Sunken Fish - Chapter 49
Miss Chen couldn't possibly be dead!
Walter thought to himself, "Yeah, I just talked to her on the phone yesterday."
He tried to rationalize the situation and changed the procedures to allow the tour group to enter the Kingdom of Lanna earlier.
Was her death terrible? (Yes.) Was she angry that she continued traveling even though the tour group was gone? (No, I was with them.)
Walter heard Benny mutter something, and he half-opened his eyes to check his watch.
“Mr. Benny,” Walter said softly, “I’m sorry, but could you please tell me how Miss Chen Bibi died?”
Benny bit his lip, as if I had suddenly popped into his mind.
"Nobody knows. Some say she was murdered. Her trachea was cut; it wasn't from bleeding to death or suffocation."
"Oh my God."
Walter's heart raced; clearly, I was a disturbed ghost.
"It was terrible, a nightmare for us, and we almost canceled our trip."
"I understand... Does Miss Bibi have any special beliefs?"
"Faith? I don't think so... To be honest, I really don't know. I know her well, but we've never talked about faith. I'm just guessing she doesn't have anything particularly pious about. I'm a Baptist, are you familiar with Baptists?"
“I know very well that many Baptist missionaries have come to the Kingdom of Lanna. They have successfully won over many believers, especially in the mountain tribes.”
Benny finally voiced his confusion: "By the way, why is your English so good?"
“I grew up in an English-speaking family, and I also speak Lanna, it’s part of my family.”
"How come your family speaks English?"
“My family has spoken English for generations. My great-great-grandparents worked for the British rulers, and later generations worked as missionaries. English has become their common language.” Walter paused for a moment. “Thank you for answering Miss Bibi’s question. I won’t disturb your rest now.”
"No problem. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask."
Benny sat back and closed his eyes.
English Family
Walter stared out the window again, lost in thought as the tour bus swayed and bounced: his ancestors for five generations had all worked in English, and at least one person in each generation before him had died because of it. English was their legacy, giving them the opportunity to rise above their circumstances, but it was also the cause of their tragic lives.
At the end of the 19th century, his great-great-grandfather learned English in his youth. He was working odd jobs at a school run by British teachers when he heard lessons coming in through the window while sweeping the yard. Later, he learned to write while erasing the blackboard, and the British teacher, upon learning this, had him sit at the back of the classroom to listen to the lessons. His English was as beautiful and clear as that of his employer's child. When he was twenty-seven, he was hired as a translator for the British ruler.
However, his excellent language skills did not win the trust of his compatriots. In some remote minority villages, they could not tolerate the presence of the British and Lanna people. One day, a hail of bullets felled trees, killed birds and monkeys, and also killed Walter's great-great-grandfather.
Strangely, no one else died at the time.