Geistergrab einer buddhistischen Pagode

Kapitel 16

Vera cleared her throat and said, "My dear companions, I don't want to tell you this, but to avoid an argument, I have to say it. There are only a few days left until the departure date. If we change our plans, we will lose our deposit."

“Good heavens!” Berhali exclaimed.

“What about travel insurance?” Zhu Malin said. “It should cover it, since Bibi passed away unexpectedly.”

"I'm sorry, Bibi didn't buy any travel insurance."

Why should Vera apologize for my mistake? Everyone murmured amongst themselves, shocked to varying degrees. So I shouted into the air, but no one could hear me except my little dog, who pricked up its ears, raised its nose, and sniffed around.

"Quiet!"

"Berhali said, looking down. He put a piece of jerky in the dog's mouth, and the puppy quieted down."

Now I have to explain. Although we didn't end up buying insurance, I brought it up at least twice. I explained the insurance costs for everyone, and Berhali responded with that same "Good heavens, really." Did he even want insurance? I'm not his trained dog. I explained the detailed costs of each plan, from canceling the trip to emergency medical care via helicopter transfer to the hospital. But who listened? Nobody listened except Mrs. Marseille's sister, Heidi Stark.

Heidi is someone who worries about everything, which is why she listened attentively, "Bibi, should we bring snakebite medicine?"

She kept asking questions until Berhali told her, "Heidi, darling, don't worry so much. Why not look forward to a perfect holiday?"

How awful! They were all looking forward to the perfect holiday. They only came to their senses when they came to my funeral. Now it's my fault—because I'm in hell, they couldn't change their plans and lost their perfect vacation.

The hearse moved slowly forward, the band followed, and my friends walked along the eucalyptus-lined path, followed by a crowd of onlookers who had come out of the California Academy of Sciences building. Toddlers, clutching rubber dinosaur toys, watched the unexpected parade with glee.

Someone shouted to Berhali, "Hey, I love your show!"

"I'm really sorry," Berhali nodded and said in a low voice, secretly pleased with himself. He turned to everyone and said, "Alright, what should we do? We've done everything we could. Let's decide. I say, let's go to the Kingdom of Lanna!"

Vera nodded helplessly: "But no one can do it better than Bibi, sigh. We need to find another team leader."

Zhu Malin added, "He must be someone with in-depth knowledge of the Kingdom of Lanna. He must have been there many times; he should be an expert on Asia. Dr. Wu is quite good, isn't he?"

“Absolutely fantastic,” Beryl agreed.

“No matter who the tour leader is,” Mr. Marseille said, “we should have him cut the awful museum visit in half.”

Heidi said, "I think we should study something in the Kingdom of Lanna, such as history, politics, and culture. Bibi knows a lot."

They reluctantly agreed, but each raised some objections.

An ominous sign.

We arrived at John F. Kennedy Drive. A band was playing "Amazing Grace" on the erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument), one of the most widely played hymns in the world. My friends have forgiven me for not buying insurance.

Two police officers on motorcycles temporarily blocked traffic on the bay. The hearse stopped, and I said goodbye to my body.

Berhali asked tourists to join him in the moment of silence: "May Bibi's soul be with us."

I did follow them. Since it was their wish, how could I not follow?