“I am trying to think.”
“If Lewis, or Fabiola, or whoever designed this global puzzle, meant the ‘white stones’ to help us open the machine, then it should point at something nearby.”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing nearby.”
He is right. My eyes dart back to the machine itself. I notice the back of the machine is divided into small squares, carved with a sharp tool. The squares are many from top to bottom, and they have circles inside. Not all squares but some.
“What is this, Xian?”
“We’ve never known exactly. It came with the machine.”
“Looks like a calendar to me. The squares.” I rub my hands on its surface. “Look, at the top of each set you can see those small writings. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on.”
“One of our monks suggested that, but what use could it be?”
“I agree. It’s seems useless, but why write a calendar on the back of the machine?”
“You tell me, Alice of Wonderland. Maybe you can autograph my robe?”
“Autograph?” I roll my eyes. “What would you tell others? That the girl from the book autographed it? Stick with the puzzle, please.”
“As you say, Alice of Wonderland,” he says and pulls out two slippers from under his robe. They’re made to look like two rabbits. “Can’t think of a better occasion of wearing them. Brought them from…”
“New York, I know. You should stop being obsessed with American products.”
“But the slippers aren’t American,” he argued. “They’re made in Wonderland, the beautiful salesman told me.”
I roll my eyes again, in courtesy of all the foolish and stupid people in the world. Then I grab one of the slippers and check the sign on the back “It’s made in China, Xian,” I say. “So you technically let some sneaky salesman sell you an American product, claiming it was from Wonderland, when probably one of these monks manufactured it.”
Xian looks shocked. “You mean I could’ve already obtained the American Visa with those rabbit slippers?”
I leave him be and take another look at the calendar. Some of the squares are marked. Some with a white circle. Some with black. The scene reminds me of the War between the Inkling and Black Chess, and the black and white chessboard of life.
“I found you a white stone,” Xian shows up again. He hands me a snowball. “You said it has to do with something nearby. A snowball looks like a stone and is white.”
Though I dismiss his suggestion, I realize it gave me a clue. The white circles in the calendar could be the white stones. But how are they related to discovering the numbers that open the machine?
“Pillar?” I shout against the sudden wind looming nearby.
He doesn’t answer me, still having fun with the monks and promising them visas and better lives.
“Cao Pao Wong?”
“Yes, dear,” He says with a nose smudged in snow.
“What do white stones and calendars have in common?”
And there he suddenly looks interested. “Why did you mention calendars now?”
“There is calendar drawn on the back with white circles.”
“So this is it.” He clicks his fingers and approaches.
“Is what?”
“The clue.” He stands next to me and Xian. “Nice, slippers, Xian,” he comments. “I know a guy in the states who have the originals from Wonderland.”
Xian looks double shocked.
“What do you mean this is the clue?” I ask The Pillar.
“Lewis Carroll had a fascination with marking days on calendars,” The Pillar says. “And he always marked the happy day in his life with white stones.”
“Is that true?”
“I never lie on Tuesdays,”
“Wednesday.” I say,
“Then I never lie on Wednesdays,” he winks, staring at the calendar. “Now tell me you figured out the numbers already.”
“I can’t seem to get the connection.” But then I regret speaking out so fast, because one more glance helps me figure it out. All white stones of each month are drawn on the exact number of day in months. Starting from the third day, ninth, eleventh and so on. Sixteen numbers.
“Genius puzzle,” The Pillar says.
I punch the digits in while The Pillar distracts the monks, and hurray, the door clicks open. Xian helps me pull it back. It’s a bit heavy and inside there is nothing but wires and…
Wait. There it is. Another chess piece.
Chapter 34
World Chess Championship, Moscow, Russia
“Where are Alice and The Pillar?” the Chessmaster asked, just after making four consecutive moves with four different presidents. He seems to have a certain love for white knights in the game. He used them a lot, leaving world leaders in total awe of his brilliant moves.
“Untraceable so far.” One of his men told him.
“How is that possible? If they’ve found the White Queen chess piece, they must have been told of the next clue. And if so, I assume they will need transportation. The pieces are scattered all over the world.”