@Skai
Wu sat hunched on the seat next to Eska. He looked around to make sure there was no one else that could overhear their conversation. He was uncharacteristically nervous as he looked at Eska. She was smiling at him, and that reassured him. He relaxed slightly.
"Remember last week, when I was telling you about the great Shun-Li's unfortunate incident with one of the gym equipment? That was a good story. But after you left, I remembered how my young son loved to hear about Shun-Li's adventures. I don't know but... a huge grief overcame me. I... I needed release from my own mind."
He took out a string of beads from his pocket. The beads were made of pentlandite - and very rare. They were a gift, given to him by the Grand Abbott after his initiation. Old man Wu had taken to clicking and rolling the beads in his fingers every time he was agitated.
"As you know, I am an acolyte of the Temple. Initially, I didn't believe in all this Raava nonsense. But then, my Mili forced me to join what I thought was a cult. But after a few sessions at the temple, I was beginning to find peace. When my Mili passed away, I spent hours in contemplation at the Temple halls. It gave me the strength to move on. The abbotts and the other acolytes helped me like you did, helped me get through some difficult moments in my life."
Wu could not imagine life without the temple these days. Every evening, after work, he would catch a train and go to Avatar Aang island, where the Temple of Raava was situated. He would meditate for hours, and sometimes chat with his fellow acolytes. It was a place of peace. Or, at least, it had been until a week ago.
"So when I felt heavy with grief for my son, I decided to visit the temple and meditate for a few hours. I went to the temple, found my usual dark corner in the meditation hall, and soon lost myself in the thoughtless peace. I lost track of time. By the time I ended my session, it was very late in the night." Wu scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "And... I may have gone to sleep while...ahem... meditating."
"Anyway, when I got up, there was no one in the temple. It was strange. There usually is one or two acolytes roaming about. But I heard voices." At this point, Wu's voice dropped in volume. "Not human voices. They sounded...guttural. Like that of a beast. Initially, I thought it was someone's pet bear-dog. But the voices were growing louder in argument. I saw light from a half-closed door at the end of a hallway. I really didn't want to get myself involved in anything, but I just couldn't help my curiosity. So I looked."
Wu grabbed Eska's hand and gripped it tightly. He was breaking out in a sweat as he recollected the events of that night.
"I... I don't know how to put it, Eska. But I saw... I saw a man. Only, he was not a man. He... he had horns. And a fierce muzzle, like that of a bull-deer. But he was standing on his legs like a man, and I could hear what he was saying. He was arguing with someone I couldn't see. But I knew the voice very well. It was the voice of our Grand Abbot, Father Guran. The abbot seemed to be pleading with him. But the bull-man was angry. He was talking about some prophecy. And about the City Center bomb blast that happened last week. The man... the way he was talking... I think he knows who did it. And he seemed bent on doing it again. 'Bigger than ever' he kept saying. 'We have to use the prophecy to our advantage,' he was saying. But suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air. He then said, 'Someone's here'. My heart was hammering in my chest. I stumbled backwards. I did not know what gave me strength. But I tumbled and ran like my pants were on fire! I didn't look back till I reached the bridge."
Wu was heaving as he relived that night. His knuckles were fight as he gripped Eska's hand, his own legs trembling and shaking.
"Since then, I have been living in fear, Eska. I am too afraid to go back to the temple. And I don't know if going to the police will be the right decision. I may be an old man waiting to die, but I certainly don't want to be dismembered or tortured by some maniac. You... you are a smart woman, Eska. What do you think I should do? Will the cops even believe me if I told them a bull-faced man was planning a terrorist attack with the Grand Abbot of the Temple? Even when I hear myself say it, it sounds ridiculous. Like an old man's overactive imagination or something."
Wu sat hunched on the seat next to Eska. He looked around to make sure there was no one else that could overhear their conversation. He was uncharacteristically nervous as he looked at Eska. She was smiling at him, and that reassured him. He relaxed slightly.
"Remember last week, when I was telling you about the great Shun-Li's unfortunate incident with one of the gym equipment? That was a good story. But after you left, I remembered how my young son loved to hear about Shun-Li's adventures. I don't know but... a huge grief overcame me. I... I needed release from my own mind."
He took out a string of beads from his pocket. The beads were made of pentlandite - and very rare. They were a gift, given to him by the Grand Abbott after his initiation. Old man Wu had taken to clicking and rolling the beads in his fingers every time he was agitated.
"As you know, I am an acolyte of the Temple. Initially, I didn't believe in all this Raava nonsense. But then, my Mili forced me to join what I thought was a cult. But after a few sessions at the temple, I was beginning to find peace. When my Mili passed away, I spent hours in contemplation at the Temple halls. It gave me the strength to move on. The abbotts and the other acolytes helped me like you did, helped me get through some difficult moments in my life."
Wu could not imagine life without the temple these days. Every evening, after work, he would catch a train and go to Avatar Aang island, where the Temple of Raava was situated. He would meditate for hours, and sometimes chat with his fellow acolytes. It was a place of peace. Or, at least, it had been until a week ago.
"So when I felt heavy with grief for my son, I decided to visit the temple and meditate for a few hours. I went to the temple, found my usual dark corner in the meditation hall, and soon lost myself in the thoughtless peace. I lost track of time. By the time I ended my session, it was very late in the night." Wu scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "And... I may have gone to sleep while...ahem... meditating."
"Anyway, when I got up, there was no one in the temple. It was strange. There usually is one or two acolytes roaming about. But I heard voices." At this point, Wu's voice dropped in volume. "Not human voices. They sounded...guttural. Like that of a beast. Initially, I thought it was someone's pet bear-dog. But the voices were growing louder in argument. I saw light from a half-closed door at the end of a hallway. I really didn't want to get myself involved in anything, but I just couldn't help my curiosity. So I looked."
Wu grabbed Eska's hand and gripped it tightly. He was breaking out in a sweat as he recollected the events of that night.
"I... I don't know how to put it, Eska. But I saw... I saw a man. Only, he was not a man. He... he had horns. And a fierce muzzle, like that of a bull-deer. But he was standing on his legs like a man, and I could hear what he was saying. He was arguing with someone I couldn't see. But I knew the voice very well. It was the voice of our Grand Abbot, Father Guran. The abbot seemed to be pleading with him. But the bull-man was angry. He was talking about some prophecy. And about the City Center bomb blast that happened last week. The man... the way he was talking... I think he knows who did it. And he seemed bent on doing it again. 'Bigger than ever' he kept saying. 'We have to use the prophecy to our advantage,' he was saying. But suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air. He then said, 'Someone's here'. My heart was hammering in my chest. I stumbled backwards. I did not know what gave me strength. But I tumbled and ran like my pants were on fire! I didn't look back till I reached the bridge."
Wu was heaving as he relived that night. His knuckles were fight as he gripped Eska's hand, his own legs trembling and shaking.
"Since then, I have been living in fear, Eska. I am too afraid to go back to the temple. And I don't know if going to the police will be the right decision. I may be an old man waiting to die, but I certainly don't want to be dismembered or tortured by some maniac. You... you are a smart woman, Eska. What do you think I should do? Will the cops even believe me if I told them a bull-faced man was planning a terrorist attack with the Grand Abbot of the Temple? Even when I hear myself say it, it sounds ridiculous. Like an old man's overactive imagination or something."