1957-11-23 — Page 13

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1957,

Once Upon A Moontime

H

the Peak the traffic

FAVE you noticed how Life ploda. on at pedestrian pace for months much his elder) which As we approached the top

or years on end, and, then qui te suddenly, there is a tremendous floored me. Helen and I left of acceleration, a perplexing onrush of events? It's bewildering, and not a little provoking. This happened to me just three weeks ago, and I'm still busy with my emotional stocktaking.

Helen and I were sitting on the Club verandah fueing the Harbour, sipping that specially good first drink of the evening. I was com- pletely relaxed. The week. end stretcherl before 118,

wontth.

attractive I suppose

you

pretty quickly after that, thickened, and from Jar- she somewhat reluctantly, dine's Corner progress be- but not before we'd camo a crawl. Folicemen arranged to meet the strove manfully to unravel

by George Ramage

"

organising.

to

It was most

the tangle of scores of cars, hundreds of walkers. It was a strangely moving scene. In the flat area around the Peak Tram a solid maas of moon-viewers, and all up the steep rise of Mount Austin decided to park and join the to be my big mistake mum- throng on foot. This was

ber two.

HONGKONG FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS 1957 'Literary Section

"But you don't know a Woman is the stronger following evening to look at ours alone. We had planned thing about Life, do you? forces?" she asked, eyes the Moon. Helen did all the undulating stream. We

We were to do precisely, nothing. And you know less about shining.

"It is that. It's a magic meet at the Club, and I was Come to think of it, that's the way a woman feels. You

everything, wint we usually did. Helen accept

you time," drooled that decrepit to le the subsequent was that rare being, in my don't make things happen, old leprechaun. And then I driving. Good old Charlie, eyes, a thoroughly sensible You're-you're just a stick made my big mistake, and the taxi-driver.

Helen stood by the cur Quiet, intelligent, in-the-mud."

growler, "Stuff and non-

I was restless all the for a moment, straight and "Steady on 1 began, sonse." Helen looked at me,

slim in the headlights. She would say. At anyrate, sie but Helen suddenly waved cooly and impersonally following lazy, dreary day.

was no longer the Helen of had good teeth and a fine and smiled that great big "We'll see," she murmured. My at had never seemed so

was it just yesterday? I looked skin. And, 1 forgol, red smile which women reserve Well, McGinnis tagged on drab and blenk.

There was I can't quite hair, but not too red. We for special occasions. I for the rest of that evening, p MOON in the encyclo- had similar tastes and were turned, and there he was, and we eventually landed paedia-I'd never realised got it sort of 'regal calm automatically invited to the McGinnis. Of all people and up, in the early hours, at how dangerous its influence and polee about her, and yet, an amused air of wait- samt parties. You know at that moment. The well- one of those night-clubs could be.

and-see. She clicked her how it is.

known Irish Lenor, living in specialising in minimum perturbing.

fingers at us. "Come on. with semi retire lighting

maximum It was, you may think, a confortable

Around about eight- I'm in charge now. Remem- A short, stout, charges. Helen, I typical Hongkong evening, ment.

Was thirty I prepared to leave ber-the female is in the There, down below was the floridly handsome charmer, pleased to nože, seemed

Bill laughed for the Club. The car flatly ascendant." twinkling, many-coloured in his mid-fifties. Helen rather less hilarious. I refused to start. I cursed warmly, and McGinnis welter of lights---blues, reds, loved his air of sophistica- took hope from this, but the baleful effects of the looked at me archiy. I could grens, yellows, all aglow- tion and his outrageous there was to be no repricvo, moon, coupled with a parti- have kicked him.

And so pleasant with rely ferries criss. flattery, and whenever he no

to return

At cularly strong reference to the pilgrimage begun. grossing, and a buck-curtain sobbed his way through normality for me. Now, as the Johns and Bills of this first there was a rightness. of mountains, dark und The Mountains of Mourne, you know, even in those world. Finally I managed about the gay laughter, the George Ramage

which he did at the drop of twilight- haunts mysterius.

of the feeling to get away, and chag- chatter. a hat, she was absolutely 'escapists, occasional gleams chugged my way down the intimacy with

and the cup. spellbound,

of light do escape from the Peak.

crowd, the This could happen only to carefully hooded table-

nearer to nie. I motioned him to join lamps, Then a whole face Let us, but he

was already is illumined, perhaps, and

"This is good, isn't it?" I remarked, after deep con- sideration.

"MMMH"

oľ

the

TS was a bit fonclera seated and offering Helen à seems to float in its own

Was

IL

volume

and Hat, I thought, cigarette. The chatige in aura, bodiless and startling, 1 looked at Helen. There her was remarkable. She This now happened at the sparked. Me opposite side of the room. A a strained, far-away positively expression on her face. I Gimis placed large, very bronzed, young male sensed a change in ahno- leather-bound

on face suddonly whone for a sphere, but.

rallied my thetaldo. Naturally she second and was gone. Helen forces.

asked him what it was. sat up straight, gasped "It's "Now I'm glad you've Bill," and was across the asked me that," he burbled, room, through the huddle of "Because there's something dancers, before you could here that applies to you." say, "Kung Hei Fat Choy."

"Do go on," purred Helen.

ADONIS

This is hardly the face that launched a thousand ships," I quipped rather neatly. Helen turned to warda me with slow deli- beration.

**How oki are Charles?" I was 11 nettled.

I beckoned a steward, and

you, morosely gave an order for I little drinks.

"Do you know what to morrow is?" McGinnis asked, quirking an eyebrow.

1 Bald.

to

.

# great urge to get that almost with a weary

gesture noon= me say that one of hypnotic moon. Then wards told them to carry on. heard a wheezing just be Heten snilled telerently, and hind me, and for the first with a cryplic. "It's in the book" time felt a little sorry for swung Bill around and away.

I founti McGinnis some poor old McGinnis.

distance down, still fighting for

heads, in another world, I heard

the things P'd always liked about Holen was her res trained and very correct dress-sense. So I was ab solutely aghast when I arrived at the Club and saw "I think I'll just take it breath. Away for above our her. She had managed to easy for a space." he gasped, Helen's clear, vibrant call of pour herself into a flame- and no amount of wheedling "Come on, Bill, we're coloured dress that fitted from Helen would budge there." I looked at McGinnis. her like a second skin, and him from the boulder on to and he looked at me, and we

I both smiled ructully. she'd done something to her which he had dropped. face and hair that gave her thought I detected a twinkle

Female in the a witchy look, if you know in Helen's eyes, but her face

ascendant what I mean. McGinnis was quite innocent as she slapped me on the back, and turned to Bill and myself

"And I'm twenty. seized my cue. "Sunday reluctant. revoltingly hand- gaiety when everyone else on and on. Past sprawling Helen with all

in mid-chirp. I waited.

"You pass for a well-read

Filmort

he

for the

1

"You know, Charles," WAS completely stag- I came out of my trauma, and asked if we felt up to

I said, with all the worin Irish gered, but worse was and from then on tried to it. I was quite rattled, and puckishness pouring out, it's_h

came, She return catch up

the on

"Of drinks. spluttered;

course; fine thing to know when you're "You know jolly well-

d immediately,

And by a young scrap lead. But, you know, it's im- that's what we came for, hegten I'm thirty-five, and a bit."

ing by the hand a nicely- possible to capture the wasn't it?" And soon and of a girl at that. Now, I blame iceclf entirely for stirring up this moontalks, "And a bit," she said acidly.

Rome Adonis. Helen was hus a furlong start. The picknickers, past close but between you and me and radiant, and introduced him more I tried, the

the three, and a bit, and yet 1

more couples soaking in

gatepost it's all moon-

best look and act like a by-passed

Bill Cummings. Ap sombre I became. Around influence; I suddenly "Of course, of course," na

"What do you mean?" spinster."

I was dropping growled, although I'd already this with great tolerance," parently Bill could join us, about eleven of this that realised

that Helen and Bill guessed. This was serious. This but it is also the Moon but not for too long. I night we decided to drive back, was just not Helen. The Festival." "Oh, that," 1 offered cigarettes around, up the Peak and look at the were striding on arm-in- "I know I'm beaten, and you crickets stopped suddenly grunted.

and Bill refused with "I moon. McGinnis pounced like arm. There was a thump know you're beaten. But does don't smoke, sir. Got to a satyr and nd Helen in ing in my ears, and, as if young Bill, uh? I don't think There was no stopping watch my voice." He was, the back-sent whilst I was through a fog. I heard my I'm quite sure the female's in he stands a chance up there. "But here's the of all things, a 'singer of still pondering. Bill kept me self cronking, "Hoy! Walt the ascendant And his rich man, don't you. Charles?" this man. The Lone was still frigid. I point. It says here that pop. tunes. When I looked company in front,

for me!" How pathetic lough rolled down the slopes thought fondly of

he my the Moon Festival is properly incredulous,

when you, came to think of and I found myself joining in Universal Encyclopaedin, my strictly female affair, and smiled and murmured,

I prefer to forget that it. Thirty-fivish, and benten with a queer feeling of having uncut edition of Dylan that the female is in the keeps me in the stylo to drive. Alright, the moon by a little hill-trek. I still had a narrow escape..

Ife was quite right, of course. Thomas, the signed photo- ascendant." I longed to have which I'm completely unne was up there, big and proud think there was witchery We waited in the car, and after

Encyclopaedia handy, customed.” I think it was and magnetic. Still I was about. graph of Agatha Christic, my

op eternity two dazed-looking and the LP record of My Helen seemed to think that the ease with which he furious when McGinnis was

Helen dragged Bill back to immortals approached. I looked Fair Lady. "Yes," I said. McGinnis had said some parried my unspoken query ting his way through where I stood, splayfooted, questioningly at them. Helen's

lips twitched, and she nodded Then came the spute. I've thing world-shaking. und especially the respect 'Believe me if all those treating to a traction-engine. all lifted his eyebrows, atie! "John. You mean it's the ful way he addressed me as endearing young charms,' she was all sympathy. Would I shrugged his shoulders in mock- Jelen

on time of the year when sir' (which made me very and when he was quiet my think I'd gone far enough? Why tiled rercuels on and on and

help if I had short rest? Did I surrender. And the enrs positively twitched didn't I see how John was? on,.. with apprehension Bill This last I grasped af, saving didn't say a word.

never worked-up

seen

SO

"It

my pride. Yes, I'd do that, and

THE END.

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