Chapter 10 Through the looking glass It was well past noon when Danny finally began to stir in the

darkened hotel room. The light was flashing on the phone indicating a message was waiting for him, but he didnt care. His back ached, his head ached, his knees achwell, there wasnt anywhere that didnt seem to ache and he needed to pee. He slowly swung his frame to the side of the bed and dropped his feet to what he expected to be cold cheap tile only to find soft warm carpet. Hed forgotten he was at the Marriott and was still somewhat disoriented. Hmmm muttered Danny which way to the head? Stumbling around the room, scratching inappropriately, tripping over a shoe strewn across the room, stepping on his pants and coat and finally making it to the cool marble floor and the personal relief of the bathroom, the sound of streaming water striking still water sounded like a muffled machinegun. Lucky thing there is a night light on the hair dryer or Id be peeing in the bathtub or worse, Danny smiled at his own humor. Finishing his business, he turned to the sink and with one motion, flipped on the light and turned on the cold water faucet, splashing his face with cold water in an attempt to wake up. The searing glare of 100 watts temporarily blinded him, sending his head spinning and slammed his eyelids shut like the trunk on an old Desoto. The water felt good so Danny splashed more and with his eyes still closed groped for the hand towel in the ring next to the sink. As he wiped the water from his eyes he checked to see if he looked as bad as he felt. As his eyes cleared it appeared as though he was looking at some one else. What the? From the mirror, the face of Huli looked back, though Danny had no idea who or what it was. He was so shocked he jumped back in fright, fell into the tub and pulled the shower curtain and rod down in one resounding crash. A little dazed, Danny rose carefully, holding the shower rod like a weapon ready to meet his new adversary in the mirror. Much to his surprise, the only face in the mirror was his unshaven, wild harried mug. Guess I wasnt awake yet. Yeah, thats it, dreaming and peeing at the same time. I gotta get back to bed. Danny dropped the shower rod, and stumbled his way back to the bed. Next thing you know Ill be seeing that freaking flying ninja thing. Burying his face in the pillow, Danny was asleep in seconds, but not a restful sleep. It seemed to Danny that he was standing on a hillside overlooking a creek or small river. He could hear children playing somewhere, but could not see them. He felt very relaxed there so he sat down in the cool grass. As he sat, he noticed a man sitting next to him. It was the man in the mirror.

Hello Detective Marks, said the man. You can call me Danny since you seen me taking a leak and all. I mean its kind of like we are engaged you know? Danny wasnt sure why he had said that, but he could tell he was smiling in the dream. Im thinking this is a dream or am I dead? Which do you think it is replied the man? I think it is a dream cause I wasnt dead a few minutes ago. Then perhaps this is a dream the man replied. Do you know who I am? Nope, but ya know what? I kinda feel like I know you, but I aint even seen ya yet. You know, like in real life. Then you need to look at me now, the man touched Danny on the shoulder. Danny turned to see the face he saw in the mirror except it was much clearer now and not as scary, the man was obviously Asian, but Danny could not quite tell his age or anything else. It was like he was seeing him, but not seeing him. Youre the guy I saw in the mirror, Danny smiling as he answered as if he had just had the right answer in a 5th grade oral history quiz. Thats right Detective. I am Huli, a monk who it appears is linked to your fate and you are linked to mine, replied the monk. So does that mean Im gonna die? Im sorry Detective Marks I cannot predict the future or even influence its outcome. I can only tell you that soon you and I will face great peril and the end of it is intertwined with our futures. We may live or we may die, but either way, we will do so together. Huli rose and shook Dannys hand. Well, OK if thats the way it will be then I guess that is the way it will be. You seem to be an alright kind of guy, so Im thinking you dont kill me and I aint planning on killing you so there must be someone else in this soup. Am I right? Danny seemed comfortable in the dream just as he was comfortable in life. You are right Detective. We shall strive against an evil and powerful foe. We may or may not win but we shall fight till the very end. Huli turned and began to walk away. Hey, Julie! Danny intentionally pronounced the name wrong proving he had a sense of humor even in his sleep. Am I gonna remember this when I wake up? Danny called into a growing mist that had engulfed Hulis form such that it was barely a shadow now.

You shall, the voice replied, You shall Detective. **** ****

Huli replaced the eye of Fucanlong in the secret compartment of the wooden box and took a long breath. The future was unsure, but at least he knew that the New York detective he had seen in the vision was an ally and he would need all the allies that he could muster for the quest that was to come. As he rose he looked to the heaven to observe the stars and the vastness of the sky. It made him feel quite small compared to the task that the gods had given to him. Yet, the gods do as they please and if this is to be the end of a very old monk, then I guess that is the way it will be Huli said out loud, imitating Dannys gruff New York accent. Huli looked down at his robe and sandaled feet. Well old man, youd better rest those feet if you expect to make this journey. Nothing more you can do tonight. It is up to the gods to transport me to New York. Huli shook his head and wondered how that could possibly happen yet in his heart; he knew it would be so. For now, sleep called and he would answer. **** **** Al decided to drive back to Whitehall Station and see how Jack and his lab rats were making out. He tried calling Danny from the house phone at the Marriott, but Danny must have turned the ringer off so he wouldnt be disturbed. Probably a good idea since Al didnt really want to tell Danny that somebody might be out to kill Lori and that somebody just might be the invisible, ninja sword swinger or whatever it was that Danny called it. Still, Al could recall going to martial art exhibitions as a kid with his mother and seeing guys slicing everything from watermelons to cement blocks with what seemed to be one effortless swing. Al had even tried it once with a long carving knife and a cantaloupe. Fortunately for him he had made cardboard sleeves colored black with crayon to look like a true warrior. His strike at the cantaloupe was less than perfect, resulting in a glancing blow that barely scratched the melon but firmly struck his left forearm splitting the cardboard neatly and leaving a welt to serve as a reminder for several days. Funny, he had not thought about that incident in years and yet the memory of it seemed as clear as yesterday. As Al drove along, he suddenly remembered one more thing about that day. Jack was with him on the back porch as he swung the knife. Jack did not laugh at his miss but rather picked up the knife and rubbed it between his palms. Next he took several deep breaths, raised the knife above his head in his right hand and with one motion split the melon in half and sunk the knife a full half inch into the porch rail. Al remembered that it took the two of them to pry it free and safely return it to the kitchen drawer before his

mother came back from playing cards. I wonder how Jack did that, Al muttered to himself. Ill have to ask him sometime. The cell phone ring from his inside pocket fractured the daydream enough to keep Al from running into the back of a vintage Checker Cab stopped for a woman with a shopping buggy. Al slammed on his brakes hard enough to make the tires squeal to a halt and in doing so, lost his grip on the cell phone sending it tumbling into the floorboard. Al bent over, groping for the lost electronic for no more that two seconds, but when he looked out the front window to see where the woman was, she was gone and so was the cab. Al turned quickly from side to side and realized there were no cars on either side, or behind. In fact there were no cars or people on the street at all. It was like one of those weird science fiction movies where the world comes to an end and only one guy is left. Al reached to open the car door, paused a moment to grab his sidearm from his shoulder holster, then stepped out of the car onto the vacant street. There were no sounds at all. No car horns, no sirens he couldnt even hear the sound of his engine running. On the sidewalk to his left there was a man standing calmly watching Al. Al lowered his gun at the stranger and began to walk toward him. Dont move, he commanded. Im a police officer. Put your hands behind your head and interlace your But before he could finish, Al realized he recognized the stranger. Well not recognized, but somehow knew who he was. Grandfather? The stranger smiled and held up his hand. Hello Alfonso. It seemed more than a little bit odd that his grandfather was speaking to him so clearly. After all, his grandfather only knew Chinese and had never spoken a word of English in his life. Even stranger was that his grandfather died when Al was 13. Still, it was wonderful to see him again. Al seemed to accept this as perfectly normal. Al lowered his gun and placed it in his belt where he could quickly retrieve it if necessary. Grandfather. What are you doing here? You dont even have a coat; you could catch your death Als words trailed off into silence. Death. Of course he was dead so he didnt need a coat. Why are you here? Whats going on? Am I dreaming or did I die in an accident. No Alfonso, you are not dead, his grandfather touched his shoulder, but you are in very grave danger. So are you here to protect me? Al looked around as he spoke trying to identify the danger that now seemed imminent No Alfonso, I am here to tell you to watch all about you, but not with your eyes alone but with the sight that your eyes cannot see, his grandfather turned and began to walk away.

Wait. What do you mean? Al reached out but found while he could feel his grandfathers touch, he could not feel his form. It was as though he were a projection of an image on smoke. How can I see if not with my eyes? And what am I supposed to be looking for? Grandfather turned back when you were a boy you saw the dragon and the bull. You shall see them again and much more. Be careful Alfonso, be very careful. HONK! HONK! Al jumped at the sound of the air horn from a fire truck racing down the lane just next to him and barely missing the old lady with the buggy. The cab was still in front of him and the other cars all around. Al reached to his belt where he had placed his weapon only to find it in its holster where it was originally. Had he taken it from the holster at all or had it all been some kind of hallucination? Als heart was pounding. What the hell is going on? Al asked of no one in particular. I have got to be loosing my mind. Al decided to drive around Prospect Park on his way to see Jack and stop by the morgue located adjacent to the Kings County hospital in Brooklyn. Al remembered when he was a kid coming down here on Halloween trying to get a glimpse of either a body at the morgue or one of the crazys next door at the Kingsborough Psychiatric Center. Kids can be cruel, but Al never saw anything, and usually chickened out at the entrance to the grounds. It still gave him the creeps to go there; and most of the time he made Danny do it. In fact, in the last 10 years, he had only been there once, but it hadnt changed. Still creepy, Al said as he turned into the reserved parking spot. Real creepy. The fact that Halloween was a week away didnt help things either. It had never been a favorite holiday. Walking down the brightly lit hall of the morgue, Al recalled his partners jabs as to the definition and why it was a morgue instead of a mortuary. Al had suggested that a morgue was in a hospital or in large cities part of the coroners office. Surprisingly Danny retorted then you would be in error my good man. The words are interchangeable, but in the US we tend to use morgue while our British cousins use the alternate. Occasionally we use the term mortuary to describe a funeral home. Shu still smiled at the recollection. He came back quickly at Danny with so where did you hear that one? Jeopardy, Danny said with an overly toothy grin. Lori knew it, but missed the giant earthworm of Idaho. I knew that one. Al could remember laughing till his sides hurt. That was a long time ago, yet it didnt seem that distant. Al could hear Dannys voice in his head and even Lori laughing the way she did when Danny said something particularly brilliant. Danny may play dumb sometimes, but Shu knew Danny graduated cum laude, and that was no small task. Danny had an affinity for strange trivia. Al figured it has something to do with his obsession with Ripleys Believe or Not. Danny never missed it in the comics, had been to the museum in Niagara Falls six times and had a pile of books about the subject. He thrived on things like the woman in Poland who was

pronounced dead after she became unconscious, only to wake up in a body bag at the morgue hours later. Al stopped, shook his head as if to shakeout the cobwebs and old memories, turned left and pushed open the double doors leading to the examination room. The coroners workshop was frightening in its starkness; hard enamel surfaced walls, stainless steel everything, large clocks hanging from the ceiling and a truly grotesque collection of tools. Several stainless steel carts with large diameter wheels sat at odd angles to one another, some had bodies draped with a white nylon like sheets, others were naked under the glare of the energy saving fluorescent tubes. The floor was covered with water; a young Haitian man in hospital greens was pushing it toward a central drain in the floor with a curved squeegee. The room smelled like a mix of antiseptic mouthwash, bleach and fried chicken. So wheres Nick? He said he would be here, Al asked of the man. Zaf kabrit pa zaf mouton, he replied. What? He said, The goat's business is not the sheep's business, replied Nick Miller as he came into the room from a side office. Its an old Haitian proverb. Nick was wiping the fried chicken grease from his hands on to a rag handing from the front of his rubber looking apron. So doesnt he speak English, questioned Shu Of course I speak English, and Spanish, and Creole and French and several others replied the young man, leaning on the handle of the squeegee. Sorry, Al, this is Marcus. Hes a premed student that helps me out here. Glad to meet you Marcus, Al extending to shake hands. As Marcus reached for Als outstretched hand, Al noticed the tattoo on the inside of his right wrist. It was three circles, connected on a single line, and with each divided into four quadrants. This is the Haitian symbol of the twin isnt it? Marcus shook Als hand firmly, Yes it is, and I am surprised you would know it. Al pulled up his sleeve to reveal what appeared to be two stylized sevens with a diagonal line through each that made them look like Xs. I also carry the symbol of the twin, except mine is Chinese. Shu smiled.

So, Nick interjected, does this mean you guys are bothers from another mother or something? I mean I know for sure, you dont have a twin brother Al, not sure about Marcus here. So, what about the sign? Actually Nick, the sign symbolizes duality and unity in the same person. My grandmother said it indicated that the outward man and the inward man were two different people and only one could lead while the other must follow, replied Al. My grandmother said the same thing except she added that those who bore the sign could see the other world and the secrets it possessed. Marcus waived his hand in the air like a magician then reached into his shirt and withdrew a gold cross on a chain, and kissed it. Tell me, was your grandmother a Voodoo priestess, asked Al without smiling. Yes, how did you know about all of this, asked Marcus? Kind of a Chinese thingmy mom was into this stuff big time. She said my grandmother could see the future and that I had psychic powers. Just a lot of old country mumbo-jumbo. As the words trailed from his mouth, Al remembered the things his grandfather had told him.his dead grandfather. The room seemed overly quiet, very uncomfortable. Nick shook his head, Wow, you boys had me going there for a minute. He laughed nervously. Ok, now back to the twenty first century, we are in a scientific lab after-all. Marcus and Al responded with forced nervous laughs, both turning to see what Nick was about to reveal from under the nylon sheet. ******************************************* It was nearly six as Jack and the boys locked down the last cases of equipment and samples to return to the lab. Soon the commuter trains would be rolling through Whitehall station again and no one would care about the tragedy that had occurred less than twenty-four hours earlier. Jack tossed his Nytrile gloves into an extra thick black trash bag and leaned to one side. Well guys we wrapped it up in time. So tell me, what you think The twins looked at one another, then as if little boys; they shuffled their feet and looked down at the ground without answering. Hey, whats the deal? You guys are the scientific elite with the best tools money can buy. So, you should be able to draw some conclusion. I mean you could at least say well see. Jack was obviously surprised and a little frustrated.

Well, Arney began, we have been talking about it all day. So what do you think? Well, we think it has to do with Chinese werewolves. Let me write it out for you. With that, Arne took a marker and a large sheet of paper and wrote.

It is a very old truth. So what does it mean? Is it like the ancient Chinese secret in that laundry detergent commercial? Jack laughed at just how serious Arne looked. The literal translation is On the wolf person body has our all fears - - also to have our all hopes. It means we all fear the werewolf and hope they are not real, but know they are. Arnes voice trailed to a whisper. For a moment everyone stood still, transfixed by the drama. Arne reached into a duffle bag that contained several books. Opening one, he quickly flipped to a page with a single image. See this, Arne pointed at the image on the page. This is the symbol of the wolf clan in ancient China. The same symbol has been found in Turkey, Italy, Germany, the British Isles and in Pennsylvania near Chambersburg. So what your scientific mind has concluded, Jack said in his most sarcastic tone, is that there is a good chance we are dealing with an ancient Chinese werewolf from Chambersburg Pennsylvania, who now lives in New York City.

Arne smiled sheepishly. Well now that you put it that way, it sounds a little silly. ButYes.