The Soldier and the Monk

7/31/2019 The Soldier and the Monk

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THE SOLDIER AND THE

MONK

Barb Beier


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The Soldier and the Monk

Everything was blood red. Then he opened his eyes. There were leaves above him. Theywere green, a deeper and more vibrant green than he had ever seen in Vermont leaves. Butwasnt it November? He couldnt remember exactly, because his head hurt, but it seemed toPFC Jack Murphy that it would soon be Thanksgiving, and there shouldnt be any leaves ontrees right now, especially big green ones like these. Well, maybe a few old die-hards the colorof...well, that color over there.The blurred oblong of dull yellow and brown obligingly moved closer after Murphy tried to sit upbut instead decided it would be better not to move until rockets stopped going off in his headand the nausea quit washing over him in waves. The young Vermonter hadnt meant to groan,but Jesus, it was either that or puke his guts out all over.

A bald Oriental head suddenly appeared just inches from the Americans face.Viet Nam, Im in Viet Nam.That wasnt all he remembered. It hit him all at once: the firefight, and his fellow LRRPs fallingall around him; running; an explosion, and waking up somewhere else with the voices of hispursuers close by; the river; hiding in grass as the NVA ran by; hiding behind trees so villagerswouldnt see him. The river again, and then this hill. Adrenaline surged. He had to get out ofhere!The monk held both of his wrists as the young man struggled. Ngi gip ! he said in adeep baritone voice, trying to reassure the injured soldier. Ngi gip . Fren! Fren!The sight of the older mans bare shoulder was what brought Jack to his senses. This manwasnt wearing a uniform. Part of his yellow ocher robe covered the other shoulder. The manwas a monk! A Buddhist monk! Murphy saw how easily the monk was restraining him and felt

like crying but didnt.Ngi gip ? The monks whisper was urgent. He had a long, bony face and thin arms.He looked a little more Cambodian than full-blooded Vietnamese to Jack, who had immediatelyquieted down and sharpened up when he recognized the tension in the mans voice.Ngoy shup duh, Jack muttered in answer. It was one of the phrases Pop had taught them:Im a friend. Im on your side. How weird to have one of the natives saying it to him first! He

wondered where his rifle was.The monk nodded and let go of his wrists. After signaling the soldier to stay still, the strange oldman pulled a few leaves and branches over him, straightened up and walked a few paces away,

clasped his hands and took a few deep breaths.

Jack noticed that the monks robe came down to just below his knees. He was barefoot. Theywere in a grove, surrounded by shrubs and small trees. There was a brightness all around, andJack could see elephant grass out there. He vaguely remembered struggling up a grassy hill,trying to reach a clump of trees for cover. Maybe this was it.

It wasnt cover, though. That monk was six different kinds of scared. Something was up.


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A mans voice drifted up the hillside off to Murphys right, louder than the distant bird callsand other animal noises that told Jack there was jungle nearby. This fellow was speakingVietnamese and sounded angry and in a big hurry. Jack had heard that voice before, back atthe firefight shouting orders and behind him during the pursuit.

A North Vietnamese soldier came striding into the thicket. Apparently there was a path overthere where the monk was standing. Two young men dressed in black pajamas and carrying

AKs were following the NVA.One of the two VC seemed awed at the sight of the monk, but the man in uniform spat outVietnamese orders at the holy man in a gravelly voice that sounded like he hated life, the world,himself, and especially the frightened man in a yellow ochre robe in front of him.An American criminal is on the loose around here! Bui will stay in the village over there. . . .PFC Murphy was astounded. There was the tan uniform, the thick shock of black hair pouringout from under a tan cap and the nutcracker jaw of the NVA who had killed his buddy, Ed

Simmons, the best d***n all-around guy in the Nam! Where was his rifle?You will ask your fellow monks for news. Bring or send word to Bui immediately!Murphy wasnt thinking now. As the incomprehensible jabbering went on, with the monksweating heavily and nodding every few seconds at whatever the NVA was saying, the

Americans right hand started to move toward the big hunting knife on his packs Webril strap,almost of its own will.The NVA suddenly stopped speaking and whirled around. The two VC, suddenly alert, wereturning, too.

I swear I didnt make a sound: Jack figured it would be his last thought. Then he was aware ofmovement in the grass up on the hillside and just outside the little grove.

A small boy wearing dark rags and carrying some flowers in his hand lumbered out of the grassand onto the path. He laughed when he saw the men. It was harsh and braying, and Murphycould see that the kid didnt look right. His body was thick and his neck was short. His face waskind of moon-shaped, and there wasnt much intelligence behind those laughing eyes.Vo!The monks deep voice was very clear and now had a tone of authority that surprised Jack. TheNVA and the two VC also turned and looked at the robed man.

The boy immediately put his head down and scurried over to the monks side, paying no moreattention to the three strangers.This is Vo, the monk said to the NVA. He has been at the monastery since he was a littlebaby. He was abandoned. You can see why. There is no harm in him."It was all gibberish to Murphy, though he could hear the tone of explanation and pleading in themonks voice. Apparently the kids name was Vo. The boy just stood quietly beside the monk,


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looking at the strangers, not particularly scared or impressed, just taking it all in.The VC who had shown some respect for the monk earlier now said something unintelligible tothe NVA, who nodded curtly and then stepped up to the boy. None of them showed any interestin the spot where Murphy was lying as still as he could, trying to control his breathing.

Have you seen any strangers, Vo? the NVA asked. The boy looked up at the monk.Answer the man, Vo, his guardian told him.The boy nodded. Three strangers, sir. One and two, and he pointed to the VC, and three,sir. He offered a flower to the NVA, who smiled and took it.

After a moment or two, the NVA said, Very good, Vo. You were high up on the hill, werentyou?Yes, sir. Almost all the way to the top.

Murphy wondered what they were interrogating the boy about.Did you see anybody from up there?No, sir. Just these. Vo held up the flowers and also revealed that he had some berries. Theywere staining his hand.The NVA nodded. He looked at the boy for another second more and then said to themonk, Bui will be in the village.Without another word or a look back, the NVA then strode out of the thicket, and Jack could justthe top of his hat over the grass as he went on southward up the path and disappeared into the

tall trees near the hilltop. One of the VC made a little half-bow to the monk, and then took offafter the NVA in a run. The other VC watched that in disgust and then turned without speakingand stalked off down the path to the right. Jack guessed he was out of sight when the monkrelaxed a little bit and took a deep breath.The monk then said something quietly to the kid, who stayed put when his companion steppedoff the path and into the downhill underbrush. Gently pushing aside the branches and leaves,he knelt at Murphys side, examining the soldiers head with a look of concern on his old, wiseface.Im okay, Murphy said. It wasnt true but the soldier had enough adrenaline running throughhim just now to make it happen for the moment. He put up one hand. Here. Help me up.

The monk was surprisingly strong. Soon Murphy was on his feet. Little Vo, up on the path wascapering about.HA-HA-HA! GI JOE! GI JOE!Murphy shushed him, but Vo didnt stop until the monk clapped twice and looked very stern. Heraised a finger and opened his mouth, but Vo quieted down before the monk said a word. Theyoung dark eyes remained wide with wonder as the boy watched his monk bring forth a GI from


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the bushes.Both men looked around warily, and Murphy spotted his M-16. Luckily it had fallen out of sightfrom the path, underneath some briars which pricked his hand as he retrieved it.

He straightened up. The soldier very much wanted to get some medicine out of his pack,

which was still on his back, but the monk was looking at him with concern and worry that theGI understood were not limited to his present physical condition. The Cong or the NVA mightcome by at any moment.It was almost too hard to do, but Murphy focused. There was a map in his pack, too. Did themonk speak French? Nancy, back home, had a French-Canadian grandmother living in thehouse, and Jack had taken French in high school to impress her. He had used what he knew ofit a few times in the Nam.

S'il vous plat m'aider...? he said to the monk, hoping that he got the word right as he shruggedhis shoulders as if to take the pack off. The monk got the idea and helped the young Americanout of his heavy field pack.

Merci, he said to the monk, who nodded.De rien.This was good. This was going to work.No, no it wasnt. Jack was having a real hard time remembering more French, or evenconcentrating at all, and on top of that, once he got the map out, he couldnt see it clearlyenough to read it. He started to sweat but hung in there.

The monk seemed to sense the young soldiers difficulty, and apparently it wasnt the first topo

map he had ever seen, either, though it took him a couple minutes to figure everything out.Nous sommes ici. He pointed to a spot on the map.OK. Good. Um, il y a, is there a way, un autre, uh another way to Highway 19B, uh, Dix-NeufB? Man, he couldnt remember anything any more. Hed botched it. His head was reallyhurting, and it was getting hard to stay on his feet, so Jack didnt notice the surprised relief onthe monks face.Dix-Neuf B, he said so quietly that Murphy barely heard him. Then he said, Un moment, s'ilvous plat.

OK. The soldier knelt down by his pack, but kept his rifle ready and tried to stay alert.First the monk went back to the path, looked both ways and said something to the boy. Then hewalked out of the little grove and Murphy watched him go carefully down the hillside, which waspretty steep. There was at least double-canopy jungle coming right up to this open area. Themonk walked toward it - reconnoitering, the soldier supposed.When Murphy looked back down at his pack, little Vo was there, smiling. Jack couldnt help butsmile back at him, but he was edgy. This was taking too long and the enemy was all around.


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Unaware of anything but the moment, Vo grinned and offered Murphy a flower. The GIaccepted it - what else could he do? When he tucked it into the buttonhole of his left breastpocket, the boys eyes lit up and he danced around again, though now he didnt utter a sound.Well, Ive got a friend for life here, Jack thought, as he looked back down the hillside. The monk

had disappeared. No, there he was. That nondescript yellow-brown color of the robe didntstand out at all.What time was it? Aw, heck, his watch was busted!Vo was offering him some berries, but Murphy waved him off and started fumbling with hispack. Now was a good time to take those meds. He took half of everything he had, includingantibiotics, chewing the pills to make them work faster and then washing away the awful tasteas much as he could with big swigs from his belt canteen. It was almost empty when he hadfinished.

The GI gently touched the left side of his head and decided not to do that again. The skin

was broken and something bony was loose there, but even the light touch sent waves of painthrough his head and he almost blacked out. His right shoulder hurt, too. He probably shouldtape that up somehow but just didnt think he could manage it.The boy spotted the candy bar stashed in the pack at the same time as Murphy. Their eyes metand a promise was made. Murphy actually found himself grinning as he reached into his pack.Vo dropped his berries, and the soldier handed the candy over. Soon the moon-faced little boyhad an impressive ring of chocolate around his mouth.If this was the base, Vo, Id get you an ice cream cone. Youd like that. And pie, too.Thanksgivings tomorrow.

Tears burned the mans eyes. Why did have to say that? He had been going to call Nancy andhis parents tomorrow.

Then he thought about five families who werent ever going to hear from their boys again. Thathurt even worse than his head did.

Jack was glad hed given the kid the candy - somebody was happy, anyway.

And where was that monk? He looked down the hillside again. The monk was standing atthe edge of the jungle, staring anxiously up at the thicket. The GI waved at him and the monkimmediately waved back. Come on down. Then he stepped into the jungle.

Was it a trap? Jack didnt like this. Vo would have run down there immediately, but thesoldiers strength was coming back now and he easily restrained the little boy and held him backfor a moment, until he had scanned the area and noticed nothing out of the ordinary.OK, he said, releasing Vos shoulder, and the boy went running down the hill.

Oh well, its a good day to die. Murphy came out out of the grove in a running crouch,adrenaline masking the pain of almost all his wounds, his rifle ready. He noticed the sky wasovercast thick enough so you couldnt use the sun to tell the time of day. He noticed little


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thickets scattered all over the hillside as the jungle slowly took the area back. It could havebeen any one of them he remembered trying to reach earlier. It didnt matter now. He noticedthe river meandering down the middle of that narrow valley that stretched between those farmountains over there and these ones here.

Murphy noticed all this as he followed the boy and tried to stay below the grass.

They reached the point where the monk had disappeared and pushed their way inside. It waseasier for Vo, but Murphy somehow also managed to struggle through the dense tangle ofbushes, vines and small trees at the jungles edge. The GI noticed that the ground underneathhis feet seemed even, manmade - an old track or road that once ran here, maybe?The ocher robe stood out much better against the deep greens of lush vegetation. Murphy sawit before he could see the man wearing it.

The monk looked in surprise at Vo, who was standing next to some sort of a leaf that was asbig as he was, busily cleaning the chocolate off his mouth in cat-like fashion, licking his fingers,rubbing his mouth and then licking his fingers again. The monk also saw the flower on the

soldiers jacket, but Murphy was too busy looking around to notice his new companion smile athim.It could have been an old logging road, Jack figured. It followed the hillside, kept to onelevel, and was all overgrown now except down the very middle where a red dirt path sharplycontrasted with the jungle growth and ran in a straight line off into the distance. There weremarks on it and the soldier knelt down to examine them. They were old, and he couldnt tell ifthey had been left by animals or human feet. But the path was not covered over; in this tropicalclimate that could only mean it was still used frequently.He stood up again, feeling only slightly dizzy, though his head ached terribly. His shoulderwasnt too bad, and thank God his legs were good. The highway probably wasnt too close.

Dix-Neuf B? he asked the monk, who nodded. Then thunder sounded in the east, somewhereon the other side of the hills across the valley, only it wasnt thunder. It was a little to the north,and Murphy remembered that he had run downstream after the firefight. Pop had to know bynow that B patrol had been hit. Maybe this was the response?

For the umpteenth time that day, the soldier reached for his radio and then remembered ithad been hit by a bullet. Now he remembered throwing the ruined radio into the river. It didntmatter, anyway. They werent in range.The ground seemed to tremble underneath their feet. What the heck was this? They wouldntsend in an Arc Light mission just because a patrol got wiped out. Well, there was heavy fighting

going on up at Dak To, hed heard, and Charlie had been unusually active all over the Highlandsthis fall. Thats why B Patrol had been sent out in the first place. The bombing was probablysome part of that.Hmmm. Another reason to hope this path wasnt used often enough to show up on anybodysmission planning map.Murphy caught himself trying to see through the leafy canopy far above their heads. It was awaste of time. You wouldnt hear B-52s before the bombs went off - they flew too high. He


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looked back down and saw the monk watching him with an impassive face.Votre carte? the monk said.

The soldier set down the pack he was carrying in one hand and pulled out the map again. Itwas still hard to read, but now Jack figured it was on account of the gloom. He was starting to

feel a little better and could at least make out the heavier index contour lines now.He thought he remembered where the monk had pointed before. Ici? he asked.

Oui. The monk then pointed and said, a y est, but Murphy didnt need that. Highway 19Bwas marked in bold black and red on his map.

He estimated the distance to the highway. It was many clicks away, but he could do it, if hismeds held out. He still had the second half of those in reserve.Vo, his face now reasonably clean, was smiling at Jack. Of course, the boy would be aconcern, but the monk could control him. He wouldnt tell anybody about GI Joe. Not until

tomorrow anyway. Just a few hours of secrecy, and the GI would be long gone from the area.This could work.Suivez-moi. The monk turned and started off down the path.No! Wait! Jacks voice echoed among the trees and he lowered it. Trying to remember theright words, he went on. Pourquoi? I mean, why? You should go home now. You and Vo.He waved his hand vaguely back toward the hillside and the path. Chez vous. You know?Just forget what happened.The monk shook his head, while Vo stood quietly by, waiting for them to make up their minds.

They will remember, he started to say in Vietnamese, and then switched to French, which hefound almost as challenging as Jack did. Ils se souviendront, he told the young soldier. Ilssauront. Nous devons partir maintenant.The monk again turned and started down the dirt path, with Vo tagging along behind. Jackstood there, thinking. They will know, the monk had said as if it was an obvious fact of life. Wehave to go now. What a world!This is why we fight, he muttered out loud. And then he added, I didnt want this to happen.The the boy turned around and waved, and Jack picked up his pack and started forward. Hislegs felt strong, though he hoped he wouldnt have to run too much between here and the

highway. He saw Vo tug at the monks robe, and the monk turned around and waited. Then hehelped Jack get the pack on, and the three of them set off through the jungle on their escape toHighway 19B.

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A couple of hours later, Jack wasnt sure how far they had come. Everything looked prettymuch the same all around them - in the Highlands, the jungle changes according to elevation,but the old road stayed at an even level, running along about halfway up the hill.


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Murphy was an outdoorsman back home, but he hated the jungle. You never knew when oldMr. Two-Step might come slithering off a branch overhead and drop into your shirt. There wereants and other bugs, including spiders and hideous worms and other creepy crawlers, all overthe place all the time. He longed for his quiet, orderly and relatively uninfested Vermont woodsas he buttoned up his collar again and rolled down and buttoned his sleeves. It wasnt too hot

today, in the mid-70s probably; he wouldnt be uncomfortable. Also, the meds were working fineand he could move pretty freely, as long as he was careful about his head. His cargo pants, ofcourse, were already bloused into his boots. He made sure his boonie hat was pointing downover the outside of the collar.The monk didnt look very happy, either. He had no protection from the plants and insects atall. Murphy could see some fresh scratches on his bare shoulder already. The kid got throughit pretty easily. In fact, he had gone so far ahead they couldnt see him any more.Vo! Up ahead there was motion, and Murphy instinctively brought up his rifle. The boys headpopped into view, and he grinned when he saw the two of them.

Venerable One, the boy said in Vietnamese after he had climbed out of the bushes andrejoined the two men, this is like the story when the Buddha was a great white monkey and ledthe hunter out of the wood!VO!The tone in that deep voice wiped the boys grin right off. Murphy was surprised at the monkssudden anger.You shouldnt say such things, Vo! You must cleanse your mind of prejudice!Man, the GI was thinking. That old monk sure got mad about Vo wandering off like that. And of

course, hes right, here in the jungle with the Commies after us.The little kid didnt know what to do. He didnt dare look up at the monk and just was standingthere, shifting his weight from foot to foot, his arms crossed in front of him.The monk actually wasnt paying attention to Vo. Cleanse the mind, he said quietly to himselfin their native tongue. Yes. Then he smiled at the boy and patted him on the head. Its allright, Vo. It is good that you remember the tales.The boy looked up at him with a question in his eyes. Yes, said the monk, its all right. Then,with a surreptitious glance at the soldier beside them, he added, Dont mention great whitemonkeys again. A true believer must learn to let go even of the Buddha tales. Let it go.

Yes, Venerable One. Vo was very contrite, and the monk turned to Murphy.Allons-y. His face was impassive, and the soldier had no clue what had just happened. Theystarted forward again, the monk leading, Vo behind him a respectful distance, and Murphy in therear, watching the landscape around them and wondering what that had all been about.

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Soon after this, Murphy noticed a change in the monk, who began to hold his hands claspedin front of him and to slow down his pace. At first the GI thought his companion was justprotecting his bare arms and feet, but that wasnt it, because he wasnt watching the path at all.He was just looking at his feet, as if the only thing in the world he had to do was put one footdown and then the other.

Where are you going to go after this? Murphy asked him in bad French at one point, but themonk remained silent. Maybe that was understandable, given the circumstances, so the soldiertried again. How much farther do you think it is?The monk gave no sign he had heard Murphy. If anything, he was walking even more slowly.Vo adjusted his pace to keep roughly the same distance between himself and his monk, butMurphy had to take what he thought of as baby steps. It was getting on his nerves. He hadhoped to get to 19B before dark. You didnt want to travel on it at night. People were likely toshoot first and ask questions later if anyone tried to flag them down.Yeah, that monk was definitely walking in a strange way, planting his foot down with each tinystep and then pushing off slowly as if he wanted to study the whole process of walking. Maybe

thats what he was doing. The old bonze had kind of a vacant look in his eyes. His mindwas obviously elsewhere. Murphy was on his second tour of Viet Nam and had seen plentyof people, natives as well as foreigners, crack under pressure before, but hed never seenanything like this.Finally the soldier just gave up worrying about it. Theyd reach the highway if and when theyreached it, day or night. Today was as good a day as any to die. He adjusted his gait to stayan arbitrary distance of about a yard behind the boy at all times and then kept his impatientmind busy by thinking of something else.

That wasnt hard to do in a situation like this. Murphy developed a surveillance routine wherehe would scan the uphill area first, then the rear, then the hillside below them, and finally the

road ahead of them, looking over the monks shoulder.

Sometimes he would walk forward while doing this, sometimes he would do it by turning aroundand walking backwards, but he never did the same thing twice or got into a pattern that couldbecome boring or too easy for an enemy to figure out. He didnt walk backwards too much,though, as he inevitably bumped into the kid.

At first the jungle was overwhelming when you looked at it this closely, even though everythingseemed a little washed out, because it was a cloudy day. There was an endless variety of lifeforms, some as familiar as a hemlock and others too bizarre and/or beautiful to imagine outsideof a dream. There were sounds of animals, birds and insects all around them, especially in thecanopy above the path and on either side of it, and down below where it was lighter and the

growth was thicker.

The green world had highlights of colorful flowers and more shades of brown than Murphybelieved there could be names for. The jungle also had an indescribable richness of smells oflife and death. Ed Simmons had said last night that it smelled like a dinosaurs breath, and Jackhad responded by asking him not to bring his last date into the discussion.That recollection totally broke Murphys concentration.


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The soldier forced his mind back onto the world around them. For just a minute or two there, hehad been totally in the flow. Well, hed get back into it. He knew how. They all knew.

Pop had trained them well. Murphy knew how to watch everything and nothing at all. Heremembered the advice Pop had given them about pattern breaks, too.

Dont look for something in particular like a face or a rifle barrel, the old man (all of 35 maybe)had told them over and over again. Look for something out of place. People are the most out-of-place objects in the jungle, and I dont care if they were born there. Dont forget that you arepeople, too.Pop had drilled this and other lessons, like Always look for straight lines - nature doesnt haveany, into their heads and had reinforced it in so many unique and sometimes painful ways thatthey just did it automatically when out in the boonies. It was powerful conditioning that savedlives, and Murphy was glad he had it now.

Again he reflected that the old man must know by now what had happened to the patrol. Hehe ever lost a whole patrol before? Had anyone. Jack didnt know but kind of doubted it. Well,

they werent going to lose one now - he was still alive and dammit he was going to make it backalive!

And dammit it was easy to lose focus, even when your life depended on it. They must havetraveled 20 paces - thats ranger paces, not those mincing little lady steps the monk haddecided to go with - and he had been woolgathering instead of paying attention. What had hemissed?Murphy started to change focus to keep on his toes. He maintained his surveillance routine andthen switched focus to his rifle when he felt his attention wandering, checking to see if the M-16was in working order, stuff like that. He reviewed the contents of his pockets, what he had in hispack - whatever kept his attention sharp. Then without missing a beat the GI would go back into

the surveillance of the surrounding jungle, the road up ahead, and gave special attention to theroad behind them as time went on and it became likely that people would have missed the monkand boy by now and told the Commies about it.Id like to meet that NVA out here alone, Jack sometimes reflected, his trigger finger tightening

just a little bit. Just him and me, mano a mano . . . .

After a while, Murphy realized that it was easier to concentrate if he started paying attention toeach step, like the monk was doing. It also helped him keep in line without climbing up Vosheels. It was so repetitive and rhythmic that his mind relaxed and it was easier to focus on thesurveillance. He got back into the flow again without even noticing it, and only when it startedgetting dark did he realize that the monk had picked up a little speed.

Was he heading for a night shelter? Was he going to walk all night?

Well, an overnight hike wouldnt be a bad thing really. If they reached 19B during the night, theycould just wait until morning, if Charlie wasnt on their tail.The flowers in Vos hand looked a little wilted. Murphy had to smile. The little kid was probablythe only person in the world to have given flowers to both an NVA officer and an American GIwithin just a few minutes.


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And yet if you told him that and he could understand you, wouldnt that change everything? Ifthe kid did have enough brains to understand what he had done today, then he would have hadenough brains in the first place to choose sides, and he probably would have been scared ofboth of us.

Dammit, I did it again. OK. Back to surveillance. Those meds are starting to wear off. Let itgo. Be cool. Be calm The best fighter is the unemotional man (Pop again - God, I hope I get tosee him once more). Watch the monks steps. Make that rhythm your own. Let it go. Look forsomething that doesnt belong on the road down there. Looks okay. Sounds okay. Feels okay.Scan. Avoid stepping on Vo, whos looking at a vine along the like its the first one hes everseen. Move the kid along a bit. Hey, Ive been doing that all this time, havent I? Move the kidalong then. Scan the jungle down there. Scan the jungle up there. Nothing unusual, just birdsand critters, no people, no straight lines. Scan the quiet, dim tree cathedrals way up on the hills.Its awfully dark and quiet up there. Scan again. Nothing. Check the rear.Over and over. Just like the monks steps. Over and over until it becomes rote and your minddoesnt wander any more and you suddenly discover that youve been in total concentration for

a while now, blissfully aware of stuff around you, aware of your perception of that stuff, awareof everything, focusing on nothing, open to the world and yet separate from it, monitoring itthoroughly but without emotion, tapped into a deeper understanding that makes you ready todeal with the major things if and when they come up. Simmons had called this being in the flow.Oh, h**l, it was gone again.Flustered for a moment, the GI realized the kid was looking at him. All the chocolate wascleaned off his face, now, and as their eyes met, Vo smiled and then turned and walked on.Murphy felt a warm rush of love come over him from some unknown place deep inside.It was easier to get back into the flow now. Scan the hillside up above, especially the wide,

darker avenues between the huge tree trunks up there. All quiet. Nothing out of place. No,there was a movement! Right there!The GI wasnt even aware he had stopped and brought the M-16 up. He sighted down theblued steel to where something, he didnt know yet what, had caught his attention. There it wasagain. Through the sighting scope, he could just make out a little patch of orange and black inthe shadows up there that grew into a sleek, black-barred orange flank about a yard wide andthen faded back again into shadow. Very briefly he saw a huge orange paw move, followedalmost immediately by a shadowy flicker that might have been a tail. Then the hillside wasempty again.Jesus, was he pumped up! Hed just seen a wild tiger! Theyd passed each other in the jungle,

him going south and the big cat going north. Wow! Wait till he told the guys back on base!Murphy turned back to ask his companions if they had seen it, and realized he had nevernoticed how intensely green the jungle was. He could clearly see every shape in it, too. Themonk and boy looked puzzled, so they probably hadnt seen the tiger. That monks robe,though - its ocher color was so dull. It seemed to discard light instead of reflect it, and it put thelie to all this vibrant natural world of life and death that Murphy, just moments before, had beenliving to the fullest. That robe annoyed the GI, but something about it also sobered him up.


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A bizarre thought came to him. If life and death could meet and coexist, it would be in an ocherworld.Oh man. Those pills are definitely wearing off now. He felt embarrassed.Its okay, he said gruffly to Vo. It was a tiger. Its gone now. The boy didnt understand a

word he said, but Murphy didnt care. To the monk, he said, Cmon now. Allons-y.The monk seemed uninterested in the episode and turned to set off again, but suddenly shotsrang out high on the hillside. Then came screams and deep roars. More shots, and then aterrible shriek from human and animal throats combined. It was the most horrible sound JackMurphy would ever hear in his life. It suddenly ended, and the jungle was completely still.He was under a bush, about two feet in from the path, scanning the hillside and the trail.Murphy had no idea how he had gotten there. A look up ahead showed the path was empty.Where were the monk and the kid? There they were - over there, under another bush and rightout in plain sight on the path. Well, at least they took cover. Lets wait and see what happens.

Within moments there was a flash on the hillside, some distance away from the spot where thescreams and growls had come from, and thunder crashed directly overhead. It was followed bymore thunder and more flashes of light.Jack snapped. All this and now they were going to die from friendly fire. Dammit all! No way!He threw his M-16 aside and jumped up, shouting something, he never did recall what, at theviolence up above him that was burning the jungle, twisting and tossing the canopy every whichway. He challenged the roaring thunder to a fight. He dared the explosive light to strike him.He really went out of his mind for a time.Enough rain fell on him through the wind-tossed tree tops to eventually soak him completely

and bring him back to sanity again. It was rain, dammit. It was a thunderstorm. It was just afrigging thunderstorm, and lightning hit a tree up on the top of the hills. No bombing run. Noarty.

Jesus Christ, when was he ever going to get out of this nightmare!

He found a rock near one side of the road and sat there, sobbing in anger and frustration. Therain washed his tears away. The rain drops were warm. They didnt even cool his face.There was a gentle touch on his right forehead - the unwounded side - and the monks voicesounded in his ear.

Votre mdicaments, o sont votre mdicaments?Here, Venerable One. It was Vo, and he was tugging at the pack. Jack leaned forward to helpthem. The rain seemed to be letting up some. It was lightening up around them, too. Guessnight wasnt coming on after all.There was a tug at his belt, and the monk said something to Vo. Jack watched as the boy tookhis near-empty canteen to a little rivulet of water that was running off the hillside. He got thething about halfway filled. Not bad for such a kid. Of course, it wasnt safe to drink but what the


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heck.The monk took his hand. Voici. . . .The pills were in his hand, all that were left. Jack shoved them in his mouth and beganchewing. He drank all the water in the canteen when Vo brought that over, too. The boy went

over for a refill.Yeah, the rain was just about over now. Charlie hadnt attacked them, and maybe Charlie waslying dead up on the hills underneath that big, beautiful, dead tiger that Jack had seen prowlingalong the hillside just a little while ago.

God, does Death always jump you this way?He coughed, and the movement turned the left side of his head to fire. No, Jack figured, Deathsometimes just rides you until its time to go.Que s'est-il pass? the monk whispered to him.

What happened? Oh, I thought the world and I were buddies for a moment. Um, je pensaisque le monde et moi were amis, yknow?The monk shook his head. Le monde ne sait pas que vous existez.Jack understood him well enough, and wondered at the chill that went through him. Was itpneumonia coming on, or an unwillingness to believe that the world didnt know he existed?Of course it knew Jack Murphy. His whole life proved that! He loved the world, and the worldsometimes loved him back. Sometimes it didnt. He was just getting tired, thats all.Thanks, Vo. The kid had filled the canteen to the brim, and Murphy drank about half of it

before struggling to his feet, against the monks remonstrances, which were half in Vietnamese,half in French. The soldier kept to English. Ill fill it up myself at the next brook, he said as hesnapped the canteen back onto his belt.There was just as much light now as ever, and there was a constant drip from wet leaves allaround them, but the rain had definitely stopped.Allons-y, said Jack, and he took a few steps before realizing hed lost his rifle. He startedback, but the monk took his arm with surprising firmness.Noway Hozay, he said with a heavy accent. Go now.

The soldier was so surprised that he let the monk lead up back onto the dirt path a few steps.Then he stopped.How much English do you know? Jack demanded of the monk, who stared back at himimpassively. Then the American asked, Parlez-vous anglais?The monk actually blushed, and then looked ashamed and said, Non.

He turned and started up the path again, walking normally for a while but then falling back into


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his strange gait, but the soldier went back and located his M-16 before he followed. A soldiernever abandons his rifle, Too, it was the only other equalizer he had left: the medicines werestarting to kick in already, but he had no more.

Murphy looked up at the spot on the hillside where the screams and shots had come from.The pursuit had been closer than he thought. Had the tiger been stalking commies who were

stalking him? Was that damned NVA officer lying up there now, his lifeless eyes staring up atthe treetops?Jack had more than half a mind to go up there and look around, now that he had meds in himagain. He didnt. The M-16 needed attention, and the monk and Vo were already some wayup the path. That crazy monk had apparently forgotten about helping Jack escape and was onsome sort of a mission of his own!No way, Jose. Murphy chuckled as he worked on the rifle. What soldiers had the monkpicked that up from, he wondered. What was the monks story? The kids? Life sure wasinteresting all around, and it wasnt true that the world was impersonal. God just has a sense ofhumor, thats all.

The ocher robe and Vos dark clothes made the two invisible in the jungle gloom by the timeJack was finished with the M-16, but he knew they wouldnt leave the path. It was nothing butred mud now, so he walked on the vegetation along the border and made pretty good time.Yeah, there they were, still just walking along. The boy was still keeping about a yard behindhis guardian.The GI could think better now, and realized that thunderstorms came in the late afternoon.There must be some daylight left, but night would soon be here. Where was Highway 19B?Would they walk all night? Was anyone behind them now?Dont think. Dont be afraid of what will happen in the dark. The best fighter is an unemotional

fighter. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.Murphy said a silent prayer to his God, entrusting himself to His care and asking His protectionfor all soldiers in these unfriendly lands and for his family and his girl back home. He recited the23rd Psalm to himself. Then he got back to business.

Not that he had ever left it.

*************************

Time passed. He felt better now. Scan the hillside up there. Dont think about the tiger untilyou get back to base. Let it go. The jungle was changing. Tree trunks up there werent as big.

There was more light. This was younger stuff. Maybe somebody had logged up there back inthe French colonial days. There was a little more light. Nothing out of place up there, though.Scan the road behind them. Bump - Vo had stopped to look at a stone. Move the kid along andget back to the road behind them. All quiet. Nothing unusual there, though it was pretty darknow. Scan the hillside below. All right. Scan up ahead. No straight lines, except for the oldroad bed. Jack decided now that it had been a logging road. Nothing out of place. Scan thehillside again.The shoulder pain and stiffness, and his headache, were still too strong for him to slip easily


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into the flow, but he kept at it. The hill above them was getting steeper, and down here thepath was washed out in places, from the rainy season most likely since the water in them fromtodays storm didnt even begin to fill the little gullies. These werent much of an obstacle to thetravelers, though. Even Vo could walk over them.Murphy incorporated the washouts into his surveillance rhythm. Step over the rough spot. Look

ahead to see how far away the next one is. Nothing unusual up front. OK. Scan the hillsideabove them, where ledges and small cliffs are appearing among the trees. Nothing unusual upthere. No straight lines, even among the ledges. Nothing out of place. Scan the road behind.The road back there is empty - which means it was occupied a moment ago.

The soldier dropped down to the side of the road. What had he missed? He examined thearea back there thoroughly, taking all the time he needed. There was no sense of movement,nothing to focus on. Everything looked the same as always.GI Joe! GI Joe!Shoosh!

The monk and the boy had stopped; then they started coming back toward him, probablyfiguring he was sick again. Civilians! If they had just kept going, he could have had it out withthe enemy right here, right now.Nothing happened, except that Jack had to convince his two companions that he was all rightand just thought he had seen something behind them. They started off again, but now Murphywalked backwards most of the time and kept his rifle at the ready. Tiger or man, he wouldnthold his fire next time.

After some time, Jack heard water rushing somewhere up ahead. It was brighter up there, too.Eventually they reached a big washout, a huge gash in the reddish-brown mountain soil that

was at least 20 feet deep and too wide to jump. It would have presented a challenge to JacksLRRP team, and he knew there was no way an old man, a cripple and a boy were going to getacross it.The water was pouring down from an open area on the right somewhere up beyond their sight,and the monk now stepped off the dirt path to climb up the bank at the edge of the washout.Jack and Vo followed him, while a sizable stream of clear water flowed down the hillside in littlewaterfalls beside them. There was cloudy sky up ahead, and it was faintly pink-tinged.

At the top of the bank, Murphy was disgusted with himself, but he needed to rest. His head waspounding and he felt sick. He used the recovery time his body demanded to look around.

There was a big flat area up here, with steep mountains on the other side that made prettysilhouettes against the reddening clouds of sunset. Most of this area was covered by a reed-filled pond, but beyond the water over there were stone buildings that looked pretty old andwere mostly in ruins. A few of the buildings stood clear of any jungle growth, though there wasno sign that people had lived here recently.

Great, thought Murphy. Probably a meeting place for Charlie.

The soldier looked down the bank at all the marks theyd made while climbing up. It didnt really


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matter. It was the only way they could have gone anyway. The question was, could they find adefensible place somewhere in those buildings for the night?The GI turned back to see where his companions were and his jaw dropped. The monk waswalking across the pond. He was walking across the friggin water! Murphy slowly stood up tobetter watch the miracle.

HA-HA-HA-HA!Jack didnt appreciate Vos laughter at his reaction, though he knew the kid didnt meananything by it. The monk reached the further shore, stepped onto land and waited for them, stillfacing forward, still lost in his little world. If anything, he seemed even more unreachable now.Vo waved to the soldier, skipped down to the waters edge, turned and waved once more, andthen started walking across the top of the water, too. However, the kid didnt know where all thestones were, or maybe he was distracted by showing off, and he fell in with a big splash.Murphy was moving in a second and waded in, but the water was so shallow that it only came

up to his knees. Vo laughed and laughed as the soldier picked him up, carried him across tothe other side and set him down. The boy was still giggling as Murphy got all the mud and muckwashed off him and checked for leeches, but the soldier was nervous. Theyd made way toomuch noise, and sound carries far in the quiet evening air.The monk was still standing with his back to them. Hadnt he looked when Vo fell in? Theboy ran over to him but the monk walked away without turning around or saying anything. Vofaltered, stopped and then drooped, desolation showing in every inch of his body.Man, that was cold, Murphy said to himself. He set all other thoughts aside and went over toput a hand on Vos shoulder. The kid looked up at him, tears glistening his eyes. The soldiersmiled.

Thanks, Vo. He said it with meaning and then tried in Vietnamese. Cam on...oh, thanks forhelping me cross the water. Thanks for saving my life, too. Merci, and all that.Did the kid understand any of that? Vo looked to be wary of the new attention, and the GIwished he had more candy. Then he noticed a pink flower of some kind growing on a vine. Ithad a very rich and pleasant smell. Murphy picked it and offered it to the boy.Thank you, he said again. Cam on, Vo.The boy took the flower and smelled it cautiously. Then he smelled it again and smiled. Therewas a little hint of trust in those dark eyes when he looked up again, but the moon face was still

very serious and cautious.It would have to do. The monk would be out of sight soon, and Murphy had no idea where thecallous b******d was going. He patted the boy on the shoulder and pointed up ahead.Cmon, lets follow Old Grouchy. Allons-y.That seemed to make the kid happy. He turned and set off after the monk, with Murphy closebehind, trying to make himself as small a target as possible to any watchers on either side of the


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pond or behind them. There was nothing he could do about possible snipers on the surroundinghills, of course, but the light was starting to fade fast, which would hinder them.The western mountains now presented a single black wall against the blood-red clouds ofsunset. By the time they reached the monk, he had seated himself on the porch of a smallbuilding that stood on one side of the path. The light of the sunset made the old mans face

and bare arms and legs look warm and human, but it could not affect that dull ochre color of hisrobe.The monks eyes were closed and he seemed to be meditating. Vo stood quietly with Jack. Itwas a tranquil evening in the little valley was peaceful, the air broken only by the chirping ofpond frogs and insects. It sounded to Jack like the night shift was waking up in the jungle.I feel like Ive been living in the jungle all my life. He started to shake his head, but the painstopped him.Stay here, he told Vo, without bothering to try to speak Vietnamese or French. The kidseemed to respond to your tone of voice as much as anything.

There were many buildings around here, but on this side of the pond only this and one othernearby had been kept clear of vines and other plant debris. Jack, his face grim, first scannedthe ground, but the light was poor and he saw nothing helpful, other than that the path continuedon into the brush. Yeah, Charlie used this frequently all right. Were the buildings storagedepots?He took a quick look inside the far building - it was empty. That and the one the monk hadchosen were very simply built of plain but very symmetrical blocks of light tan stone. Only themonks building had a roof left. It was made of stone and sloped slightly inward. There was agaping doorway, and Jack stepped inside and took a quick look around.

It had a single chamber, no closets or other rooms, and no wood anywhere. It was as barrenas a cave. There were a couple of stone blocks here, identical to the ones that had been usedin building this house or temple or whatever it was. There was only one window in the place, inthe far wall and quite high up. Murphy could just look out of it when he stood tiptoe on the blockclosest to the wall.

Yeah, it was big enough to slide through quietly, if he had to escape during the night, and therewas a lot of thick underbrush out back. Nobody could sneak through that without being heard,and it would also make good cover, just in case he had to make a run for it. They would be onthe other side of the washout now, and the path to Highway 19B would be on his left, downhill inthe dark.

This buildings ceiling was the roof, and it was pretty high, maybe 15 feet or more above hishead. There were some lizards up there, just hanging out, and they paid him no attention.There was no other wildlife or sign of human occupation that the soldier could see. It didnt lookor smell like a snake den, and the lizards probably had the insects under control.

Yeah, this would do.He turned back to the doorway and looked out. The monk was seated on his left like a guardianstatue. He seemed to be as lost to the world around him as a lover might be after reunion with


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his true love, or an alcoholic with the bottle. The soldier was still ticked and left him to it. Vowas acting normally now, exploring the front part of the old building and the little lawn in front ofit with great interest; he seemed to have let the whole matter go.The pond was recent compared to the buildings here, since it had flooded some of them onthe far side and had covered all the front steps of a big, vine-covered structure back there that

looked like it might have been the main focus of attention back when this place was a goingconcern. Now it was just a vine mountain.There were many, many lonely frogs all around the waters edges, and as Murphy watched,some big bird like a heron rose soundlessly from the shore near the fording stones and flappedoff to a perch on the other side of the pond.That was probably the direction they would come from tonight. Unless they knew about thestones, theyd make some noise splashing through. If they used flashlights to find the stones,he would see them.

Murphy decided to station himself out here, beside the monk. Yeah, that would make him a

great target. Right. Okay, hed stay inside but close to the doorway where he could see theford.Vo was down near the water on this side, picking berries or something off some bushes.Murphy considered himself in loco parentis for the kid now and was glad he was findingsomething to eat, because there was no food left in his pack. He himself didnt feel hungry atall; in fact, he was kind of nauseated. Did the monk ever eat?

The boy turned and headed up to the house, as Jack called it. The soldier waved him on andthen followed him inside. Charlie passing by wouldnt think twice about a monk sheltering herefor the night. However, it would draw pursuers who knew about them. Well, hed just have todeal with that. The monk obviously had found his place and wasnt about to be shifted.

The boy curled up on the floor on the other side of the door and seemed to fall asleep almost atonce. Night came on. The jungle did indeed smell like a dinosaurs breath, and it was alive withchirps, buzzes, snuffles and cries of small animals. Nothing big, though. Nothing that soundedhuman, either.When the soldiers legs got tired, he experimented and found he could just see the fording areaif he sat near one particular stone block on the floor. With his pack against the stone, Murphycould sit bolt upright and ready to move at once, if he had to. He had his night eyes now andcould see Vos bare feet by the door and the monk outside. If they used lights at the ford, hedsee those, too.

He watched the monk for a while and tried to remember things his own father, a Methodistminister, had said during funerals about life and death - they never talked about such thingspersonally, of course. Death had never come close to him or his family before.His head did hurt, though, and his memory probably wasnt that great. Now that he wasslumping over as much as the pack would allow, he was actually starting to feel pretty numb allover, and sick, which alarmed him but he did nothing about it. It wasnt important, compared tothe pain inside.


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It was harder to face in the dark. Theyd all been alive this morning. This time last night, heand his buddies had been sitting in a wagon-wheel formation, facing outward, silent, watchful,separated by the darkness but each knowing he had friends on either side of him, and that heand they were part of something hat was the biggest, baddest and best Red, White and Bluerepresentation of goodness and power this godforsaken part of the world had ever seen or everwould see.

This time last night.

Now the whole world had changed and he was alone, separated from all his buddies bysomething cold and utterly impassable. He felt guilty that he hadnt passed it with them. It washard to take.Some guys, in the bad times, they just say it dont matter and do what they have to do.Murphy had never had to put somebody into a body bag yet, or anything like that. What ifhe had been among those who had to come in and clean up the mess that had once been BPatrol? Probably hed shield himself by saying it dont matter, just like everybody else.

But here in the dark and alone he knew it did matter. It was so very powerful and yet sosenseless. Why are you born, just to die? There had to be a reason, but who could he ask?Not the monk, that was certain.Jack stretched out a little more so he could put his head back. That helped the throbbing some,but not much. It was too dark to see the lizards on the ceiling, but he figured they were stillthere. He closed his eyes and had a terrible dream.He awoke to find himself crouched by the stone block pounding on it just like he had beenpounding on the PRC-20 radio during the firefight in his dream, trying to get it to work to hecould call for help.

He wasnt back in the firefight. He was in the hut, and it was still night. The monk was still outon the porch, in the same position, and by some trick of the dim moonlight out there, looked likehe was floating a few inches above the stone porch.But Jack Murphy had eyes only for the man who was outlined in the open doorway. He wasreal, and he looked familiar, too. Though his face was obscured and the uniforms colors wereinvisible in the dark, Jack could see the thick hair sticking out from underneath the mans capand the nutcracker jawline that was so unusual in a Vietnamese.It was time for vengeance.That looked to be a knife in the NVAs hand. Well all right then, if the fool wanted to bring a

knife to a gunfight. Murphty started to bring up the M-16 and the approaching figure stopped.But where was Vo? And the monk was almost directly in his line of fire.In the GIs split-second moment of doubt and hesitation, the NVA stepped quickly into theshadows off to Murphys right, toward the back of the room. Murphy reacted, and now here hewas, on his feet and crouched to the left of the doorway, his hunting knife drawn, the rifle at hisfeet, since he couldnt risk ricochets in this closed space.

The American was running on pure adrenaline now, strong and hyperacute. He sensed that his


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opponent was over there, about 5 feet away, also crouched and ready. Murphy knew he had iton the NVA in terms of height and weight, but in a tight space like this, those might work againsthim.

There was Vo, huddled in the corner between the front and side walls. There didnt seem to beanybody outside but the monk, seemingly oblivious to what was going on behind him. Had the

NVA come alone? Did the tiger get his buddies?

All the better. Ed Simmons and the rest of B Patrol were going to be avenged now, or else hewas going to join them. Maybe both.The NVA circled down back toward the middle of the room, but Murphy refused to be drawn intomaking himself a target in front of the doorway. He waited for the inevitable rush.

An electric light suddenly blazed on the porch. It was only a flashlight, and not really a verypowerful one, but in those circumstances it seemed like an arc light to the men inside. Theocher robe shimmered in gentle contrast to the stark world in which the monk sat, illuminated.

A harsh male voice from behind the light shouted, in highland Vietnamese, Have you seen theAmerican soldier?There is no soldier here. The monks voice was neither loud nor soft, but its clarity stoppedeveryone in their tracks. There was a depth of understanding and confidence to it thatsurpassed anything they had ever known before. There was something indescribable there,and so tangible that it made all listeners wonder if they really existed.

Only the monk seemed real. And he had said what he said. It was a declaration, not ananswer, for he was untouchable by interrogators and combatants now. None of them was asoldier any more.

Murphy felt it, too, though he didnt know what the monk had said. Whatever it was, somethingin the monks words seemed to have answered all the doubts and questions hed had early andthen had dismissed them as not really important after all. The only important thing was what themonk had found. Jack wanted it, too, and so did everyone else.In the glare beyond the central circle of light, the NVA stood, a knife in one hand and a pistol inthe other. He seemed to have forgotten all about Jack and was staring at the monk with an oddlook on his face, and something else, too. Maybe he had questions that had been answered,too.

The flashlight went out. For a while Murphy could only see the orange-blue obverse image it leftbehind his closed eyelids, but he wasnt worried. The fight, for some inexplicable reason, was

over.First one man out in the yard spoke in Vietnamese, and then another, and then a woman. Theyall jabbered away for a while and then everybody shut up. It stayed quiet out there, except fora couple of bumps and once a clank during the next five minutes. After about half an hour, theford was lit up and Murphy could see people walking across the stones, carrying bundles andpacks. Then the flashlight floated out across the water and suddenly winked out.

After some time, the jungle night noises started up again all around them. The monk had not


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moved. He might have been a statue. Murphy wanted to say something to him, but he didntknow what. And the NVA was still in the room.

A little whisper of a noise came from the corner up against the front wall, and then the GI saw achilds bare feet appear just inside the doorway. Vo was going back to sleep, unafraid. Murphylooked around. The NVA was standing over in the back, watching him, but the night had

become so unexpectedly peaceful that the knife in Murphys hand felt out of place.Rest in peace, Ed. And maybe Ill be seeing you soon.The soldier sheathed his knife, ignored the M-16 on the floor and sat down again, his pack upagainst the stone block. He would accept anything and everything that might come next. Forthe very first time, it really didnt matter at all.

A few minutes went by, and then Murphy heard some rustles in the back of the hut and theunmistakable sound of a pistol sliding into leather. The GI relaxed completely then and didnteven try to see if the NVA had sat down.

So this was peace. It wasnt dependent on anything in this sad and sorry world. It just was. Themonk had found it. Murphy was feeling it secondhand.

As the numbness again started to creep into his arms and legs, he felt the peace going. Ithadnt lasted very long for him. His body felt like it was shutting down now. Was he dying or

just falling asleep? He hoped it was just sleep because now he wanted to get back to base andeat and get better and tell his story and go home to his folks and to Nancy.Why couldnt he make the peace last, Murphy wondered. Then he fell away into darkness andknew no more.When he opened his eyes, it was daylight but he couldnt tell if it was dawn or just another

cloudy day. He was alone in the stone chamber. He didnt really feel like moving his head,and he was too weak to move anything else. There was the porch. It was empty. Jack felt asudden, unexpected pang of loss.My God! The NVA! Did I really fall asleep with an NVA in the room?It hadnt been a dream, though. He still felt a certain clarity, though he also knew he was verysick right now and maybe close to death. He didnt care. It would be nice to just go away fromall this, to have it end once and for all.

At the same time, though, he had his whole life in front of him, and wanted to live it. And therewas Nancy - how he loved her! Would he ever see her again?

He remained there, sprawled near the doorway, and watched the three lizards crawlingaround on the ceiling above him. After some time, he heard mens voices down by the pondsomewhere near the fording stones, at least two or three men.Oh s**t!No, wait a minute. They were talking in English, though he couldnt hear all the words! Friendlyvoices, at last! Murphy was so happy he thought he might pass out, but he didnt, so instead he


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shouted.It came out as a sort of weak moan that could hardly have carried far, but it got real quiet outthere so apparently they heard it.He just lay still, trying not to think and hoping it wasnt just in his imagination that there were

American GIs out there, maybe a whole platoon, moving slowly and cautiously under cover justlike Murphy himself would have done.

It would take them while, but he got tired of waiting and tried to moan again. This time it cameout sounding like the bellow of a love-sick cow. It wasnt answered and he looked up at theceiling, where the lizards stared back down at him, unperturbed. Then he closed his eyes. Hewas tired of all this stuff, the pain, the emotions, the highs, the lows, the thinking. But there hadbeen peace, briefly. That was something special. How could he come by that again?He opened his eyes again. There wasnt a sound to be heard out there, but Murphy sensed thatsomeone was out on the porch now.

Rangers, he decided. Regular infantry would have given themselves away by now. PleaseGod it isnt Charlie or the NVA. That had been English, right?The GI spoke the password as best he could with a swollen tongue and weak muscles. It cameout as a croak:L-lil-lill-puh.Lilliput: What a heckuva word to have to stay when you felt this bad!

But they heard it. A cricket chirped three times by the doorway and was answered by twoothers somewhere out in the yard. Then nothing happened for what seemed like a very long

time, until whatever was going on out there was suddenly interrupted by a familiar noise:HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! GI Joe! GI Joe!Vo rushed into the room. He looked the same as usual and was very excited. He grinned whenhe saw Murphy and waved his hands, first at Murphy and then toward the yard.GI Joe! GI Joe!Yeah, Murphy murmured, the cavalry has finally arrived.

The toe of a muddy jungle boot, and then a bit higher up, the business end of an M-16 appeared

around the doorways edge. Jack got a quick glimpse of sharp blue eyes as a fellow GI peeredquickly around the door and then turned and shouted, Medic!The newcomer then swung into the room, and in one cat-like move, was at Murphys side.

How you doing, brother? he asked as he let go of his rifle to grasp Jacks hand and give it agentle squeeze. Murphy seemed to have something in his throat; anyway, he couldnt say aword.


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There were two more soldiers out on the porch now - one white, one black - their rifles readyand eyes scanning in all directions. They moved apart to let pass another soldier, who wascarrying a bag. Blue Eyes let go of Murphys hand and moved aside to let the medic get at him.Vo was there in the background, his dark eyes wide and taking it all in.Where are you hurt, Jack? the medic asked, his eyes examining Murphy while his hands were

already busy opening up the bag and getting things out. And to Blue Eyes, he said, Roll up hissleeve here. I gotta get an IV in him.How the heck had the guy known Murphys name?Just my head, Murphy said. I think Ive got a concussion.Oh yeah, said the medic, not looking up from his work on Murphys arm.Blue Eyes seemed to understand what Jack was thinking. Youre a hero, brother. Everybodyknows your name. Your boss pulled everybody he could away from the big fight up at Dak Toand sent us out combing the countryside for you...or for your dog tags, which nobody found

at . . . you know. He waved his hand vaguely..Yeah, Murphy replied. Thanks. I was all right until I lay down. Is the monk out there?Blue Eyes was curious. You know him? He was kind of strange - not like any monk Ive everseen before. Kept to himself. He left the kid with us, told us where wed find you and thenheaded down the road towards the coast.19B Murphy was starting to feel a little better, but the medic was looking at his head. This wasgoing to hurt.Yeah, its about 5 clicks from here. We were in a convoy heading back to base this morning,

when we saw them . . . . Hold this, the medic said as he passed a light over to Blue Eyes. Murphy closed his eyes. Itwas weird, but in spite of the pain he knew was coming, he was starting to feel really relaxednow.He heard someone come into the chamber before the medic could examine his head. Thenewcomer asked, What can you tell us about the company that passed through here?Hey, man, said Blue Eyes, hes in no shape....Murphy interrupted him. It was night, he told the voice, and I didnt see them. They

came after we had set up here for the night. He opened his eyes, but couldnt see too well.Everything was kind of blurry.We? the voice asked.Me, the monk and Vo. The boy. I dont think the NVA knew they would be here.What NVA?


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The guy who shot Simmons. He followed me, followed us. We were fighting and then the VCcame but he didnt signal them and then the monk . . . the monk . . . .Blue Eyes had stood up and now he was respectfully but firmly ushering the newcomer out thedoor.

Hes out like a light. Wait until hes better, okay, sir?

Apparently it was okay. Murphy was ready for sleep now. Then the medic touched his head.It seemed like a mortar went off behind his eyes and in the midst of it all he heard himselfsaying, I dont understand what the monk said . . . the peace . . . .Blue Eyes was back now. Murphy heard him gently say, Its okay, Jack. B Patrols mission iscomplete. And hey, brother, youll be going home soon, you luck b*****d!Jack smiled. Everything went black.

Copyright 2012 Barb BeierAll Rights Reserved

Documents

The Soldier and the Monk