Cronología de la muerte

Capítulo 3

This name shocked me.

In my hometown of San Francisco, there was a very famous Chinese-American woman also named Chen Bibi. She was a local socialite and owned an iconic store in Union Square called "The Immortals," specializing in various Asian antiques. But she died mysteriously at the end of 2000, and few people know the exact cause of her death.

Lundgren described Chen Bibi very accurately: "A petite and lively Chinese woman, opinionated, unpretentious, and fond of excitement."

I had met Chen Bibi a few times, but we weren't particularly close. We had greeted each other at a fundraising event for the Asian community. Her name often appeared in bold in the social news section of newspapers, and her photo was frequently published—she was dressed extravagantly, had brightly colored braids, and wore false eyelashes that looked like hummingbird wings.

Keren recorded Chen Bibi's words in a pencil in his notebook. It started with stiff symbols and meaningless scribbles, then pages of messy handwriting, and then scribbled notes that looked like those of a drunkard, before gradually becoming clear writing. It was like watching the EEG of a brain-dead person suddenly awaken; or like a puppet being suddenly jerked up by its manipulator. However, each page was filled with exclamation marks and underlines—a common mistake made by novice writers.

When I returned to San Francisco, I immediately visited Kren Lundga. I entered her home, filled with mysterious “price tags,” where she was suffering from breast cancer. Because she lacked health insurance, she was unable to receive comprehensive treatment, which made her look exhausted and very weak.

She repeatedly emphasized, "If you're going to mention me, be sure to tell people about this."

Despite her serious illness, she still welcomed any pointed questions. Her description of Chen Bibi was very professional because Bibi's ghost had appeared clearly before her eyes. She said that communication with other ghosts was often unclear, like a cell phone entering or leaving a service area.

She told me, "Bibi is a very ambitious person."

Curious, I asked her if I could witness a process of unconscious creation firsthand. Kren Lundga agreed to try, but not now; it would have to wait until she was feeling better, because "receiving information" was very taxing on her.

Regardless of the outcome, I am certain that this material is not to be missed. In a city like this, Chen Bibi is a genuine article, a true San Francisco resident.

Without revealing further details, I will only speak of her account of the eleven tourists who disappeared in the Kingdom of Lanna, whose story made headlines for weeks and is likely known to every reader. Perhaps Lundega, after reading the newspapers, added some fictional elements to her own mind. However, I later heard from interviews that Lundega's strange tales contained many previously unreported true details.

Whether we believe or not that the living can communicate with the dead, readers are willing to temporarily set aside their doubts while reading a novel. At the very least, we've all fantasized about entering that world through someone else's imagination.

The storyteller is among us now or has been.

So, this is how I wrote the story in this book, a novel inspired by Lundgaard's unconscious creation. I retained Bibi's religious and racial perspectives, which readers with different leanings may find narrow-minded. In this true story, several people asked me to conceal their real names, and I cannot verify certain details of Bibi's account, so I only retained what I found interesting. Furthermore, many people embellish their recollections, adding exaggeration and personal ideology, so the novel may differ from the facts.

To the readers (2)

While you might think that writing this book was as easy as Patience Voss taking notes, the truth is that I relied on the help of many people to painstakingly piece together the fragments. As for the interviews, there are too many people I want to thank to list them all here, but they themselves know this.

I thank the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the American Society for Psychical Research in New York for opening their doors to me. I hope readers will visit them, explore their rich collections and archives, and generously donate to them.

At the time of writing this book, I still had no opportunity to visit the Kingdom of Lanna and see the places mentioned in the book. Therefore, I am very grateful to Vivian Zhalon for lending me videotapes about that country. Professor Bill Wu provided expert commentary on Chinese Buddhist art and the Burma Road, and corrected some of Bibi's descriptions of cultural influences, but I retain some errors in her narratives, and I humbly request Professor Wu's forgiveness. Mike Hearn of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York provided unique insights into Chinese aesthetics. Robert and Deborah Tonello of the Tonello Nursery explained what was actually discovered in the bamboo forest. Mark Murphy's *The High Frontier: Exploring the Tropical Rainforest Canopy* (Mark Murphy is not related to the character of the same name in the book) gave me a vivid and profound understanding of ecosystems. Ellen Moore compiled the collected information. Animal behaviorist Ian Dunbar provided knowledge of dog behavior and training, but the methods described in this book do not entirely represent his views.

I cannot verify all the details about the Kingdom of Lanna. I can only use fictional characters to illustrate "Bibi's Report," which may make the line between fiction and reality less clear.

In short, the veracity of Bibi's story can be found in many sources, including the story of "Little White Brother" and the war against the Southern Yi tribes. I apologize for any obvious errors, many of which were undoubtedly my fault, but some were Bibi's. Editors Molly Elias and Amy Tepper removed the clutter from the page and explained where I went and why I got lost. Anna Justin removed a large amount of embarrassing content.

Finally, I would like to express my special thanks to Kren Lundga for allowing me to use "Bibi's work," for patiently answering my questions, and for welcoming me like a friend.

Karen passed away in October 2003 due to illness.

A murder case (1)

Tourists disappear in the Kingdom of Lanna