Kylie Chan - Heaven to Wudang

‘What is it?’ I asked Simone, waving back to David to indicate that I’d be there in a minute.

‘It’s just water,’ Simone said. ‘A wall of water. Not an optical illusion.’

‘Your dad?’

‘No. Only water. It might be elementals playing around, but I can’t sense any.’ She moved closer to the glass and concentrated. ‘No intelligence behind it.’ She cocked her head. ‘Why is it doing that?’

I walked towards the podium to reassure David, and some of the people nearby reacted loudly. A lump two metres across had emerged from the wall and was following me. I took a couple more steps towards David and the ball paced me. I continued and a snake’s head, at least a metre across, shot out of the water and slammed its snout into the window glass with a wet crack. People screamed and scurried away from the glass.

I stopped and turned to face the snake. Something in its eyes called to me and I raised one hand, desperately wishing I could touch it. It pushed its head more slowly towards me and came through the glass as if it wasn’t there. It touched its snout to my hand and time stopped. We hung suspended in the moment, touching snake to snake. The world spiralled away from me and the water rose up to meet me, its darkness filled with the immeasurable cold intelligence of the Serpent. It pulled its head back, nodded to me, and spun to disappear back into the wall of water.

The water collapsed, sending a black surge against the glass and then subsiding.

I jogged up to the podium to speak in David’s ear. ‘Pretend that was part of the show, courtesy of Chencorp, please. Nobody’s in danger.’

David raised his hands and spoke loudly over the PA system. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause for the special three-dimensional installation courtesy of Chencorp, one of the patrons for this evening. That was a one-off display of the installation before it is dismantled for a world tour, a demonstration of some of today’s most advanced holographic technology.’ He dropped his voice. ‘How’s that?’

‘Absolutely perfect. I owe you.’

There was scattered applause through the room, then people surged forward and applauded me loudly, discussing the snake and water. I patted David on the shoulder and turned to go back down.

‘Wait,’ he said. ‘What if something like that happens again?’

‘Just say it’s an encore,’ I said.

He shrugged. ‘Turnout will be double next time we have a charity opening.’

‘All good for the kids,’ I said, and went back down to Simone and the men.

Before the auction we wandered around the paintings. Simone showed me a Western-style oil painting of a group of running horses, one of them palomino.

‘I like this one. Do you think it would look good in my room?’

‘Which room — on the Peak or at home?’ I said.

‘At home. It’s too big for the Peak, it’s a metre across. It would look good in the living room in my apartment on the Mountain.’

Leo studied the painting. ‘This isn’t terribly well done, you know. You only want to buy it because it looks like Freddo.’

She nodded a reply.

‘He should pay for it to compensate you for destroying the carpet and making you move out while it was replaced,’ Michael said.

‘Pay with what?’ Simone said.

‘A promise not to pee on the carpet in future would be a good start,’ Leo said.

‘Oh geez,’ Simone said softly, looking behind me, then quickly went to another painting, Michael and Leo trailing her.

I turned to see what had spooked them and nearly sighed with dismay. It was George Wilson, taipan of one of the big shipping companies. He was a good head taller than me and nearly the same around, carrying a large glass of scotch leaning against his stomach and a predatory grin above his double chins.

‘Here’s the girl in charge,’ he said too loudly, surrounding me in a cloud of alcohol. ‘Running the business by yourself, real executive woman. You can be in charge of me any day, honey.’ He moved closer and I backed away. He leaned into me and his breath made my eyes water. ‘I bet you just love showing your good-looking bodyguards how you’re in charge.’

Simone stormed to us and glared at him. ‘You’re drunk, George, and you’re making inappropriate comments to my stepmother.’

He grinned at her. ‘Look at Missy being the boss. I bet your Michael-boy likes you being the boss.’ His grin grew into a leer. ‘You’re growing up fast, honey.’

‘This is sexual harassment!’ Simone said.

‘Oh, Simone, really,’ he said, spreading his arms and spilling his drink on the carpet. ‘I’m just having a bit of fun — don’t go all feminazi on me. Don’t take offence when I’m just joking around. I haven’t even touched you.’

‘Touch me and I’ll break your arm,’ she said, and walked stiffly back to Michael and Leo.

‘You need to teach her, Emma, or she’ll end up one of these radical feminists who think they know better than men; ugly and bossy and no man’ll be interested in her,’ George said. He sidled closer to me. ‘So do you have a new man in your life yet? Peter Tong keeps boasting he’s dating you, but I don’t believe it.’

‘I’m not looking, thanks, George,’ I said.

‘No such thing as a woman who isn’t looking. Tell you what.’ He moved so we were side by side facing the art. ‘My wife’s gone to South Africa for a couple of weeks. Why don’t you come over? I have some fantastic art at my place.’ He turned to me and grinned broadly. ‘Why don’t you pop over, have a drink, maybe lunch … or dinner … take a look?’

I shook my head. ‘I’m not really that interested in art. I think I’ll go catch up with Simone. Later, George.’

He waved his drink at me. ‘Don’t be a stranger, darling. Has to be hard running that big company without any help.’

I rejoined Simone, Leo and Michael, who were forcedly discussing a garish abstract canvas.

‘Why are you so polite to him?’ Simone said. ‘Why don’t you just tell him where to go?’

Leo bent to speak softly to me. ‘You should, Emma. He’ll only respect you if you tell him to his face. Being polite is only giving him ammunition.’

‘Being rude would give him even more ammunition,’ I said. ‘There’s really no way of dealing with a man like that. I didn’t agree to go to his house to see his “art” while his wife’s away, so he’s probably labelled me already.’

‘He invited you to his house?’ Michael said, aghast.

‘You should tell his wife!’ Simone said.

‘She knows all about it,’ I said. ‘She just puts up with it because that’s the way he is. She went to South Africa to get away from him for a while.’

We watched as George joined another group, one that held his personal assistant. He placed his hand around her waist then casually drifted it lower. She stiffened, obviously uncomfortable, but didn’t move away.

Simone shivered. ‘She should sue him for sexual harassment.’

‘This is the Earthly Plane, Simone. If she did that, he’d make sure she never worked anywhere again. She’d get a bad reputation and be unemployable. These women stay in the job for a year, he gives them a glowing reference, and they go on to something well-paid and worthwhile.’

‘That is so wrong,’ Simone said. ‘All those other people are standing around talking as if it isn’t happening.’

‘Go to the lectures at CH about power and dominance,’ Michael said. ‘They’re fascinating.’

‘I stayed away because I’m not interested in either,’ Simone said. ‘But I think I will now.’

David Hawkes approached us again and towered over me. ‘Emma, do you mind if I have a quiet word?’

I nodded and we went to the side together. He gestured towards a seat placed facing the windows and we sat.