The Eighth Day by John Case

Author:John Case
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780345458728
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2002-11-26T05:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

Üsküdar turned out to be a graceful suburb that sat at a remove from the city’s more hectic neighborhoods. Leaving the ferry, Danny wandered along a leafy boulevard that ran beside the Bosphorus. Uncertain what to do or where to go, he bought a pair of tennis shoes at the first shoe store that he saw. Soon afterward, he found himself standing outside a barbershop, looking in the window at a signed photograph of a young Turkish soccer star. The kid’s head had been shaved so closely that it looked as if a shadow was lying upon it.

Entering the shop, Danny pointed enthusiastically to the picture and then to himself. The barber was only too happy to oblige and, using an electric razor, accomplished the deed in about three minutes. While the barber’s assistant swept the American’s blond-tipped locks from the floor, Danny stared at himself in the mirror—at once aghast and pleased.

He looked nothing like himself.

Leaving the barbershop, he returned to the port and bought a ticket to Besiktas, which lay across the Bosphorus from Üsküdar. The crossing was spectacular, with the ferry plowing through the waves toward a sort of Versailles, a seaside castle, backed by a forest of condominiums and office buildings. He would have liked to have known the name of the castle, but there was no one to ask, and besides . . .

Debarking, he went in search of a travel agency and soon found one—though no one seemed to speak English. Eventually a young man put a finger into the air and Danny understood that he was to wait. This he did until a much older fellow appeared. Peering at Danny through wire-rimmed glasses, the old Turk said, “And you would like to go to?”

“Uzelyurt,” Danny replied.

The man blinked and ran a hand through his gunmetal-gray hair. Then he leaned closer as if to hear better. “Excuse?”

“I’m told it’s near Diyarbakir,” Danny explained.

Frowning, the man chewed on Danny’s pronunciation for a while, and then he understood. “Deeyarbakeer!” he exclaimed. “What an interesting place to visit!”

“Is it?”

“Absolutely! From airport to city—one knife fight guaranteed. In the city, who knows?”

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