Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

AMY TAN
“Well, for emergencies, I do have my own satellite phone, of
course.”
“Brilliant. We can use that to call around to people in the area.”
“My dear man, I hardly know everyone. The lake is fourteen miles
long. And it would be frightfully expensive to use a satellite phone to
ring up various people on the off chance...Well, it’s hardly an
emergency, is it? Ringing up the neighbors might raise an unneces­
sary alarm.” Heinrich saw that Harry was not to be dissuaded. How
much could it possibly cost to make a few social phone calls? He
would soon lance Harry for two hundred dollars to cover the
damage to his cottage. Why not simply make it two hundred fifty?
Heinrich rubbed his chin. “I suppose I could ring my colleagues at
the Golden Island Cottages, a few other places as well. How would
that be?”
“Excellent! Thanks so much.”
“Not at all.” Heinrich walked to his lodgings behind the Great
Hall. A few minutes later, he returned with marching steps and an
angry frown. “The satellite phone’s been stolen.” He slammed the
heel of his hand on the table, making a busboy jump. “This is too
much! The generator was one thing, but this—they’ve gone too far!”
“Who’s gone too far?” Harry said. “Does this have anything to do
with—”
Heinrich waved impatiently and barked orders in Burmese to a
couple of men who had peered from the kitchen. They nodded and
went running out of the building. Then he turned back to Harry.
“We’ve been having trouble with thefts—not the belongings of our
guests, never fear—but our equipment is disappearing like sand out
of an hourglass. And now my own satellite phone—Lord, I paid a
fortune in Swiss francs.” There was no more arguing over what to do.
They would have to wait until morning, at which time they could dis­
patch a boat and a search party for the missing guests.
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