Chapter 21 Chapter Twenty

(one) The next morning I called Kim Jo and told her I was leaving for Bournemouth the next day. "I found a quiet little hotel called the Deer Park. There are a few secret side doors where I might sneak into London to see you." "I think, maybe you really shouldn't come, but it would be great if you came. You must never have thought that I'm so bored. If you could come, I could sneak out to meet you." I suddenly felt startled. "Jin Qiao! Your voice...why is it different?" "Oh, nothing! Don't worry." "But your voice..." "Just a sore throat."

"Jin Joe!" "Look, Mark, anyone can have a sore throat, I'm just about to catch a cold." "Cold? No, you can't escape the problem. Are you really okay, tell me quickly." "Don't think about it, of course I'm fine." "Tell me, how do you feel? Do you really look like you're going to catch a cold?" "It's—maybe... more than that, you know this kind of thing—" "Do you have a fever?" "Maybe I have a little fever..." Sitting on the chair, I felt a chill all over my body. I knew that not only was I afraid, but no matter how Jin Qiao denied it, she was also a little scared.

She said again in a rough voice: "Mark, don't panic, there's nothing to panic about." "Maybe not, but we've got to plan ahead. Call your doctor right away and ask him to see you right away." "Well, but—he must think I'm making too much of a fuss." "Don't worry about it so much, do it quickly! After he leaves, call me and tell me the result." After hanging up the phone, I sat silently staring at the phone for a while.Panic—I must not panic.This season is already prone to colds, and the doctor will reassure us...maybe it's just a little cold.

I seem to see Sybil's peacock-patterned dress embroidered with evil symbols again, and I seem to hear Sesha's voice giving orders again, and Bella hums evil notes while clutching the struggling white The look of a rooster. Absurd, simply absurd... These are all superstitious and absurd things... That box—it's not easy to forget that box.What it represents is not human superstition, but a possible development of science.But that's so improbable—impossible— Mrs. Cassop caught me staring at the telephone and said immediately, "What's the matter?" I said, "Jin Qiao doesn't feel very well."

I wanted her to say that was ridiculous, I wanted her to give me confidence, but she didn't. "It's terrible," she said. "Impossible!" I said, "There is absolutely no way they will do what they say!" "yes?" "You won't believe—you can't believe—" "My dear Mark," said Mrs. Cassop, "you and Jinjo have both admitted the possibility, or you wouldn't have done it." "The more we believe it, the worse it gets - the more likely it will turn out to be true!" "You don't quite believe it yet, but if you have evidence, you may believe it."

"Evidence? What evidence?" "Kingjo's illness is the proof," said Mrs. Cathorpe. I hate her for saying that, and her voice raised angrily: "Why are you so pessimistic? It's just a small cold, why do you have to think about the worst?" "Because if things are that bad, we have to face reality and not stick our heads in the sand like an ostrich." "Do you think that ridiculous nonsense really works? Those symbols, chicken killing, can really hurt people?" "We have to admit," said Mrs. Cassop, "that there are some things that work. Of course, a lot of what they do is just smoke screens, just to create atmosphere, because atmosphere is very important. But in those smoke screens, there must be What is true, there must be something that actually works.”

"Electrical waves acting from a distance, for example?" "Basically. You know, humans are always inventing things, and some unscrupulous person might use this new knowledge for personal purposes—you know, Sesha's father was a physicist—" "But what? What? That damned box! If only we'd get it and check it—if the police—" "The police may not necessarily have a way to get a search warrant, and they may not necessarily gain more than us." "I'm going to destroy that damn thing!" Mrs. Cassop shook her head. "From what you have told me, the seed was sown that night."

I buried my head in my palms and said painfully: "Wish we never got around to doing the damn thing!" Mrs. Cathorpe said firmly: "Your motives are very good, and it's too late to say that now. Anyway, Jinjo will call you when the doctor comes. She will probably call Rhoda." I remembered, and said: "I'd better go back at once." As I was about to leave, Mrs. Cassop suddenly said, "I'm so stupid! I know I'm so stupid! Smoke screen! We've all been deceived by the smoke screen! I think we're thinking what they expect us to be." thinking."

Maybe she's right, but I really don't know what else to think. Two hours later, Jin Qiao called me. She said: "The doctor came, and he seemed a little strange. But he said it was probably just a cold, and there are a lot of people with colds recently. He asked me to go to bed and gave me some medicine. My temperature is very high, but I have a cold. You get a high fever, too, don't you?" Although she spoke bravely, under her hoarse voice, there was a sense of loneliness and pleading for help. "You'll be all right," I said sadly. "You hear? You'll be all right. Are you feeling sick?"

"Well - besides the fever, there is a little pain, pain everywhere, feet, skin all over...I hate anything touching me...I'm so hot all over." "It's about the fever, my dear, listen, I'm coming to see you! Come right away, no, stop arguing with me." "Well, I'm glad you're here, Mark, I think—I'm not as brave as I think I am." (two) I called Li Jun. "Miss Corrigan is ill." "what?" "You heard me, she's sick. She's seen a doctor, and the doctor said it might be a cold. Maybe, maybe not. I don't know what you can do, I just want to see a specialist."

"What expert?" "Psychiatrists—or psychoanalysts, psychologists. Something like that. Someone who knows something about suggestion, hypnotism, brainwashing. Anyone out there?" "Of course there is, the 'Family Section' are good at it. You're right, it could be just a cold--or it could be something psychological that the average person doesn't quite understand. Good God, Easterbrook, maybe that's the reason." It's what we expected!" I hang up the phone hard, maybe we can learn something about psychological weapons from this incident-but all I care about is Jin Qiao, and she, who is brave, feels scared too.We don't really believe that's the case - or do we subconsciously believe it?No, of course we don't.It was just a game—no, not a game. "White Horse" is proving that it exists and has power.I buried my head in my palms, moaning sadly.