The Viking's Tale: Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Once inside the house, Hyun Kahm, who was Hye-su's father indicated two chairs in the small living room. After they were seated, he asked, "You have news of our daughter, Hye-su?"
"Yes," said Laura, holding her laptop in her lap. "I can show you pictures we took in Mongolia." She opened the laptop and placed it on the low table. Mother and father crowded close to look over Laura's shoulder.
The screen lit up and Hye-su's smiling image beamed out at them. She spoke in Korean, greeting them both.
"Hi," said the mother pointing at the screen and there followed a string of words as tears welled out, flowing down her cheeks.
The father too was overwhelmed as he smiled and said a few words.
Laura clicked through a series of pictures with Hye-su giving them instructions.
"She say to follow your directions and you will send us to Mongolia," said the father, Hyun Kahm. "How is that possible? Our police will not allow us to leave."
"Yes," said Ralph. "We will have to come up up with a plan. I noticed there were many fishing boats in the bay. Could we take one of those to South Korea?"
"Oh, that is possible," said Hyun Kahm. "But we are five of us and two of you. Won't it be noticeable to the coast-guard?"
"We would pass off as tourists," said Ralph. "While you would be showing us the sights. But the children may have to stay hidden in the hold of the boat."
"I don't know if they will like that," said Chae-Won, the mother.
"Where are they?" asked Laura.
"In school," said Chae-Won.
"While we're waiting for them, let's go down to the harbor and talk to some of the boat owners," said Ralph.
"You want us to leave right away?" asked Chae-Won.
"The sooner the better," said Laura. "You can't take very much with you. Just your precious possessions."
"What about this house and the farm?" said Chae-won.
There was a silence as the husband and wife thought about it. Chae-won stirred herself and went to the kitchen to fix tea.
Just then the children came in. Two boys, about sixteen and fourteen and a girl of twelve. They stopped in their tracks and stared at Ralph and Laura. "Who are they?" asked the older boy, in Chinese.
"They are Hye-su's American friends," said Mr. Kahm. Then he explained, "This is my eldest son, Bora."
The girl came running to Laura. "You have seen my sister, Hye-su?" she asked in delight, a smile spreading across her face.
"Yes," said Laura, putting an arm around the girl's shoulder. "She is well and working in a library in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia."
"Where is that?" said the younger boy, Hwan.
"Far away," said Ralph, bending down and smiling at the boy.
They settled down on chairs around a table, drinking tea. Ralph explained to them of the plans to move to South Korea and then to Mongolia to join Hye-su.
"The police will kill us," said the older boy, Bora.
"That is why we have to plan our escape very carefully," said Ralph. "Right now is a time. There is a lot of excitement in both, North Korea and South Korea because of the Winter Olympics at Pyeonchang in South Korea."
"But I know nothing about winter sports," said Bora.
"You just pretend," said Laura. "You don't have to participate."
"What about my girl-friend? Can she come too or should I stay back?"
"You cannot stay here if we leave," said Mr. Hamn. "The police will torture you and finally kill you."
"What is your plan?" asked Bora.
"The opening ceremony at the Olympic village in Pyeonchang is on February 9th, 2018. Today is the 7th. We will leave tomorrow as tourists to Seoul. If anyone questions us, we tell them we're going to Pyeonchang for the Olympics."
"What if they ask us if we have tickets to the Olympics?" asked Bora. Ralph noted that the boy had a probing mind. He certainly can't stay behind with his girl-friend. They would need him on their journey.
"We'll say we will get it there from scalpers if they have such a thing."
Ralph, Laura and Mr. Hamn left for the harbor to talk to boat-owners about taking seven people to Seoul by sea.
It went better than they had expected. The owner of a fleet of tugs demanded a reasonable fee for their travel the next day. He told them that they were responsible for all travel documents required in case they were stopped by the coast-guard.
Rather than have all seven members of the group move onto the docks attracting attention, Ralph suggested that he and Laura would board the boat first and wait for the rest of them. But they were to come singly in fifteen minute intervals.
"They don't have watches," said Mr. Hamn. "Except Bora."
"Then Bora will time each person's departure from where we meet as a group." He looked at Bora. "You will be the last to leave our hiding place."
The next day the pantomime seemed to work. Ralph and Laura boarded the tug with the little luggage they had and waited on the deck. A fishing boat tether nearby was getting ready to leave the dock. Hands on board moved quickly, storing nets and ropes neatly on the sides of the vessel.
Mr. Hamn came next and went down into the hold. After a spell Mrs. Hamn and the youngest daughter walked slowly, looking around. Not many people on the wharf at the early hour of the morning. About ten yards away the fishing boat started and sailed into the bay waters. Mrs. Hamn and the girl went below deck.
Next came the second boy, also walking nonchalantly as in a play. He went below deck.
Bora walked confidently and entered the boat.
"Time to cast off," said Ralph to the captain waiting with his second in command. The motor in the depths of the tug started and the boat moved slowly into the bay.
Ralph wondered if this part of the bay was called the Yellow Sea or the name referred to the waters further near South Korea.
It was a calm morning scene with the sun shining through the early mists. Gulls flew above with their screeching cries. There were three or four fishing vessels in the distance. Ralph and Laura stood at the rails and felt a light spray from the water churned up in their wake. Laura moved away towards the door but didn't go below. She sat on a bench and watched the land recede.
Ralph had come prepared. He had a robotic Butterfly and an Eagle in his weather-proof jacket pockets. He could remotely control the Butterfly and the Eagle. The Eagle had two explosive capsules that could be released and detonated by a signal from the Butterfly who flew in its vicinity. He had used them both to advantage in the past against Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. He thought it would be a good idea to launch them both now and have them accompany the boat from a height of a hundred feet. Anyone looking up would think they were seagulls. He looked around and Laura got up and stood in the doorway to block any view from below in the hold. Ralph launched the Butterfly and minutes later the Eagle took off. He held the remote and guided them up to cruising altitude.
The captain came down from his his pilot's cabin and walked to where Ralph stood by the rails. "What was that?" he asked in his Chinese dialected English.
"Just something to protect us in case of trouble," said Ralph, pocketing the remote.
"It won't get me into trouble?" asked the captain.
"No, I don't think so. I'll make sure your boat is safe." Famous words, thought Ralph.