Masters of the Broken Watches by Razi Imam

Author:Razi Imam [Imam, Razi]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9798616971159
Published: 2020-04-19T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Return to Bombay Reef

“Water, stories, the body, all the things we do, are mediums that hide and show what’s hidden.

Study them, and enjoy this being washed with a secret we sometimes know, and then not.”

~ Rumi

VU SAT ON the old trunk in the cabin while Pham Kai steered the boat toward the north side of Bombay reef. It was 1:30 a.m., and they had just arrived in the area. There were no signs of the Chinese patrol boat. Pham Kai had beads of sweat on his forehead—due to the heat, and due to the memory of what had happened to him the last time he was in this area. He reduced the speed of the boat as he found the channel his grandfather had mentioned in his notes—the same channel he’d taken deep into the reef before transitioning to the basket boat and getting caught in the whirlpool.

Minh came inside the cabin where the two men were standing. “Is this where you found that fish?” she asked. Pham Kai nodded. She stood next to him and whispered, “Pham Kai, something is wrong with this place. There’s mist everywhere.”

Pham Kai didn’t have an answer for her—he too had felt this way during his fishing trips to the area. However, he’d always been more worried about being caught by the patrol boats.

Vu watched as Pham Kai managed the fishing net. After untangling it, he folded it over his left shoulder. Standing on the starboard side of the boat, he swung it over the water. It was hard to see much in the lantern light, as Pham Kai insisted they not use the spotlights. Vu had already explained to them that since he was paying for the trip, he didn’t need them to store the catch in the hull—he was looking for that one specific fish. This was hard for Pham Kai and Minh to accept. Releasing them back into the sea was so contradictory to their way of life. However, since Vu was paying for everything, including Minh’s medical treatment, they didn’t argue. Pham Kai did make one request, however—if he happened to catch a su vang, he could keep it to sell. Vu agreed.

They cast the nets for three hours from both sides of the boat, each time emptying their catch into the large tin tub filled with seawater. Pham Kai and Minh would then stand aside and watch as Vu brought the lantern close for inspection. Each time, he would shake his head. He’d hand the lantern to Pham Kai, so he could check for su vang fish, then both men would lift the tub and empty it into the sea, feeling the bite of disappointment a little more each time. This went on more than a dozen times in the course of a few hours. By 4:30 a.m. they were exhausted.

Frustrated, Vu sat at the table facing the dark outline of the reef. Pham Kai joined him, and Minh made them some chai. Vu, in between taking careful sips of the hot tea, kept glancing at Pham Kai, who sat on the floor with Minh.

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