Red Phoenix

watching the decorations change from Christmas to New Year; on the sides of many buildings Santa would miraculously transform into the God of Fortune with a slight changeof costume. The previous year’s decoration changes had been particularly clever, with reindeer suddenly transforming into goats for the Year of the Goat. I wondered what they would do for the Year of the Monkey. I felt a pang as I remembered a cruise on the harbour to watch the fireworks. Only less than a year ago. Probably only two years left.
    A table cleared and we sat, Simone still chatting about the decorations. I was roused out of my reverie by my mobile phone ringing. I managed to find it in my bag before it stopped, and flipped it open.
    ‘Emma.’
    ‘Hello, darling, it’s me.’ ‘Mum?’
    ‘Yes. Why aren’t you at the airport? Are you running late? We’re waiting for you.’
    I hesitated, bewildered. ‘Airport?’
    ‘Yes, the plane arrived a good half an hour ago, dear. There’s a nice young man here. He said that you’d sent him to drive us to our hotel, but I said I’d wait for you. He’s right here with us, talking to your dad. Should we go with him?’
    My blood ran cold. ‘Mum, are you at Hong Kong airport?’
    ‘Yes, dear, of course we are. Why?’ She laughed gently. ‘It sounds like you forgot we were coming. Come on, Emma, enough joking.’
    ‘Mum, stay right where you are,’ I said. ‘Don’t go anywhere. Don’t go with anyone. Move away from that young man right now!’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Mum, I didn’t know you were coming. For God’s sake, move to where people can see you—’ She started to protest but I cut her off. ‘And don’t do anything until I get there!’ My father knew more about the situation than she did, but not much. ‘Let me talk to Dad.’
    There was silence then I heard my father. ‘What’s the problem, Emma?’
    ‘Dad, don’t hang up. Get away from that young man. Just walk away and go out into the middle, into one of the waiting areas where there are a lot of people around. Don’t go with anybody! Do you understand?’
    ‘I’m walking,’ he said. ‘Come on, Barbie.’
    ‘Is he following you?’
    ‘Yes. No. He stopped. He’s gone in a different direction.’
    I breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Listen, Dad, I didn’t know you were coming. Somebody brought you here to kidnap you.’
    ‘ What? You said you weren’t involved in anything!’
    ‘Thank God you didn’t go with him,’ I said. ‘Stay on the phone and wait for a second. I’ll arrange something.’
    ‘Okay,’ he said weakly. ‘We’re with a lot of people now.’
    ‘Stay. Wait.’ I lowered my voice. ‘Simone, can you talk to Jade or Gold?’
    Simone’s eyes turned inwards as she concentrated. ‘I can talk to both of them.’
    ‘Simone, listen to me, get them here right now. Tell them it’s really urgent.’
    Both Jade and Gold rushed out of the rest room passage and charged over to me. I rose to speak softly to them.
    ‘My mother and father are at the airport. They seemed to think I’d be waiting for them. Get over there right now. I’ll tell them to look for you and wave when they see you. Stay with them until I can get there.’
    They both nodded and raced back down the passageway.
    I returned to the phone. ‘Are you there, Dad?’
    ‘What the hell’s going on, Emma?’
    I breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Thank God. Listen, Dad, I have a couple of staff out there. You’ll probably see them in a minute. Two Chinese people. A girl in green, a young man in a tan suit. Tell me if you see them.’
    There was silence.
    No.
    ‘Can you hear me, Dad?’ ‘I see them,’ he said. I sighed with relief.
    ‘Wave to them,’ I said. ‘Simone, ask Jade if she can see my dad waving.’
    ‘She says she can see him,’ Simone said.
    ‘Dad,’ I said, ‘when they’re close to you, give the phone to the girl.’
    Silence. Then Jade. ‘We have them,’ she said.
    ‘Simone,’ I said. ‘Listen carefully. Ask Jade if she is talking to me on the phone. I want to be sure that it’s really her.’
    Simone concentrated. ‘It’s her, Emma, she’s on the phone to you.’
    I sagged with relief. ‘Oh, thank God.’ I returned to the phone. ‘Give the phone back to my father, Jade. I’ll tell him to stay with you until I can pick them up.’
    ‘We can take them directly to the Peak,’ Jade said.
    ‘ No !’ I shouted, and a few heads snapped around to me. I dropped my voice. ‘They don’t know about us!