Read House of Trembling Leaves, The for Free Online Page A

ancestors and to not be scared of the thunder. She remembered, too, the Himalayan sun breaking through the clouds; the deer hides used as groundsheets for sleeping; her mother warming her pink, stiff fingers over the teepee of flames as Sum Sum threw more kindling and bark resin on the fire. The horse and yak caravan had taken them to within sight of the Indian border. The journey across the mountains had taken sixteen days. It was here that they would say their final goodbyes. Sum Sum felt the prayer box amulet being secured around her neck and the shoulder bags being hitched in place. She was crying so hard that when she looked at her mother her image blurred and wavered. They pressed the palms of their hands to each others’ cheeks. Then her mother pulled her into her arms before Sum Sum could see the tears streak down her face. Sum Sum tried to speak but could say nothing; it was as if someone had placed stones in her mouth. When they pulled away, her mother’s eyes shot towards the distant hills to the south and she tipped her head. It was time to go.
    At the time she never thought about whether Malaya would be different to Tibet. She did not know that there might be another way to live, unfamiliar foods to eat, outlandish customs and habits and languages to comprehend. Nobody told her anything. All she wanted to do was make her mother proud.
    Sum Sum shook her head forcefully at the memory. Her teeth bit into her lower lip. Seconds later she was busying herself with the unpacking, putting things away, fastening cocktail dresses and cheongsams on to padded wooden hangers, arranging toiletries, unwrapping this and unfolding that. She retrieved Lu See’s brass statuette of Ganesha, the Hindu elephant-headed god, and positioned it by the bed.
    Lu See went over and rubbed his pot belly. ‘‘We’ll need all the help we can get from this fellow - God of new ventures and remover of obstacles.’’
    â€˜â€˜Remover of obstacles? Aiyo , you sound like you’re constipated.’’
    Lu See cracked open the window. The distant sounds of the swing band on the promenade deck floated down from above. Springboarding into a yoga headstand, she closed her eyes and waited for the enjoyable rush of blood to her cheeks. She glanced at her watch, upside down. ‘‘I fancy a walk. You want something to eat?’’
    â€˜â€˜Can, lah.’’ Sum Sum sighed, coiling her prayer beads round her wrist. ‘‘But I still think we should have bought some coconut candy at the quayside. I miss my tongue-touchers already.’’
    â€˜â€˜Yes and we would have been collared by Uncle Big Jowl if you had done.’’
    They strolled along the Lido deck under parasols, watching a group of people play an impromptu game of shuffleboard. Three stewards with braiding on their shoulders cruised the deckchairs with pitchers of iced lime juice. Both Lu See and Sum Sum accepted a glass and sipped the cool drinks, relishing the cold against their lips.
    A little further on, they came across a tall European man holding a filbert brush. He stood by his easel wearing a blue blazer with gold buttons over a white shirt and white linen trousers. His teeth looked too large for his mouth. To his left a muscular, well-groomed Indian in a khaki safari suit was holding up a holland umbrella, shielding the canvas from the sun.
    Lu See stood behind the European for a while and then cleared her throat.
    â€˜â€˜God, Christ! You scared me half to death.’’
    She asked, ‘‘Are you the captain?’’
    â€˜â€˜Do I look like the captain?’’
    â€˜â€˜Yes, actually, you do.’’
    â€˜â€˜Well, I’m not.’’
    â€˜â€˜Where is the captain?’’
    â€˜â€˜Hell if I know.’’
    Her head tilted to one side to look at the canvas. She made out some curvy blue and white lines that resembled waves with a blue purple blob in the