***** Vol.2 Chap.46 Apprehended *****

After the gangsters climbed up the ladder to the top of the overhand, for a while, May-Ling was alone and safe again. She never thought that she would welcome the silence and the darkness. She realized there was no way to get past the den without being seen or noticed.

From her memory, she had to backtrack, go back down the mountain, and climb up through another ridge on the backside of the mountain. This would mean that she needed to carry a lot more food and water with her, about 3 to 4 times more. That thought discouraged her because she was already at the limit of what she could carry when she started out this time.

Then she thought of her dwindling supplies, or rather, the lack of supplies. If she stayed off the trail, it would take days to get down the mountain and she would starve to death in the meantime. If she stayed on the trails, she knew the gangsters would be out again tomorrow, and they would surely find her along the way. With either prospect, she was doomed. Perhaps she could get an early start and stay on the trail though unsure she could negotiate the maze successfully. If she got lost in the maze, surely the gangsters would catch her. But she must at least try.

Night fell quickly. She climbed up as far as she could go. She could barely see over the overhang. There was a large compound at the center, with several smaller houses and buildings around. A few fires were started around the grounds to give light. She could see a few gangsters on night duties patrolling the edge of the overhand. The rest of the gangsters gathered around an enormous bonfire, playing cards and drinking. There were several women running around serving drinks to the gangsters and a few young women providing entertainment with music. She figured that there must be around fifty people living in the hideout.

After a while, she was tired of watching the monotonous life of these gangsters. Nestled in the tree, she could see one section of the sky that was not obscured by the tree, a few stars and a few constellations, though she did not know what the names of the constellations were. Astronomy was never her interest during the earlier years. She could not see how the study of astronomy could help the poor and the sick.

But tonight, she welcomed the company of the constellations. The more she gazed at the stars, the more she forgot her present. The more she admired the stars, the less she worried about her demise. She wondered why she had never taken the time to admire the wonders of the universe, why she had never wondered about the place of humans on planet earth in this vast universe, why she never thought about the origin of this universe. She had been so concerned with people that she forgot about the people’s place in this universe.

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Tonight, she had no hustling and bustling to worry about. She had no clinic finance to worry about. She had no patients and treatment to worry about. Instead, her level of consciousness had been raised to a higher level.

As she stared at the stars, she was awed that the earth was only a planet among many other planets surrounding our sun. The sun was only a star in this vast network of stars making up the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way was only a galaxy in one galactic arm of the known universe. And who knew how many galaxies that existed in this universe?

And then there were talks of parallel universes and other parallel dimensions. All these ideas of dimensions gave her a gigantic headache. The more she dwelled on this, the more she was humiliated of her own insignificance. The more she tried to make sense out of this earth, the less she grasped any meaning in the mere existence of life.

When she started up the mountain, she had a distinct purpose and a firm direction. Somehow, there was a sense of purpose deep inside of her still. Even though she was unclear what the purpose was; but at least she knew she had one. And she knew she was committed to finding that purpose. She set out to fulfill that goal.

But now, under the weight of the immensity of the universe and the gravity of her situation, this purpose seemed to have waned and gradually melted away. She doubted her presence here, she feared for her life, for what would happen to her if she got caught. She feared she would get desperate and lose her mind.

Looking around, she wondered what she was doing here up the tree. She had been trained as a doctor and she enjoyed treating patients and easing their pain. She had been offered a respectable position at the hospital, giving her a comfortable life among her colleagues who respected her. What was she doing up on a tree?

Yet deeper than all these feelings, her father’s words ringed loud and clear, drowning out any other thought that surfaced.

Promise me you will finish my work…

But how?

Promise me you will finish my work…

Her father’s words seemed to confirm what she was doing and even encouraging her to go on.

She made a promise to her dying father, and she was not about to renege on her words. No, she would not turn back. She must push on no matter how difficult, how arduous, how dangerous, and how treacherous the path was. Her father had given her life in this and she will give her life for this as well.

After resolving to continue, she felt better and decided to catch some sleep and then decide on her next move in the morning.

…

“Wake up!” A loud voice woke her up.

She rubbed her eyes and found herself staring into the gun barrel pointed directly at her head.

“Get down immediately.” A rough voice sounded again.

She recognized the voice. It came from the tough muscle man that was leading the troop yesterday.

Still not fully awake, she gathered her stuff and carefully climbed down the tree.

When she was halfway down the tree, she felt the merciless butt of the gun at the back of her head.

She fell to the ground.

Darkness came swiftly even before she hit the ground.