wind of success was blowing in their faces. Eden smelled more in these places. That was a good omen.

  When the team asked the inhabitants of Mus about the location of Eden and the tree of life, they pointed toward Tatvan. However, when they asked the locals in Tatvan the same question, they pointed toward the body of water in front of the settlement.

  At first, they did not understand but later the message became clear: The Garden of Eden is in Lake Van!

  Now, that was a rude awakening—Eden in a lake! What was to be done?

  Jia’s wedding was a thing to remember for a long time. It was attended by the Chinese president and premier with their wives, Chinese government officials, and ordinary citizens. Meiying was also in attendance. She was her bridesmaid.

  The wedding took place in a commercial airliner in the sky. It hovered over the Yellow Sea for about an hour for the nuptial ceremony before landing in Beijing for an elaborate reception party in a five-star hotel.

  It was a buffet party. Chinese food and drinks were abundantly available for the invitees. Everyone ate and drank to the full.

  They were entertained by live Chinese bands and Chinese cultural dancers. Everyone wanted to dance with the couple.

  The president and premier with their wives were so delighted with the couple that they hit the dance floor. The audience applauded. They had never seen the dance of their leaders.

  The couple was showered with all sorts of gifts.

  However, the best gift of all was the key to a lavishly furnished two-story building beside a lake given to them by the Chinese government. It was a state-of-the-art house with a large swimming pool and a luxurious garden.

  After the wedding, the happy couple was flown for their honeymoon to the nearby Okinawa island of Japan.

  The Chinese did not understand why all the powerful people in China attended the wedding.

  Adam’s tree was growing – presently two meters tall with branches and leaves.

  The Chinese government officials were happy. There was no doubt that the tree would grow and bear fruits. They were only asking three questions: When will it bear fruits? Will the fruits ever cure death? Is it really the tree of life?

  Chapter 15

  Lake Van is a salt lake—the largest of all the lakes in Turkey with a surface area of 3,755 square kilometers, an average depth of 171 meters and water volume of 607 cubit kilometers. There are four islands on the lake—and four settlements: Van, Tatvan, Ahlat, and Erciş. The lake is shaped like a guitar.

  There is evidence for and against Lake Van as the location for the Garden of Eden.

  The lake is fed by water from many streams descending from mountains all around it.

  Point for: The Garden of Eden was well watered and surrounded by mountains.

  The lake has an outlet that was blocked by lava flow from an erupting volcano.

  Point for: The original Eden had an outlet.

  The lake’s blocked outlet is in the west.

  Point against: The outlet of Eden was in the east.

  The lake is rich with fruit-growing trees.

  Point for: The Garden of Eden was full of fruit trees.

  There are drowned trees in the lake.

  Point for: Could the tree of life be found among the trees in the lake?

  The lake’s water level rises and falls suddenly.

  Point for: Is it likely there was no water in the lake at the beginning?

  The lake has existed thousands of years ago.

  Point against: Adam lived about six thousand years ago and there was no lake in Eden at the time.

  There is an Armenian church in one island and numerous Armenian monasteries in the other islands.

  Point for: Does the religious life signify a remembrance of God’s presence in Eden?

  The salt lake contains a high sedimentary deposit that holds the climate record of the world for centuries.

  Point for: There is a mystery in Lake Van waiting to be discovered.

  It is this fascinating lake that Hunter and his fellow Americans wanted to explore for the tree of life.

  But something was happening. They saw a strange thing at night. The search will not go on as planned. There was a monster at Lake Van!

  Everyone was narrating what they saw. They were varied accounts. But the common narrative was that they sighted a monster prowling the lake.

  Some said it was 15 meters long, others said it was 30 meters, and some even spoke of a 50- meter long monster. That must have been a really long and terrible creature!

  Regarding the size, some said it was a huge slow-moving creature while others said it was a slender fast-moving monster.

  The nature of the monster was even the scariest. Some reported it to be half human, half animal. Others said the creature was a combination of several animal parts. There were even some who said that it was a man, animal, and fish creature!

  Because of the varied interpretations given to this monster, it was concluded that it must be a chameleonic creature. They looked at some of the strange-looking trees standing on the lake shore in the morning and wondered if the monster had transformed to the trees.

  No one knew the capability of the monster. Is it a man-eating creature? Or is it some devil after the searchers of the tree of life?

  The Americans went to ask the natives of the lake area whether there was any such thing or if they had just seen an apparition. They were however shocked to hear from the people that there was actually a monster at the lake called Van Golu Canavari. The natives said they did not really know the nature and or intent of the monster but that it must be a dangerous creature.

  This confirmation from the folks instilled great fear in the mind of Mr. Hunter and his fellow Americans. Were they on a suicide mission in Turkey? Of what benefit was it for them to leave the comfort of America and perish in a salty lake far away from home? Maybe the quest for this tree of life should stop.

  On second thoughts, why would they terminate this search when they seemed close to the object of their mission? Perhaps, the monster was a distraction.

  It might just as well be one of the angels guarding the tree of life in Eden. A
nd if so, it was no bad news at all. It was an evidence that they were in the right place. America can’t be stopped even by cherubs.

  No, nothing, no force on earth could stop this adventure. The search must go on. The Americans drew up their master plan and sent it to Washington, optimistic as ever.

  Attorney General Lawman came to brief President Bill Godsend on the U.S. mission to Turkey. He handed him a file full of notes and pictures. The president first looked at the images. He nodded.

  “It’s an odd-looking lake,” remarked the president.

  “Yes, one of the largest lakes in the world without an opening. Yet, full of salt like our Great Salt Lake in Utah,” said Mr. Lawman.

  “But it’s altogether a beautiful place.”

  “You are looking at Eden, Mr. President. We have found it! Exploring the bed is our next move. The details have been written in the accompanying notes.”

  The president turned to the report.

  “So the lake is twice larger than the District of Colombia!” he exclaimed.

  “Yes, sir. D.C. is small in comparison. Almost the size of the First State of Delaware,” the Attorney General replied.

  “And so many streams flowing into it?”

  “That’s the big problem, sir,” said Attorney Lawman.

  “It’s a challenge, you know. And the water volume.”

  “Mr. President, we are equal to the task. The engineers have the technology down cold to begin work. What we need is fund.”

  “All right AG. The good news is that we have found Eden. Funding will not be a problem as long as this project is concerned. I will authorize the Treasury Department to release the proposed amount.”

  “That’s good, Mr. President,” replied Attorney Lawman enthusiastically.

  “Any brief from our Chinese competitor?”

  “No news yet. Their lone plant is growing. I will keep Mr. President updated.”

  “But what makes them think that they have found the tree of life?”

  “Because they are Chinese, Mr. President. The Chinese can believe anything. They are hungry for world power.”

  The president laughed.

  “What about the so-called Van Golu Canavari?” the president asked again looking at the papers.

  “Don’t worry, Mr. President. We fix monsters,” replied the Attorney General.

  They both laughed and the president called the Secretary of the Treasury Department.

  There was crisis of unimaginable proportions in government circles in China. The officials were all running about. Adam’s plant was dying. What would they do to save it?

  The plant had started to flower, being early signs of fruitage. All those involved in the project were making merry by the day and praising one another for the Herculean feat. However, the laudation was to become a threnody.

  The plant started dying as fast as it grew. The green leaves first begin to discolor. The scientists and caretakers of the plant swung into action with pesticides. Yet, it seemed to quicken the dying pace. In a few days, the leaves turned brown.

  The bemused Chinese were hoping that the plant would rejuvenate. But they were mistaken because the bark, stem, and branches started drying.

  The soil experts applied fertilizer around it. Yet, it was like the rites of passage, for soon after, the plant withered.

  It was an apocalyptic moment in China. The security officials and scientists – some standing, others sitting around the tree—were in a state of mourning. A good number shed tears—the cry for a wasted journey, time, and effort.

  Yong was standing, arms folded across his chest. He wept the most.

  Good for his niece and her husband. They got a state wedding before the plant perished.

  He kept looking up at the tree and walking around it. He wished there were some mumbo-jumbo words to resurrect the dead tree. He would chant it forever. But it was only a dream.

  Just one question was uppermost in his mind: How would he break the news to the president?

  The Chinese president was full of agony at the tree’s demise. Mr. Yong could not look at him in the eyes. What did they not do? They did their best.

  The president shook his head several times as if he were shaking off the past and turned his attention to the big file now on his desk that Yong had brought for his attention.

  “Let’s say that was the wrong tree that died. Do you say intelligence now points to Lake Van?” the president asked Yong, opening the file and looking at the images.

  “Yes, sir. As you know, the Americans have been working around the area. We didn’t take them seriously but it looks like they have now found the tree in the lake,” replied Yong.

  “I can see the clear images of the lake area and the Americans at work. What do you think they want to do?”

  “You can see, Mr. President that they are damming all the streams flowing into the big lake. We think they want to drain it.”

  “I think so too. It’s a very big task. The Americans cannot undertake such a project for nothing, director.”

  “You are right, sir. We want to join them at the lake and search for this tree. They should not get it first as with the Methuselah poem, sir.”

  “No, they can’t,” the president replied, still checking the contents of the file. “If the tree is there, we will reach it first.”

  “It is there, Mr. President. We are sure because our own Dr. Know-Little was saying we got the wrong version of the poem and that the original poem points to Turkey. Yet, we didn’t believe him then. We do now.”

  “How did we get the wrong version?” asked the surprised president.

  “We do not know. That was what our agents found on the professor. Maybe the Americans deceived us. What we need now is the money for the journey. Let us match the Americans yuan for dollars.”

  “I have seen the amount in your brief. It is little in comparison to the result. I will call treasury to release the fund for the mission,” replied the president.

  Yong was happy again.

  The Chinese team had been watching development in Lake Van. The best way was to tread the careful path.

  They watched the Americans build a maximum security prison with armed guards around it. They did not understand why the Americans did so.

  Then the Chinese also looked on as the Americans continued damming the lake.

  For one thing, they wanted the Americans to finish stopping the inflowing rivers into the lake because it would save them funds. They would know at which arm of the lake the Americans would start the drainage.

  The tactics paid off. After the Americans had finished the gigantic damming process, they stationed themselves at the western arm of the lake and began laying huge pipes from the lake back to one of the streams. Yes, they guessed right—the Americans wanted to pump out the water in the lake.

  The Chinese now knew where to go. It was good after all that they waited. Then under cover of darkness, the Chinese team of security operatives and scientists led by Cheung left for Lake Van. They landed at the eastern arm of the lake and immediately started laying pipes from the lake back to a nearby stream

  The Americans heard the noise of the landing airplane at night. However, the United States surveillance satellite had seen the Chinese beforehand. Both sides could not physically see each other. The distance between their positions is the length of an average state or province – end to end.

  At daybreak, the Americans in the western arm of the lake knew that the Chinese were in the eastern end. There was commotion. They never knew that the Chinese would find them at the lake.

  It was now a race to the finish.

  If damming a large lake with a shore length of 430 kilometers is a record achievement, emptying the water volume of 607cubit kilometers is another kettle of fish. So both teams worked at breakneck speed to complete the pipe laying, and commence pumping out the water. They both worked day and night and in shifts.

  The Americans were the first to finish the damming and start the d
rainage. The Chinese felt beaten, but a few days later, they started pumping out water, too. After all, there should be no cause for regret. The goal was to dry the lake. Whoever accomplished it did not matter. Finding the tree was the ultimate achievement.

  They pumped and pumped. One week later, the 171-meter deep water dropped by only 1 meter. The American government flew in a support team, and more pipelines were laid to hasten the work. The Chinese did the same. The water reduced faster. The Americans laid a third. The Chinese did also. The lake’s water volume was reduced by half.

  One month later, there were five pipelines on either side. Fallen and drowned trees without leaves and fruits became visible at the shore.

  The trees had been long in the lake and were dead. There was no cause to fret, they thought, the tree of life must be in the lake bed.

  While the lake is shallow at the eastern arms, the western part is very deep. So as the water ebbed, the Chinese were the first to notice the top of 40-meter high towers – a major feature of the lake – shooting out from the lake bed. They were first, too, to see the bed of the lake and to begin exploration. The American side was still filled with water.

  There were plenty of a unique salt lake fish all over the bed. The stranded fish seemed to be wondering who the invaders were. The Chinese were not looking for fish now. There was enough fish in the rivers of China.

  The Chinese geologists and botanists were scattered about the bed searching for a special drowned or standing tree. They were yet to find any.

  The Americans were seeing the Chinese and hoping that they do not find the tree first. They wanted the water on their side to dry fast. If they had known, they would have been positioned in the East. In any case, the Chinese had not found anything yet. The tree might just be waiting for them at their end.

  It was two weeks later that the western area became dry and the Americans hastily began searching and digging about. Several weeks passed and they found nothing of value than mounts, fishes, and rotten trees on the lake bed. This was disappointing. Had the folks not told them that Eden was in the lake?

  The natives were gathered around the lake shoreline watching the frantic Chinese and Americans. The object of their adventure – the tree of life—if found, could be of immense value to them and the rest of the world, they thought. They were feeling pity for the tree seekers for their long-tiring effort. They hoped the adventurers would be rewarded.