Chapter 10: Voices Of The Lost
"It's related to my recent case... I can't disclose any further details right now. I hope you understand," Kate replied.
"Yes, I understand," Aussie acknowledged, taking a sip of the black coffee that had been served a few minutes ago.
"Drink your coffee... it's getting cold," he suggested to Kate.
"I am drinking it," Kate affirmed, lifting the cup to her lips.
"Aussie, please translate this text into English... I need it," Kate requested.
"Okay," Aussie agreed, taking the page once again."I have a printed copy of this photo here... Write the English version of the Persian text on the other side of the paper," Kate instructed, retrieving a piece of paper from her shoulder bag.
Aussie, having learned the meaning of a few Persian words due to his love for Persian poetry, opened the English version of the Rubaiyat on his mobile phone, which was available online. He began searching for the English translation of the quatrains written on the page.
After a few minutes, he had written down the English translation of the Persian quatrains from the Rubaiyat and handed it to Kate.
Kate examined the page. On one side, the Persian version of the Rubaiyat quatrains was printed, while on the other side, Aussie had written the English meanings of those quatrains.
Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse — and Thou
Beside me singing in the wilderness —
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.
"How sweet is mortal Sovranty!" – think some:
Others – "How blest the Paradise to come!"
Ah, take the Cash and let the Credit go
Nor heed the rumble of a distant Drum!
Were it not Folly, Spider-like to spin
The Thread of present Life away to win
What? For ourselves who know not if we shall
Breathe out the very Breath we now breathe in!
Look to the Rose that blows about us – "Lo,
Laughing," she says, "into the World I blow:
At once the silken Tassel of my Purse
Tear, and its Treasure on the Garden throw.
The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon
Turns Ashes – or it prospers; and anon,
Like Snow upon the Desert's dusty Face
Lighting a little Hour or two – is gone
(Omer Khayyam)
Kate read the English translation of the text, trying to grasp its meaning, but she knew it wouldn’t be an easy task. Lifting her head, she noticed a boy standing beside a pillar, his gaze fixed on the piece of paper she held in her hand. He had been standing there since Kate and Aussie had sat down at the table.
Initially, he had been talking with two other boys, but they had left, leaving him behind. Kate observed that he was covertly listening to their conversation and staring at the page with the Persian quatrains from the Rubaiyat.
Kate considered asking the boy who he was and why he was so interested in the paper. However, she ultimately decided against it and let him continue staring at the page.
"Why did the killer put a page with Persian poetry in the coat of the dead body?" Kate pondered silently. "Why not the English version of the poem?" she questioned herself. "What is the connection between this poetry and the murder? Is the killer someone who speaks Persian, or is the killer a foreigner?" She asked herself various questions, but the problem was she didn’t have the answers to any of them.
"Kate, what are you thinking?" Aussie noticed her silence and asked.
"Nothing," Kate replied. She couldn’t share any of her thoughts with him.
"Kate, what are these symbols?" Aussie inquired, pointing to three symbols on the page. One symbol was on the left side of the page, another on the right side, and the third was beneath the last line of the fifth quatrain, with two words written below it.
"I don't know what these are... I need to find out their meaning," Kate admitted.
"Aussie, you didn’t translate these two words," Kate observed, placing her finger on the words below a symbol.
"The words 'Tamam Shud' are also Persian, meaning ‘to be finished or completed,’" Aussie revealed, adding more mystery to the matter.
"Okay," Kate said, exhaling deeply. She needed to return home and think over everything to figure out her next steps.
"Thank you, Aussie, you’ve been a great help to me," Kate expressed her gratitude.
"My pleasure," Aussie replied.
"I should leave now," Kate stated.
"Let’s go for lunch and reminisce about old times," Aussie suggested.
"Some other day... Once I solve my new case, we’ll hang out together," Kate replied.
"I’ll wait for your call," Aussie said, giving Kate a goodbye hug.
Kate glanced toward the pillar and noticed the boy leaving the cafeteria. She headed toward the door, leaving Aussie behind. Now, she had to follow the boy and find out why he was staring at the cryptic note from the Rubaiyat.