The Mystery of Munroe Island

by Satyajit Ray

  ‘What was the language you were using with them to exchange ideas?’

  ‘In the beginning we used the mathematical language and later sign language. I thought of teaching them either English or Italian but that was not to be.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘They were indisposed shortly after their arrival.’

  ‘Illness?’

  ‘Yes. Influenza. They couldn’t escape the virus. They were three in number. All died. I of course had the antidote for the flu but chose not to use it.’

  ‘Why?’ I asked, surprised.

  ‘Because I found no good reason to save them. They were utter fools.’

  ‘Fools?’

  ‘Not from the technological point of view. They were far ahead of us in this area. But they came here as our friends to do us good. I did not support their outlook. Nonetheless, they died too soon, before they could produce anything. I arranged for their burial below the sands of Taklamakan Desert. They provided me with the instructions of running this rocket before they died. It is extremely easy. The whole thing is computerized. It’s only a matter of pressing buttons. There’s a robot here but it is dormant now. I don’t know how to control or run it. But there’s no need for it either. Now I’m the ultimate authority.’

  ‘May I have a look at the instruments that are running this spacecraft?’ I asked. ‘You can appreciate that as a scientist I have a natural curiosity.’

  ‘Come with me.’

  We walked through the round door into the next room.

  It was huge. The rhythmic sound that we had heard in the earlier room was even clearer and louder now. It was as if someone was beating a giant drum from afar. There was a big glass window opposite the door. Possibly this was the front side.

  The instrument panels were located on two sides of the window. There were rows of switches and buttons and geometric signs marked against each of these, indicating their individual uses. A headless transparent body was standing in one corner of the room. Undoubtedly this was the robot. The two hands of the robot had six fingers each. Instead of eyes there was a yellow lens on his chest. There was nothing else present other than this. What was most striking was the simple and the uncluttered appearance of the robot.

  But the question was: how was Carboni proposing to use this robot?

  I asked Carboni this.

  Carboni replied, sporting a crooked smile. ‘Well, I still have some work left on this earth. Having accomplished that, I’ll take a long journey through space. After the rocket leaves the earth’s gravitational field it will travel at the speed of light or 3,00,000 km per second. It will take me ten years to reach Alpha Centauri, the origin of this spacecraft.’

  ‘What then?’

  ‘Nothing in particular. I’ve no attraction left for the earth, nor do I fear death—I tried to commit suicide twice. It hardly matters if I die on the way.’

  ‘You just said you’re left with some mundane work left to be done. What is it?’

  ‘I’ll show you. You all need to be seated; let me start the rocket engine.’

  We sat down. Carboni went to the next room and closed the oval door behind him.

  Within half a minute we started to rise very fast. We could see the entire Taklamakan Desert and the Tian Shen mountain range. Then we began moving westwards.

  It was difficult to guess the speed of the rocket but the way the ground below was changing its scenario we guessed the rocket was zooming ahead with a far greater speed than that of an average jet plane.

  It was 9.30 p.m. when we started. Within fifteen minutes we had gained such a high altitude that it was impossible to guess our whereabouts.

  I do not know about the others, but I felt a bit dizzy after a while, but the pressure in my ears made me realize that the rocket was descending.

  Within a minute we emerged from the clouds and could see a snowy mountain range. Which range was this?

  I received my reply through the hole from the opposite wall.

  ‘The mountain range below is the Alps.’

  ‘Where are you taking us?’ asked Crole in an irritated manner.

  The answer: ‘To my motherland.’

  ‘Italy?’

  There was silence after this.

  The spacecraft crossed the Alps and slowly descended. I could see the city lights. One luminescent spot disappearing fast to reveal another.

  The rocket’s speed decreased further. So did the height. We were passing over a large metropolis. On the west was a massive waterbody. Could this be the Mediterranean Sea?

  ‘Rome!’ cried out Saunders. ‘There’s the Colosseum!’

  Yes, Rome was clearly visible now. All five of us were now huddling around the window.

  Then we suddenly heard the booming voice of Carboni.

  ‘Listen. Listen to how the so called civilized humans ruined me. The Turin stadium, while being constructed according to my design was, damaged due to certain errors created by some corrupt architects who conspired against me. The entire blame fell on me. My reputation was completely ruined. This alien spacecraft has given me the opportunity to avenge that insult. You will shortly witness such an incident.’

  I froze with apprehension. So it was Carboni who was responsible for the destruction of the Parthenon, the Eiffel Tower and Angkor Wat. But what on earth was he going to destroy today?

  I understood within seconds.

  The spacecraft was hovering over the world-famous St Peter’s Basilica. It contained the tour de force by the sculptor Michelangelo.

  ‘My God! Do something!’ shrieked Saunders. Crole was swearing in German at the lunatic Carboni. Sheng looked miserable. Nakur Babu seemed to have lost his miraculous powers.

  As a last resort I raised my voice and said, ‘Can’t you show any respect towards these grand creations? Are you that mean and despicable?’

  ‘What creation are you talking about? I do not give a damn for anything but scientific creations.’

  ‘But you told us that the inhabitants of this spacecraft originally came here as our friends. So how come they carried such destructive weapons on board?’

  A rasping laughter could be heard from the next room.

  ‘Do you think they had kept these weapons with this mission in mind? They used them only to destroy stray asteroids or meteors and to avoid collisions. I’m using them for a different purpose.’

  The rocket now veered towards St Peter’s Basilica. No ray could be spotted but we saw the moonlit church falling into bits pieces all over the ground.

  Crole was shaking with rage. He could barely speak.

  ‘D-don’t you know that there’s a weapon to destroy your own rocket?’

  Again we heard that hysterical laughter.

  ‘Don’t you know what will happen if this spacecraft is destroyed? Can’t you guess why I allowed you all to board this spacecraft? I’m not so sure about the Chinese or the Indian government but when the others get to know that the world’s three pre-eminent scientists are present in the spacecraft, who would dare order its destruction? In this case you too would be finished.’

  I had to admit that Carboni had played his trump card rather well. Crole and Saunders both looked completely devastated.

  The rocket, after completing its act of destruction, rose again and took a 180-degree turn.

  ‘Now I shall address Shonku,’ said Carboni. ‘The rocket will now move towards your country. If any Indian are asked about the proudest and greatest possession of their country, eighty per cent would come up with the same answer. I hope I do not have to explain further. Thousands visit India every year to see this monument.’

  The Taj Mahal? Was Carboni referring to the Taj Mahal? Was he planning to destroy Emperor Shahjahan’s greatest creation?

  I couldn’t restrain myself. ‘Is there no end to your destructive orgies? Don’t you have any feeling or respect for the greatest and the best creations of your own race? Does art have no appeal to you?’

  ‘Why just single me out? The
works of art have no value. Art is worthless. What use do these monuments have for us? Does it really matter if the Taj Mahal is ruined or saved? What’s the worth of the Parthenon or St Peters? There’s no point in hanging on to the past.’

  How does one argue with a raving lunatic? Yet if he was not restrained, he would continue with his catastrophic acts.

  ‘Tilu babu—’

  I suddenly noticed Nakur Babu looking rather listless and weak. I was concerned.

  ‘What’s happened?’ I asked him.

  ‘Can you give me another dose of that medicine?’

  ‘Are you feeling feverish?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘What is the problem?’

  ‘My head is reeling.’

  The medicine was with me. I offered him another dose of Cerebrilliant. But under the trying scenario what could this poor chap do anyway? He gulped it down noisily and closed his eyes.

  The rocket was moving eastward. The moon was just over our heads now. It was 12.45 a.m. Crole and Saunders had gone quiet. I could understand their feelings. After all they had witnessed the destruction of St Peter’s Basilica. Sheng was muttering, ‘We have preserved the Imperial Palace at Beijing so carefully. It houses countless and priceless documents and artefacts. If this too—’

  We all remained silent for another hour or so. We had been rendered utterly helpless. Such dreadful destruction was going on before us and we were mute witnesses.

  The rocket started to descend.

  Soon enough, I could figure out the mountains and rivers of India in the moonlight. Even knowing the devastation I was to witness, I couldn’t take my eyes off from the window. Maybe I would see the Taj Mahal for the last time.

  I could hear Carboni humming a tune in the next room. The man was quite insane!

  The humming stopped and he started speaking.

  ‘You know, Shonku, I have never seen the Taj Mahal. I only know the latitude and the longitude of Agra. That’s enough. The computer will take care of the rest. The spacecraft will automatically reach the exact spot. Just imagine the greatness of science.’

  Again he burst into a song.

  Now the rocket was descending at a high speed. The view of the ground was becoming clearer with each moment. Crole, Saunders and Sheng had all gathered near the window. I could feel a lump in my throat. I knew I would not be able to control my tears if I had to witness the destruction of the Taj Mahal. Perhaps death would be a better choice.

  Yes, I could see the lights of Agra. But they weren’t as bright as those in the cities of Italy.

  Then came the Yamuna, looking like an unsheathed shining sword in the moonlight.

  And there was the Taj Mahal. The spacecraft was moving towards it very fast. Sheng was standing behind me. Twice he whispered, ‘Beautiful!’ He had only seen of it photographs and read about it in books. But he was looking at the real thing for the first time.

  But what’s this?

  The humming in the next room had stopped. I shuddered.

  Where was the Taj Mahal? We had been looking at it a moment ago but now it had vanished! Was this some sort of magic?

  And where had all the lights of the city gone?

  Only the Yamuna was still there. The moonlight too was present but every other thing had changed. The Taj Mahal had been replaced by thousands of shimmering torchlights.

  The rocket was rapidly descending towards the Taj. The scene was very clear. In the moonlight and torchlight, thousands of ant-like humans were moving about. White stones were strewn all over the area.

  Suddenly the oval door opened and there emerged Rudolfo Carboni looking completely baffled. ‘What happened? Where has the Taj Mahal gone? I saw it so clearly in the moonlight!’

  I glanced at Nakurchandra. His eyes were closed and he was meditating. Then I looked in the direction of Carboni and said, ‘Your amazing spacecraft has taken us back to a pervious era, Carboni. How can you locate the Taj Mahal? The construction of the Taj Mahal has just started. Can’t you see that thousands of artisans are working by torchlight cutting and arranging the pieces of marbles? How can you destroy an object which is not there, Carboni?’

  ‘Nonsense!’ shouted Carboni. ‘Nonsense! There must be some problem in the mechanisms or with the computer!’

  He rushed back to the computer. But this time the door did not close behind him.

  We all moved towards the door and entered the room. Carboni could not be trusted. God alone knew what his next course of action would be.

  In a frenzy Carboni began to press all the buttons present on the panels. The rocket now swung dangerously.

  I signalled to Crole and Saunders. They immediately pounced on Carboni and forcefully pushed him away from the control panel.

  I examined the panel thoroughly. It was not at all difficult to understand the meaning of all the geometric symbols and the graphic motifs. We were used to following such clues. I noticed the sign of an upright arrow beside a button, indicating that to gain height one had to just press it. In one jerk, the spacecraft rapidly rose higher as soon as I pressed it.

  In the meantime, Carboni had managed to free himself from the grips of Crole and Saunders with one desperate blow. So what if Carboni looked pale and thin! In his state of frenzy he had become a bundle of energy. But he lost his balance and fell once again on the instrument panel, his right hand touching a prominent yellow switch.

  Crole and Saunders were again moving in the direction of Carboni but I gestured them not to do so. I had noticed the robot had been switched on as soon as Carboni’s hand had hit the yellow switch. The robot was now moving towards the demented scientist, the yellow eyes on his chest glowing brightly.

  The robot clasped Carboni by the neck with his two hands and started squeezing. It was like a python coiling round a goat.

  We saw Carboni’s eyes bulging out and his face turning red all over. It was all over in half a minute. The robot removed his hands and the lifeless body fell on the floor. I could guess that among other things the robot had been programmed with instructions to destroy anyone who endangered the safety of the spacecraft.

  The robot now moved towards the control panel and his transparent fingers touched some buttons. The terrible vibration and the swinging stopped. I now left the control room and looked through the window. The rocket was moving north across the Himalayas.

  The three of us collected our weapons and returned to the oval room. Nakur Babu now looking happy and pleased and was sitting on a stool. I asked him, ‘From where did you get the descriptions of the Taj under construction? Was it from the travelogue by Tavernier?

  ‘Exactly so, sir. Mr Ghoshal’s library had this travelogue in two volumes written by this French gentleman.’

  It took us two hours to reach Xingyuan.

  We landed at the same spot in Taklamakan. It was 5 a.m. The robot joined us in the oval room after piloting the spacecraft perfectly from the control room. By that time the front door had opened up and so had the stepladder. The robot stood behind the door and extended his right hand as if to say, ‘Now you may leave.’

  Stepping out we were now exposed to the morning cold—quite a change from the pleasant air-conditioned room.

  We began moving towards our camp and then turned to look back at the spacecraft. The door had closed and the ladder had vanished. The eastern sky was already turning red. I could not understand why a throbbing noise was coming from the rocket. Suddenly the noise increased manifold.

  ‘Move away, move away, the rocket is about to take off.’ Hearing Nakur Babu’s warning we all rushed behind the boulders. Immediately we saw the rocket lift off at a tremendous speed. It vanished from our sight within five seconds. All that was left behind was a lot of dust and a huge crater.

  All of us rushed towards the crater created by the rocket. Dr Sheng burst into a cry of joy.

  Peering into the crater hole caused by the rocket, we could see beautifully carved ancient stonework.

  Undoubtedly this was the l
ong lost eighth-century Buddhist monastery described in the scroll. Dr Sheng must be a very happy man now.

  EA

  7 August

  Today was a remarkable day.

  This morning when Prahlad returned from shopping, I noticed he was carrying two bags instead of one. I asked him the reason. He replied, ‘Just wait, sir, let me first keep the shopping bag aside. I’ve got something for you. You’ll be amazed to see it.’

  I was quite amused to think that my elderly man Friday, who has worked with me for thirty-three years, could produce something to surprise me. What had he brought in that bag?

  I soon had my the answer and the intense surprise I felt was quite beyond Prahlad’s comprehension.

  What Prahlad took out of the bag was an animal. It was the size of a kitten. It isn’t possible even for a scientist like me to easily describe it in one word. According to zoologists, there are almost two lakh species of animals in the world. I’ve personally come across quite a few of them, seen pictures of some and of the rest I’ve come to know of by reading about their breed and descriptions only. But I’ve never come across any description of the animal which Prahlad presented me with. The face suggests it to be of the simian family. The nose is sharper and the temple is broader than a monkey’s, the head is bigger and the lower part, narrower. The ears are large and compressed with the tops pointed like that of a jackal or a dog. The eyes are somewhat larger compared to his face—but not as big as a loris. Instead of a paw you can see five toe fingers, which remind you of a monkey. There’s also the hint of a tail. There are no whiskers, but the body is covered with a short layer of fur, copper in colour. This is a rough picture. The head may look large as he is in his infancy–though I used this word as a conjecture. It could be that he is a full-grown animal and his breed itself is small in stature.

  In one word, it’s a very odd animal. Prahlad said it had been gifted to him by Jagannath. Jagannath lives in the village of Jhalsi across the river Usri. He collects herbs and roots and comes twice a week to sell them in the market. I too have bought a few of these roots from Jagannath to use in my medicines. Jagannath apparently found the animal in a jungle. He knew that Prahlad’s master was in the habit of collecting peculiar stuff, so he gave the odd creature to Prahlad with me in mind.