Excerpts

Sometimes, Rod felt that receiving mail was a curse, and today was no exception. Having arrived at his apartment after work, he wanted to ignore his mailbox, but unlocked it anyway. Inside his apartment, he rummaged through his mail.

Any thoughts he might have had about a restful evening ended after finding a letter from his aunt. He opened the envelope and inside was a note which said: "Go to the salamagi tree."

He wondered what the note meant. It didn’t detail the flowery weather in her hemisphere of the world like in her previous letters. Maybe his aunt was losing her mind.

Again, he looked over the note: "Salamagi"—His aunt was referring to the tamarind tree in the village where she lived. "Go to"—The last time he read a note similar to this was when he was still wearing bell-bottoms, children’s size, of course.

"Go to?" He hadn’t played that game since he was ten. He was thirty-one. Did she expect him to take the note seriously? To drop everything and go to the salamagi tree? Maybe she was really going "ahg-kah-bahw," the local term for senility in her village.

He walked down the hallway to his bedroom, removed his wallet from his pocket, and threw it on the dresser. The wallet struck the lampshade which crashed to the floor. He snatched the lamp and smashed it on the floor. His work, these days, was having that kind of effect on him. Seven years in engineering, which consisted of many overtime hours, made him consider giving his two-week’s notice.

Feeling better after throwing the lamp on the floor, he wished he could disengage the burden of his family as easily, especially his aunt who was sending a vague note. He picked up the lamp and returned it to the dresser, making a mental note to put off buying a new one.

As he unknotted his tie, he felt pain in his right shoulder and wondered if he had strained it when he threw the lamp. The ache reminded him of the "Go to" game when he hurt his shoulder.

He took off his shoes, kicked them into the closet, and took off his socks, one of the few pairs he owned. Buying new socks didn’t occur to him, despite the fact he could easily afford them. Knowing he could buy almost anything he wanted was more important than actually going out and making a purchase. At work, he gained the reputation of being extremely frugal because he persisted in driving an old car which began to show more than signs of rust.

He put on some shorts and decided not to wear a shirt, proud of his physique which he kept in shape with regular exercise. He entered the kitchen barefoot and opened the refrigerator. Nothing looked good in there, not even the leftover pizza.

On the kitchen counter were the rest of the mail, and after opening an envelope which advertised a check he could win, it occurred to him that his aunt’s note might be referring to money. Maybe there was money hidden at the salamagi tree. Or was he, too, becoming mad? He walked to the living room, picked up a book he had left on the recliner, and continued reading about the best stock pickers in the twentieth century. This was his ongoing need to educate himself about the world of investing. It was a good way to shut out his stressful career.

The phone rang from the kitchen, but he ignored it, knowing the answering machine would pick up the call. The machine started recording Kurt’s voice, his younger brother, who asked, "Rod? Are you there? If you are, please pick up the phone. Kathy is also on the line. We’ve set up a conference call."

It must have been important for his younger brother and sister to be calling, so he picked up the cordless phone on the end table next to the recliner. After the necessary greetings, Kurt asked, "Did you get a ‘Go to note’?"

"You’re kidding," Rod said.

"No, we’re not," Kurt said.

"Why do you think we’re calling you?" Kathy said.

"Maybe our aunt’s cracking up," Rod said.

"Mom and Dad wrote and said Aunt Floren hasn’t been herself lately. They’re thinking about putting her in a hospital. They’re stressed over her fainting spells and her refusal to see a doctor," Kathy said.

"Why didn’t I get that letter?" Kurt asked.

"Maybe it’ll arrive in a few days. Aunt Floren might be sick. Maybe we should go see her," Kathy said.

"Family wants this, and family wants that," Rod grunted, while he got up from the recliner, walked to the kitchen, and turned on the speaker phone on the counter. He searched in the cabinets for something to eat, decided on a can of soup, and looked for the can opener under some unread newspapers on the dining table. After heating the soup in a sauce pan, paying attention not to burn himself, he poured his liquid dinner into a bowl and began to eat.

"Maybe our aunt has some incurable disease," Kathy continued.

"Did Mom and Dad hint of anything like that?" Rod asked.

"No, but they made it clear she wasn’t well, and that she’d appreciate us visiting her," Kathy said.

"Then why didn’t she just invite us to go see her instead of telling us to go to some tree, for what?" Kurt asked.

"Because she wants to be vague," Rod said. "In other words, she’s acting strange. Maybe we should find out what the note means, whatever it may be."

"Maybe she’s dying. We better go see her, then," Kurt said.

"You know what?" Rod said, scribbling a dollar sign on the business section of the newspaper that was on the dining table.

. "What?" Kurt and Kathy echoed.

"I think the note is about money."

"How?" Kurt asked.

"Explain," Kathy said.

"Remember when we were kids? We’d follow Aunt Floren’s ‘Go to’ notes and at the end was a prize?"

"And you think this time the prize is money?" Kurt asked in disbelief.

"She knows we’re not kids anymore," Rod said. "What other prize would we care about but money? She knows we’re all starting out in the world and because of this, money is a big issue. Did she send a letter hinting about a prize she’d like all of us to have? Maybe from a previous letter?"

"Yes, I got one," Kathy said.

"Yeah, me, too," Kurt said.

Rod also remembered receiving a letter which he had put off opening. He walked to his entertainment center to the bookshelves which held the phone books. In the yellow pages, he searched through some unopened envelopes he had stuffed there for later reading, whenever he felt like it. He found that this was a convenient way to keep family mail in one place. In the white pages, he kept bills. His organizational methods amazed him. The papers he did keep organized in a filing cabinet were his securities accounts.

In the yellow pages, he found an air mail letter, tore it open and said aloud, "‘Go to’ notes, prize at the end, something our aunt found many years ago and she’d like to give to us."

"My letter says the same thing," Kurt said.

"Same here," Kathy said.

"But what could she have found many years ago that we would want?" Kurt asked, his voice irritable.

Rod didn’t answer, set his letter down by the answering machine and looked up to stare at the ceiling. Thirsty, he poured himself a glass of ice water, appreciating the contrast between the cold water and the hot soup. Still hungry, he considered opening another can of soup, but instead, scooped some ice cream because it was easier to prepare. He picked up his glass of water from the kitchen counter, where the bottom of the glass had formed a condensed ring over the "Go to" note.

Kurt and Kathy became anxious from their phone lines. "What should we do?" they asked.

"Find out if the note leads to money, and why our aunt is asking for our help," Rod said.

"So what are you saying?" Kurt asked. "That we should go help our aunt?"

"We don’t even know what we’re going to help her from," Kathy protested. "I like her, and of course am willing to help her, but how are you so sure she might be in trouble?"

Rod tried to explain, "First, isn’t her note unusual enough, that maybe she’s sick in some way? Maybe her sickness is caused by some outside force?" He tried to sound as convincing as possible.

"What outside force?" Kurt asked.

"Could be anything," Rod answered. "Memory. Someone she met. Something she’s hiding."

"True," Kathy added. "Everyone in this world has some secret or another."

"Second," Rod proposed, "Remember the ‘Go to’ game?"

"Candy was the best prize then," Kurt said.

"Chocolate, caramel, or anything sweet would make us run all over the house and yard, until we found the last note and claimed the candy," Kathy added.

"So you think she sent the note to remind us of that ‘Go to’ game?" Kurt said.

"Are you saying she wants us to play the game now?" Kathy added.

"Yes," Rod said.

"What other proof do you have?" Kathy asked.

"I might be going out on a limb, but it sounds reasonable enough," Rod said.

"What is it?" Kathy asked.

"Possibly, that at the end of this note, is gold," Rod answered.

Kurt and Kathy laughed hysterically. Rod cleared his throat loudly to regain their attention. "When your hysterics are over, will you let me explain?" he said.

"Okay," Kurt said.

"We’re listening. Sell us," Kathy said.

"There might be gold at the end of this note," Rod said seriously. "We should at least give it a fifty percent chance. Remember? There were rumors where Aunt Floren lived about gold hidden everywhere. That was what the locals talked about. Remember when we were kids? We’d understand what they were saying even though we couldn’t speak?"

"True," Kurt agreed. "The area was booming with gold mines at the time, and then the war came." Rod appreciated Kurt’s support, and congratulated his younger brother for remembering his history lessons.

"Maybe that area wouldn’t have been invaded if there weren’t gold to be found," Kathy added.

Rod was glad they were both beginning to think like him. "Remember our aunt’s gold stories?"

"Yes," they said.

"Remember that one, strange Christmas when she wouldn’t leave us alone?" Rod said. "Yes," they said, and in disbelief, now saw what Rod saw, as he began recalling that Christmas for evidence of gold.

Rod remembered the artificial, silver, Christmas tree, in the living room. He remembered the nativity scene at the fireplace mantle, cradled by garland and scented by candles. He remembered the star he helped decorate by gluing red and white paper onto a split bamboo frame, and how a light bulb was placed inside the star, which was then hung at the front porch. He remembered the advent wreath at the dining table with the white candle lit, the Christmas music, the fireplace burning warmth into the living room, where he, Kurt, and Kathy played with their new toys.

It was afternoon on Christmas Day, that gap of time when there were no more presents to open and Christmas dinner was being prepared.

Aunt Floren watched them play while she sipped a cup of tea. She had bound her hair in a way that the pins didn’t show. She rarely wore make-up, but didn’t need it, blessed with a natural beauty enhanced when she felt like it, with powder and lipstick.

She said, "You should thank ‘Tropical Santa’ for those toys. He doesn’t wear a red suit. He wears a bathing suit."

"Oh, Aunt Floren," Rod said, raising his eyebrows at her, wondering if her state of mind was all right. Kurt and Kathy, being younger, believed her.

After Aunt Floren chuckled, she set down her tea cup and reversed to a serious tone. She said she wanted to tell them a story, but before she began, she fed fear into them, by saying they shouldn’t repeat it to anyone. She made them believe she could cast a bad spell on them if they ever spoke of her gold stories. Gullible, they promised to obey her.

She started her story by using the war as the backdrop for her heroine, Lin. "All the bombing and guns made everyone hide in the mountains. And when the firing calmed, everyone started returning to the village."

"The invading soldiers thought they won and so began their plans to teach their culture. The children were rounded up to be educated in the soldier’s native language. Lin hid so she wouldn’t be forced to attend classes. Her hiding place was a salamagi tree by the beach."

"She had just climbed the tree when she thought she heard something. Maybe it was an enemy soldier approaching, so she looked down from the tree, measuring how far she’d have to jump and run if she had to. Balancing on a branch, peeking behind the trunk, she saw a soldier digging the ground with a shovel. A rifle and a sack lay near him. He opened the sack, and inside it, was gold. He stopped his urgent work and looked around him when he heard others approaching."

"Lin sprang back behind the trunk. Fortunately for her, she wasn’t found out." Aunt Floren concluded this brief introduction by saying there was still gold at that tree.

From their phone lines, Kurt and Kathy listened to Rod as he recalled their aunt talking about the soldier hiding gold near the salamagi tree by the beach, and because they were both excited by their older brother’s speculations of gold, they chatted as if they were kids who were given endless funds for compulsive purchases.

Rod, on the other hand, remained quiet and wondered how much gold was left at the salamagi tree. If true the prize was waiting to be taken, he felt the money could be used for something else other than purchasing more things, because he felt he had enough. He surveyed his apartment with its bare necessities. A computer, TV and stereo decorated the living room. A microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove, and oven toaster supplied the kitchen. For him, this was more than enough. If he could put off buying anything, he would, because he knew he was already living like a king when it came to gadgets. His love life, on the other hand, was something that could be improved.

He filled another glass of water while allowing a moment for Kurt and Kathy to calm down. Then he steered their conversation into remembering more.

He recalled the day after Christmas. The fireplace generated enough heat to keep out the mountain climate, especially in December, when temperatures lingered in the mid-forties. He was sitting on the floor by the coffee table in the living room, where the furniture centered around a rug on hardwood floors. He was wearing his favorite maroon bell bottoms because they were the most comfortable. He, Kurt, and Kathy were teaching themselves a new board game, thanks to "Tropical Santa."

Aunt Floren accompanied them, resting in her favorite chair and sipping hot tea in silence. She set down the teacup and saucer on the end table and watched the progression of the board game.

There was the usual skirmish of who would throw the dice, and there was Kathy’s predictable demand for a tidy board, where all the pieces should be placed not only properly, but neatly. Kurt and Kathy were eager to have the power of knowing the rules, so Rod let them read the game instructions.

He, instead, preferred to urge Aunt Floren to continue about Lin. "What happened to Lin after she saw the soldier hiding gold?" he asked.

"She held her breath, of course. I don’t think she even heard her heart beat," Aunt Floren said. "The sun was setting, and the surf was getting restless into high tide. Lin heard someone else approaching. She realized it wasn’t only one soldier with gold, but three. The other two emerged from the brush and accompanied the first. She kept as quiet as possible and prayed she wouldn’t be found out."

"She saw that there were tanks moving on the road parallel to the beach a short distance away. They were allied soldiers, marching behind the tanks, and claiming back the provinces. They weren’t aware of the three enemy soldiers, hiding their loot, concealed behind the lush overgrowth."

"Lin considered shouting to the allied soldiers for help, but decided against it. They probably wouldn’t hear her, and even if they did, they wouldn’t make it to her on time. If she stayed, the looters might discover her. If she ran, then surely, they would hear her. She concluded that staying hidden in the tree was safest."

"Was Lin found out by the soldiers with the gold?" Rod asked.

"Yes and no," she said.

"How can it be both? Because wouldn’t she have been shot if she were found out?" he asked.

"I’ll explain at a later time," she said.

Rod would have liked an immediate answer, but he decided not to pry further, because she continued on with her story and he didn’t want to interrupt.

She repeated the scene of Lin hiding in the tree while the soldiers hid their gold a short distance away. She kept the setting at the beach, but moved Lin from the tree to the ground spying behind brush while the gold was being buried by the soldiers. Next, Lin was leading someone to the beach, and then she wasn’t. Then, Lin was digging out the gold at two places, but she couldn’t get herself to dig up the third place because she knew there was something there she didn’t want to see.

At this point, Aunt Floren stopped. Rod was curious about the changes in the story, but was more interested in the immediate question of how Lin was both found out and not found out. Maybe she was killed.

Rod asked if she would continue with the story, but she put it off until the next day.