BOOK 2: COMMUNITY / CH. 21:TRUTH-SAYER
MONDAY, EARLY AFTERNOON
Just before the plane landed, it occurred to George that they should try to pass on Mama's Ng's legacy if there was another gifted person near, not to mention that if there was someone local they really should talk to them about Karen's idea of how to proceed. Since during their conference prayer meeting where they'd been introduced to each other no one had said where exactly they were, Karen decided that she'd search. Thinking of people with the gift, she focussed on the skin of the region, and saw two bright spots, close together. As she adjusted to see in more detail she saw that one seemed to be moving, fairly fast, and intrigued, she looked at it in more detail. One spark resolved into two. High up. Oh of course! George and Karen on a plane.
She switched to peace. Had that wild goose chase been too much? There was a little heat, but hardly any. She focussed on where the other spot had been, and then on the skin of the room. It was Hagar. She'd been in conversation with someone when Enoch did the introductions, so she'd stayed to take part
in that conference, but she wasn't talking to anyone now.
[Hagar, hello, I'm Karen,] Karen thought.
[From long away? Yes, I know. Hello! Can I help?] Not in English, of course, but Karen understood, not only because it was her second language, but also by the gift.
[Greetings and apologies, Hagar, and peace to you and your family,] Karen said, modifying the formal greeting of the country she'd mostly grown up in. [I am coming, almost landing, and have only just thought to talk to you. I didn't know you were in this city.]
[You come here? You speak our language! How, why?]
[Two reasons, three now, I think. My parents live-work here, I come with my mother, and he-who-will-ask-for-me, George, comes to speak to my father.]
[That is a good reason! I am happy for you!]
[There is a sadder reason. I found a man called Ahmed digging under my home. He escaped, but his brother was caught in the tunnel.]
[You found Ahmed's tunnel! You live at the embassy?]
[You know about it?]
[Yes, Karen. It is a thing of shame. My Yosuf went again and again to tell him it is not right. No matter how much gold was buried there.]
[I am sorry, Hagar, you say that Yosuf was not even helping to move the earth?]
[Yosuf move earth? No, he has a bad back. But he is a good husband. He drives a digger for road building. Every day he tried to tell Ahmed to stop. Then soldiers came and did not listen. No one will listen.]
[Now they will. I am sure. I am sorry for my part, Hagar. I did not check what you knew, I did not tell my parents the name I knew, Ahmed. I did not check to see they had the right man. And when I heard the name Yosuf, I thought, ah, an accomplice. I will tell my parents this.]
[The ambassador tries to stop torture, I know, but can your parents talk to the ambassador? Will they be believed?]
[My father is the ambassador, Hagar. I am so used to not saying the whole truth, I do not say it when I should. I am sorry, my friend. I will talk to my mother now. Your Yosuf is a Christian?]
[Yes yes, he is pastor now of our little flock. Only Ahmed still refuses God.]
[I will talk to my mother and my father, Hagar. May I tell you your name? And your connection to Yosuf?]
[Of course!]
“Mummy. I've been an idiot, and someone really should have listened to Yosuf's family. I've just been talking to our counterpart here. She's called Hagar, she is Yosuf’s wife and Yosuf is a pastor with a bad back. He drives a digger on the road project. I should have told you that it was a young man called Ahmed that I'd seen digging. Yosuf’s younger brother, not a believer. Hagar thinks Ahmed was looking for buried gold, Yosuf went every day to try to persuade him to stop.”
“So either Yosuf’s been lying to his wife, which — given her power — is a silly thing to do, or they've got entirely the wrong brother.”
“Yes, Mummy. About the only good news is I won't need to convince his wife of my abilities.”
“No. But you still might need to convince Ahmed. Plus his family if he has one.”
“True. I didn't ask Hagar who knew about her gift.”
“OK, I'm not sure what we can do, but I'll get the family statements to look at. If he has a really bad back, then it'd be pretty clear that he wasn't using the drill or wheel-barrows.”
“Thank you, Mummy. I'll ask Hagar about his back.”
“Yes, see if she has any medical records, or if she can get them.”
“Of course.”
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By the time they'd landed, it was arranged, at least partially. Hagar would, as she had several times before, visit the embassy. This time she would be apologised to on behalf of the guard who'd turned her away each time before. That guard was in remedial language classes until he could hear the difference between pastor (carer of people as one watches sheep) and shepherd (watcher of sheep). She would give the ambassador the medical records to copy, and meet his family. As was only fitting, she would go with her father-in-law and brother-in-law, as she always did.
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“Why do we go again? The guard said we must not come back,” Ahmed asked.
“It is your dishonourable tunnel that put my husband in jail, and you can ask that? May God have mercy on your soul! I am sure the same guard will not be on duty. My friend tells me they change at their lunch time. We've always been in the mornings. Let us go and try. If we do not try then you leave my husband for torture. He is a principled man, but he is not strong, and he has me and my son to support. He will tell that the tunnel is yours. You cannot think he will not.”
“Very well, Hagar, we go again and again, until the guard shoots you.”
“The guard will not shoot me,” Hagar said. “I know this.”
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The guard saw her approaching. She said her opening piece, as she had said before. As Ahmed expected her to. The guard, a woman, Hagar saw under the uniform with surprise, smiled and tried to speak slowly and clearly. “You are the wife of Pastor Yosuf? We very sorry. Other guard not know good your language. He think you say Yosuf is shepherd. Other guard now go baby school learn better speak. Ambassador will speech to you. He very sorry. Come in all you. Please. This way.”
“You are new?” Hagar asked politely, as they walked towards the residence.
“Yes. Come I with plane today. Wife of ambassador on plane also, say many angry words about old guard. I sorry I no speak good, I try learn better.”
“You have a good attitude,” Hagar's father-in-law said. “Good attitude is more important than good grammar.”
“I thank you, respected sir.”
Ahmed was silent. He had not expected to get such a welcome.
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“I welcome you to my home. May you be refreshed by its shade and may your souls on leaving be more peaceful than on coming,” the ambassador greeted them. It was not quite the traditional welcome, but it was well said. Very well said, Hagar felt, and fluent too.
“I have listened to what you said when you came. I am sorry that the guard you spoke with that time was too proud to ask when he did hot understand. I read what he wrote you said, but he did not write the truth. My wife also read what he wrote and listened to what you said. Your husband has a bad back?”
“Yes. He can drive a digger, but cannot use a drill or a wheel barrow without great pain or injury. He is a good man, a Christian, a pastor, he would not do such a thing.”
“Is there evidence of his back trouble?”
“Yes, yes, I have it here.”
“Thank you. I will send a copy to doctors in my home country, and they will tell me if they agree with your doctor. May we know also the name of your doctor, in case they need to ask something?”
Hagar nodded, and wrote the doctor's name and where his office was for him, while an assistant put the papers through the scanner. At this signal a man came with drinks and refreshments. As they were finishing, a message came for Karen's father. The medical A.I. and doctors at home agreed, Yosuf wasn't in a fit state to do any digging. He asked Hagar, “This respected elder is your father-in-law?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the younger man your brother?”
“No sir, he is Yosuf's brother, Ahmed.”
“Sirs, I have a problem. There is an honest man in jail who was found in a hole that was being dug under my house. I have the tool that was used to drill the hole, which is not an ordinary drill, but one which only works when other drills are working. It was a very clever drill. We did not know it was being used. We believe it was used for weeks without anyone living here noticing it, because it worked at the same time as the drills in the street. We do not think the man who was digging changed the drill to do this. We think someone told him to dig and gave him the drill. But I do not know who this bad man was. I think that he wanted to fill the hole with explosive. But perhaps that is not what he told the man who was digging.
When a good man goes to a place of dishonour, there is a reason. Usually this reason is to persuade a friend or a relative not to do such a dishonourable thing. I am a man of honour, torture is not an honourable thing and I do not wish to see anyone tortured. Not even the man who was digging the hole. But I do want to know who told him to dig it. Do you understand my problem?”
Yosuf's father understood the problem. He understood very well what the ambassador knew and was not saying. Was Yosuf still to be a pawn? The man claimed honour, so surely not.
“Yes, honoured sir, I understand your problem. What is it that you intend to do, what of Yosuf?”
“I will do all that I can to have Yosuf released. I think that it will not be hard with the evidence you have given me. My doctors have seen his X-ray and the notes of his doctor. They tell me that Yosuf should have an operation for his back, and that even using the digger is injuring him more. My guard has caused me and the country I serve dishonour in the way that he treated you. I hope that my country's debt of honour to you can be cleared by us making sure that Yosuf has this operation. I know that such an operation costs little compared to such a stain on honour, but I ask humbly that you do not refuse to consider the offer.”
“I see you are indeed a man of honour, and I thank you for your offer. On behalf of my son and his wife I thank you and accept this gift that you offer. I am deeply sorry that the fool who dug the hole was also foolish enough to take a vow of silence in this matter.”
“Such a vow is a difficult thing. I think I should now introduce you to my daughter.” He nodded to the guard, who opened the door. Karen entered, as serenely as was possible on crutches, with an unusual veil covering her face. It had been Karen's idea, but Hagar confirmed it would be recognised, and be more powerful than just words. She also gave some advice about the rest of her clothes. Only Yosuf knew about Hagar’s gift.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Yosuf's father did a double take at her costume and made a sign of respect and then one of warding. Ahmed was simply shocked that anyone would wear such a thing in this context. “You do not do well to mock our traditions,” he growled.
“And if I do not mock, but honour them?”
“Then you claim an absurdity!”
“You say that there are no truth-speakers now?”
“No, I claim that a foreign ambassador's pampered daughter should not wear the clothes of a truth-sayer! You are not one. You cannot be one. Your country does not have truth-sayers!”
“But if I have the powers of a truth-sayer, and am called on to use those powers in this country, is it not right that I declare what I am?”
“So you claim the powers of a truth-sayer?”
“No. I claim power beyond any village truth-sayer. A truth-sayer can only know the thoughts that you almost say, and only when he or she touches you. Is this not true, respected elder?”
“This is true, honoured one,” Yosuf's father answered.
“I serve the one true living God, who is slow to anger and abounding in love, who knows all truth and from whom no secrets are hidden, who searches men's hearts and who will judge the living and the dead. To those who repent in this life He gives the gift of eternal life but those who do not believe, they stand condemned already. I tell you that He has given me the gift of knowing in small part what He knows fully. I do not threaten, I tell you so you may know. He has given me the power to reach into people's minds and know their every thought. He has given me the power to look into secret places and see what is done there. I am the one who saw you digging in the tunnel, Ahmed, with your clever drill. I could reach into your mind and take the answer to who gave it to you, but I will not, not unless you our your father ask it of me. It would not honour my God if I were to steal your thoughts from you.”
“Will you prove you have such power?” asked Yosuf's father.
“You ask if I will read your thoughts, respected elder?”
“I do not believe you could read the deepest thoughts without also having the choice to just read the shallow thoughts, as a truth-sayer can. Is this true, honoured one?”
“This is true, respected elder.”
“Then tell me what I think at the surface of my mind.”
Karen focussed on his surface thoughts and repeated what he thought: “Respected elder, you thought, ‘Has God really sent this girl to save my honour from my foolish son?’”
“Yes, that was my thought. I see the answer is yes. Praise be to God. Ahmed, will you ask her to read your thoughts or must I add further shame to your name?”
Ahmed felt his father's shame at even having to ask this, and wanted to show respect. “Respected and honourable father, I seek wisdom. Does my vow of silence permit me to ask this of her?”
“I wish you would seek it more, my son. You do not speak or write or signal the matter of your foolish vow. All you do in asking is allowing her to honour her God and mine. You cannot in truth stop her from doing this.”
“Then I ask you to read my thoughts.”
“Ahmed, I ask then that your thoughts be of who gave you the drill and told you where to dig.”
Karen focussed on Ahmed and looked at his thoughts formed and unformed. She withdrew and said, “Ahmed was given the drill by Hamed, the body guard of Ibrahim, the nephew of the president. Hamed said that there was a safe in the floor of this room, with gold in it. That his master had learned this from his friend in my country. Hamed even told you the name of this man, Roland Underwood, so you could find out about him. You did, you found he was a corrupt politician. Hamed came each day and told you where to dig next. He gave you the same amount of money you would have earned if you had been working on the road, and promised to give you a tenth of the gold from the safe. But he told you to dig in places that made no sense, if it was just looking for a safe. Hamed had a tape measure and a drawing. You saw what was on it, and it spoke of space for boxes, nothing about a safe. Sometimes Hamed would take pictures. This is what I saw in your mind, Ahmed. Have I spoken truth?”
“You have spoken truth, honoured one.”
“Honour is restored to your family, respected elder, now that these shameful things are known,” declared Karen's father.
[Hagar, Hamed has the powers of a truthsayer. Is this known?]
[No! Please tell my father-in-law, if you can.]
“Respected elder, I give you warning. The powers that God gave me are new to me. I broke my leg before He gave them to me. Before that time I met the master of Hamed at a banquet, and both were acting strangely. Hamed was coming close to serve wine, which is not the task of a bodyguard. His master asked questions even as I chewed on my food, and he did not await an answer. I now know the reason for this.”
“You say that Hamed the bodyguard has the power of a truth-sayer?”
“Yes, respected elder. I suspected and I checked by the gift that God the gracious has given to me. It is true.”
“I thank you indeed for this warning, honoured one. And his master knows?”
“I do not know for certain, respected elder. But it would explain much. I do not think it would honour God if I were to trespass on his mind to find out. I am sure he will not give me permission to look.”
“Honoured one, I thank you. You have warned me and so protected my family. You have removed shame from my family. You have also convinced me that my son was right and I was wrong. I thought that truth-sayers were all servants of spirits, that is how they explained it to me when I was a child. When I came to know the Saviour God, I kept my belief and would not agree with my son that there could be a truth-sayer who claimed the name of Christ. I thank you that you have taught me this also.”
“Respected and honoured father of my husband, I am overjoyed to hear your words,” Hagar said, simply.
“You rejoice because now there is one less reason for conflict in our home, faithful daughter-in-law?”
“That too, honoured father. But today is not a day for secrets to be kept. I have prayed daily for this change in your heart, that the gift I share with my sister here might be used as it should. From respect of your opinion I have not used my gift to read thoughts since I have lived in your house, but it has been hard when I saw the need.”
“Faithful daughter-in-law, you have respected the fearful thoughts of an old man too greatly. Use the gift you have. Do I understand that you have the same gift? You are not limited by touch?”
“Yes, honoured father. That is the truth. My sister did not say, but part of the reason I spoke is this. Part of the gift is to know where people are if I choose. With your permission I would find the disappeared ones that still live and tell the honourable ambassador. Perhaps this will help against the dishonourable Hamed, for rumours I've heard say he is involved.”
“I give permission, faithful daughter-in-law. Such a good deed must be done, if it can truly save people.”
“Father, what would actually be needed to reunite these families?” Karen asked.
“If you can find their relatives and persuade them to give formal complaint, and we give that information to UN human rights officers, and if the evidence is enough to convince them, then a warrant to search for them and for their recovery can be issued. Then, if you can find the disappeared themselves, the soldiers will know where to search. This would save many, though some may be killed by their guards so they do not talk.
“It would be better if the president were to give orders as well as the UN, then the guards would not fight as hard. But though I think he is an honourable man himself, he is old and trusts others much. They tell him they have checked the rumours and they are false.”
“But we do not know for sure that he is honourable in this, father.”
“No, we do not. But I see two truth-sayers in front of me, and you tell me there is a third one here in my house?”
“That is true, my father. He-who-will-ask-for-me also has our gift.”
“Call him not that precious daughter, for it is not true. He has asked and I have consented.”
“Oh Daddy!” Karen ignored decorum and went to her father as fast as she could, to embrace him. “Thank you, thank you! Oops.” Fortunately the crutches didn't damage him or the furniture.
“You share a precious moment with us, respected and honourable sir.”
“If you will allow me, my honoured guest, you will share one with me also. I have need to speak to your son, and it would be a pleasure for me to witness his release. Regarding Ahmed, it would be safer I think for him to not remain in the city. I wonder if perhaps you have a brother or cousin living far away?”
“This is wisdom. Ahmed, you must go. Tell no one you leave, pack clothes and go to your aunt, my sister. A man who can dig so great a tunnel can surely dig a field, and she needs help with the farm. Tell her I said you must stay and help until you have a wife and sons to your name. This city with its temptations is not good for your soul.”
“Father,” Karen spoke up, “there may come a day when this man must stand up in court and acknowledge what I saw. It would not be good for him to be caught by Ibrahim or his men before even leaving the city.”
“This is true, my daughter. Ahmed, you have the choice. Would you risk to travel by bus or train to your relatives alone, or would you rather go with guards from this embassy?”
“I try to steal your gold and my employer probably wanted to destroy you, but you offer me protection? I do not understand.”
“Then think of the kindness of your brother Yosuf’s God. I am sure he has spoken to you of this.”
“I thank you then, honoured sir, I accept your gracious offer.”
“You begin to show wisdom, my son. Think long and hard, and listen also to your aunt.”
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Confronted with the pile of medical evidence that Yosuf couldn't have moved more than a wheelbarrow of the soil and rock without collapsing, and the personal petitioning of the ambassador to obtain his release, it didn't take long for the chief of police to agree they had the wrong man.
“But what of the true criminal? He must tell us who the true digger was!”
“We do not need him to. The hand of God has made us fortunate, the true digger visited our embassy with his father, and was surprised to meet a truth-sayer. He kept his vow of silence, but could not keep his secrets hidden. He was no more than a foolish young man, greedy for money and careless of honour. His father now disciplines his son, as is fitting.”
“You interviewed him without our agent? How can you have done such a thing? This is a breach of sovereignty!”
“Not so. We can of course interview people who come to our embassy. No one forced him to come. While he was there his father persuaded him that he had been dishonourable. The truth-sayer was there coincidentally and was able to restore the honour of the family. All was done with honour, there was no need for an observer.”
“But the employer? What of the employer, you know who the employer is?”
“Yes. I know who employed him, but I want to know who gave that man his orders.”
“You must cooperate, you must tell us!”
“I think you will find that you do not give orders to representatives of other nations, respected officer. It is even possible from what I have learned that this man is a criminal from my country, seeking to discredit your honourable nation, I do not know. I will not accuse until I am more sure. Now I am sure you will release the innocent man to his wife and father who wait outside, and that I do not need to speak to your president on this matter.”
Knowing that he had no reason except pique to keep his prisoner, and not wanting to displease his president — he certainly didn't want to look for a new job — he signed the release papers. Really, there was no reason to keep the man.
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Yosuf was confused, “I have prayed for this daily, but I still do not understand, my father, my beloved. How is it that the ambassador guarantees my release? Has Ahmed been taken in exchange? Where is he?”
“The ambassador is a man of great honour, my son. Ahmed is sitting in the bus to your aunt's house, beside two soldiers from the embassy. They are not in uniform, of course, but they are big men, very big men, and they have letters from the ambassador saying that they can visit the country with their new friend, so they can learn our language and customs better. I do not think that there will be trouble for them or Ahmed, even if somehow his old employer finds out about your release.”
“I check on him regularly, husband, he is fine. Much has happened today. The ambassador's daughter shares my gift, she found the tunnel from her home country, and then told the truth of the tunnel from Ahmed's mind.”
“And I repent that I argued that such a power was not compatible with the faith, my son. That girl showed me clearly that it is, as I am sure that your Hagar could, had I not been so obstinate.”
“And now, my husband, will you allow me to reassure myself? How are you?”
“I am well, my wife. I did not know they would do this, but the ambassador's people watched over me ever so carefully. They said that the whole country would suffer if I did. I do not understand why.”
“I asked my sister in gift. It is the law of their country that none may be tortured. You were found by their guards, and so it became their fault if you were given to another and they tortured you. They know the law is different here, and so they had the agreement that you would not be tortured and they could make sure of this. The ambassador is a good man. He wishes to talk with you. If you are truly well, then I burn with curiosity to know what about.”
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That night Yosuf spoke about his conversation with the ambassador.
“Yes, my wife. This was truly his request. He asks that I consider you working as truth-sayer to the embassy, an hour or two each day. He knows from his daughter the difference between the gift and the power. He says he would not, could not offer to pay you to use your spiritual gift. But there are many who come, perhaps asking for a visa to enter their country. Some tell the truth, others lie, and it is hard to know one from the other. But if a truth-sayer were there, people might not lie so easily.”
“But people can lie in what they think, just as with their mouth. It is a myth that the truth-sayer can always tell a lie.”
“He knows. But with the trick of iron, you could listen as they decide to lie, he said. He would ask only that you attend the interviews in traditional dress, touch the table, and help the interviewer know if their thoughts deny what their tongue says.”
“And that would be my only task?”
“That would be your paid task, my beloved. But he says you have set yourself other tasks, where it would be useful for you to be visiting the embassy each day. He did not tell me what these were.”
“Ah, I understand now. He gives me reason to visit. I expressed a desire to use my gift to help find the missing ones, my husband. It will not take so very long, I think, perhaps I would visit two times. But if I work there, then none would think I had other reasons to visit also.”
“So he offers you a reason to be there each day and income for our family, so that there is no suspicion about a couple of visits? Where is the sense in this?”
“He also offers you surgery for your back. He has not said, but I think he knows you will find it hard to work for some time afterwards. He does not want his gift of health to you to lead to hardship. Also there is great love between father and daughter and he knows she and I are sisters in the gift.”
“And as she would not want you to go through hardship, nor does he? You have seen this in him?”
“I did not need to use my gift, husband. It was very clear. She is his only child and he would refuse her very little.”
“He said another strange thing, as we parted.”
“Yes, my husband? Must I read your mind to find out?”
“He said that he puts no pressure on us, but if we decided quickly he would be happy, so he could arrange the seats.”
“Yes. This is strange. I agree. Shall I ask Karen what he meant?”
“I do not think it matters greatly, but when you talk to her next, yes, please do.”