Bluthund- Virtual Community

Preface

BLUTHUND IS AN ANTHOLOGY that includes two psychological thrillers written by the author recently, sharing, albeit partially, their characters. The two books are separate pieces and can be read in any order, although the author prefers given in the book. The synopsis of the works are as follows.

I Ching and Crime

Ten Wings

Oscar Luis Rigiroli

THE AUTHOR HAS USED the Castilian version of I Ching the Book of Changes, translated from Chinese into German by Richard Wilhelm, then translated into Castilian by DJ Vogelmann, with forewords by CG Jung, R Wilhelm and H.Wilhelm and a poem by Jorge Luis Borges For a version of I Ching

PROLOGUE

THE CROWD OCCUPIED several blocks from the Tokyo side street. The organizers had negotiated with the authorities and were committed  to minimize disruptions to the countless pedestrians, drivers of cars, motorcycles and bicycles and neighbors. The vast majority of attendees were young men dressed in black or dark suits using generally no tie, although there were some in leather jackets; there were many veterans, eager to remember the glorious hours of the organization occurred of course when they were active. There were even some women, though rare.

The outfits were then varied but generally sober. What was common to all attendees was that under those clothes all had complex designs of rituals tattoos; also, designs  had been changing over time, becoming more widespread, polychrome and abstract.

At last the procession was approaching very slowly due to the number of people who fought to give a final farewell to their mate, although not all of them had known him when he was alive. What had transpired was that he had given his life in an act of exemplary voluntary sacrifice the details of which they would learn during the ceremony. The car moved forward preceded by two veterans who held in their hands white ribbons attached to the vehicle and were opening the way in the middle of the respectful crowd. Once they arrived at the site where the highest rank officials of the organization were waiting the car slowed and finally stopped; six strong men lifted the coffin and placed it on a carriage.

Hayashida, the old chief of the entire organization, dressed in a formal suit and notable for his erect position stared with glassy eyes at the crowd. He had arranged a funeral similar to the service granted to the maximum hierarchy although the range of the fallen man was far lower. Apart from recognizing the act of sacrifice of the colleague he wanted use the event to re-temper the old spirit of the brotherhood that modern times had softened to some degree.

Hayashida and the maximum chieftains bowed respectfully in front of the coffin, and at his signal, his deputy Ashikaga prepared to testify about the circumstances in which the man had fallen, to offer him as an example whose memory would endure in the minds of those young members who witnessed the ceremony.

CHAPTER 1

NANCY TOOK HER BACKPACK, waved her mother and sister Ju who watched her from the kitchen window and left the house closing the door carefully, as theft in the neighborhood and indeed around Buenos Aires had increased in recent months, including armed robberies in family homes. She walked the blocks that separated her house in Belgrano to the nearest line D subway station. The boy’s face appeared briefly in her mind but she shook her head to chase that thought away. The young woman was however in good humor and in the depths of her mind she knew the  reason. In class she would likely find him and no doubt he would find a way to sit beside her, though pretending to do it casually. Nancy watched her skirt and managed to pull it up so as to leave her bare knees. She could not leave her house that way because her mother would reproach.

The girl entered the Faculty of Economics and went to the classroom where she had classes on Tuesdays. There she took a seat making sure that there was another free place beside her. As she waited  Nancy peered with the corner of her eye the entrance of the classroom, while growing impatient. At last she saw him coming and swallowed a sigh. His tall although somewhat lanky silhouette, his tousled red hair and his several days beard of the same tone caused her some emotion she tried to hide. He kept his eyes straight ahead pretending not to have seen Nancy, performance that caused her some tension.

Lucas stared around like looking for site in several seats, but finally sat down beside her.

Hi! greeted he feigning surprise. We seat together once again. Nancy ... if I remember correctly.

She nodded confirming her name, but she knew he remembered it perfectly. Immediately the professor of Financial Administration entered the classroom and the conversation stopped.

As she was leaving the Faculty building Nancy looked around her and checked that Lucas walked a few steps behind her. Walking along the Córdoba Ave the boy could catch up and obviously making a decision asked her bluntly.

Wouldn´t you like to have coffee with me? I know a place a couple of blocks away.

I’m afraid it´s getting late. My mother worries if I delay.

It won´t take long, I promise.

They sat in a corner of the coffee shop, away from the door and bustle of the street and people coming in and out of the room. Since they sat they had been talking about  two subjects who were studying together. Lucas suddenly changed the topic of conversation.

What’s your last name? I did not understand it in the roll call.

Zhang, with a Z. Said Nancy.

Is it a common surname in China?

It is common in the province of Fujian, where we come from.

"Then you were born in China? I never would have guessed, your accent is porteño as if you were born and raised in Buenos Aires."

When we came I was two years old. I attended both primary and secondary school in this city.

And at home you speak Chinese?

Actually a dialect called Shao Jiang. I am privately studying Mandarin Chinese, which is the standard language with which nearly all Chinese can communicate.

It must be very difficult, with the writing system. It sounds good idea to keep your Ethnic language ..., to call in some way. I’m always thinking about learning Italian.

And why do you not? It is important to reconnect with your roots.

My roots are more distant than yours, my grandparents immigrated to this country. I also prefer to concentrate on studying English. ¿Nancy is your original name?

No, it is Liang.

Does it have any meaning?

All names mean something.

¿Well, and what does yours mean.

The girl blushed slightly, then recovered and answered.

Brilliant.

I think it´s an appropriate name for you. This time her cheeks were stained pink.

So  your name is Liang Zhang?Continued Lucas.

Zhang Liang.

What do you do when you are not studying for the faculty?

I help my parents in the store, study Mandarin Chinese as I told you and ...

And yet something else?

In my spare time I study I Ching.

I heard about that book. What is it really? An oracle, something equivalent to the Tarot or horoscope?

There are those who use it that way. It is the most popular use, but has other higher functions.

Like what?

As a wisdom book, as a source of sapience."

And is this use within reach for anyone?

It´s best done under the direction of someone seasoned.

And you have that someone?

It´s an old man whom I call Uncle Cheng, although he is actually my mother´s uncle.

And how does  that distant relative teach you I Ching?

We meet every so often and make questions to the I Ching.

You make questions to a book? And does it answer them?"

In its own way. That´s what I Ching is all about. And Uncle Cheng helps me interpret what the book says ... But I have to go home now.

How will you return home?

In the subway.

I´ll go with you.

All the way in the subway they were exchanging life experiences and getting to know each other´s tastes. When descending Lucas accompanied the girl to the door of her house, to which she agreed in a somewhat reluctant way. Just at the moment in which they arrived at the threshold of the old house the door opened and a girl -with oriental features with great resemblance to Nancy but with a few years younger- appeared. The latter blushed as was her habit and hesitated before making presentations.

Hey Ju! Allow me to introduce Lucas...

Lucas Colombo.

Lucas, my sister Margarita.

Margarita or Ju?

She was born in Buenos Aires and was christened Margaret. Ju is the Chinese equivalent of her name and we call her that way.

How are you Lucas. interjected the sister, and turning to Nancy she reproached. You never mentioned him before.

There was nothing to say. We just formally met today. Replied Nancy.

Lucas realized that the girl had trouble coping even with her younger sister. Then a female voice came from inside the house speaking Chinese. Ju replied aloud in the same language, which was followed by a short answer from within.

Mom tells us to come inside. Ju said as the face of her sister turned from the usual pale shade to scarlet.

Ms. Zhang was a lean woman in her fifties homely dressed with an apron. Her eyes looked straight at Lucas as Nancy made the introductions.

... And we are together in two subjects. She concluded.

The girls´ mother, whose name was Huan, despite some difficulties with Spanish and in particular her strong accent, proved to be a person with sound judgment and good interpersonal skills. In Fujian she had been a school teacher for many years and  thus stood intellectually out among the Chinese immigrants who had entered  Argentina in recent years. She questioned the boy with discretion and subtlety about his customs, family and occupations, including his commitment to education, which spoke clearly about the values scale of the woman. Nancy then learned that Lucas was born in the city of Rafaela in the Province of Santa Fe, a town originally founded over a century ago by Swiss and Italian immigrants, that his parents were residing in this town and that the boy lived in Buenos Aires with uncles and cousins who owned a refrigerators and other household appliances repair shop, in which Lucas himself worked.

Nancy admitted to herself that it would have taken her weeks to get all this information-that was of interest to her-which her mother had gotten in fifteen minutes. Huan went to the kitchen to prepare tea that she had offered to the involuntary visitor and Ju and Nancy went to their rooms to leave their backpacks and change their clothes, so Lucas was left alone for a moment in the room where he had been received.

The house was decorated discreetly with some elements that undoubtedly came from China, but Lucas did not find anything that looked bizarre to him.

As if they had somehow agreed Huan, Nancy and Ju returned almost simultaneously to the room. The woman was bringing a teapot and cups. The pot was large with typical Chinese elaborate drawings and looked very worn. While Huan was serving Ju could not control her extroverted mood.

Mom always uses this old teapot although it does not give a good impression to visitors.

This pot has been in the family for at least three generations. Replied Huan. It is one of the few things we brought from Fujian and is very suitable for serving tea. And I must take care when handling it because it is a piece of fine and very fragile porcelain.

You must know that in China serving tea is an almost sacred ritual. Interjected Nancy addressing Lucas. We actually make a ritual of almost all the things that in other sites are everyday actions.

I´m aware of the tendency to ritualism. I was practicing Tai Chi Chuan for several months. Replied the young man. I think rituals are intended to emphasize the importance of things that would otherwise go unnoticed. In my opinion they make sense.

Why did you quit practicing Tai Chi Chuan? Asked Huan.

After Tai Chi I wanted to practice karate, I got a kick in the ribs, which ached for months, and then I left the entire subject of martial arts. If I ever have time I might return to Tai Chi Chuan.

The conversation lasted even for an hour, after which Ju announced she had to leave. Lucas looked at his watch and stood up.

I must go as well. My uncles are surely wondering about me. Although I´m twenty years old they still feel responsible for me.

In his bus trip home Lucas went over the events of the day. Although he had already put his eye on Nancy from the first day he had seen her in the Faculty, only now he had found a way to approach her. The girl, a real oriental beauty, completely occupied his thoughts and he mentally ran down her face of harmonious features, her slender body and her demure and gentle manners.

Although she kept it to herself, Nancy was excited about what happened. She too had marked the boy that first day of classes together, but never had dared to show signs of that selection. She was happy with the obvious interest of Lucas in her, of what she had learned about his life, and with her mother and sister´s  apparent good reception. She knew however that the tough cookie would be her father, who would not like very much a devil with red hair, round eyes and a long nose.

As she knew herself, Huan immediately recognized that she was pleased. With woman´s eyes she understood what her daughter had seen in the young man. Indeed Lucas seemed a serious and reliable boy, rare thing in that turbulent time. An open-minded person with natural intelligence, Huan also shared her daughter daughter´s fears by the possible reaction of her husband, a man of conservative and traditional trends. Huan knew that the Chinese –inhabitants of a country where over 95% of the inhabitants belong to the Han ethnic group,+ rare case of racial homogeneity in the world- are sometimes overly protective of their presumed cultural superiority and can turn even racist. If the links between Nancy and Lucas endured Huan decided that her role would be to soften her husband´s reaction, knowing that he was otherwise a good man. For this purpose she could count with her Uncle Cheng, a very respected man in the Chinese community for his wisdom. As Huan decided that she had already spent enough time on the subject she continued reading the new book on Feng Shui that had arrived from Singapore, actually her preferred subject and in which she stood out for her knowledge.

One month later Nancy and Lucas dated for the first time. The boy invited her to go to dinner at a restaurant in his neighborhood, Villa Urquiza, facing the Boulevard Mendoza. His income did not permit him to do it very often but that day  he wanted to indulge. Consequently both were wearing the best clothes they had and Lucas had shaved for the occasion. As the weather still allowed they sat at a table set up on the sidewalk. Lucas had to get used to the looks that young men who passed rested on the girl, who looked dazzling.

Topics started by trivialities of the week, then drifted to some common Faculty themes until they were exhausted. Silence prevailed for several minutes. Finally Lucas said beating a lump in the throat.

Nancy, I know you have realized how much I like you and I cannot get you out of my thoughts. I would like you to tell me what your feelings towards me are.

The girl was really surprised because she did not expect such a direct statement and had no clear answer for it. It took her a few minutes to gather courage to speak.

The truth is ... I like you ... and also I think of you often ...and what you have just said makes me feel very flattered.

Lucas had taken a load off first finding the right words to express his feelings and then to learn that they were reciprocated; he placed his right hand on her small hand; she first twitched her fingers but then allowed them to stand on the table. His hand then affectionately crossed her wrist and forearm. Nancy shivered slightly.

Does this bother you?Asked Lucas. She burst into a giggle typical of oriental women, this time of nervous origin.

No ... the problem is that it does not bother me at all. Her cheeks were covered by the usual blush.

I don´t get it. Why something nice becomes a problem?

No, it’s not a problem, it’s just ... well, you know my upbringing.

Lucas lifted her hand and brought it to his mouth; then he softly kissed it.

And this, how was it?

Nancy released her hand and gently stroked the boy’s face in a gesture full of tenderness and implicit messages.

Lucas had borrowed his cousin a scooter and offered to take Nancy to her home in Chinatown in Bajo Belgrano, about forty blocks away. Both mounted on the vehicle. She placed the helmet in her head and embraced the driver’s waist; her position in the passenger seat made her dress to rise to mid-thigh. The boy gently stroked the skin that was exposed and waited for the reaction; Nancy squeezed his waist tighter. Smiling Lucas started the bike.

CHAPTER 2

NANCY WAS LOOKING OUT the living room window while she was waiting for Lucas to show up with his scooter. At last she saw him coming up with the vehicle and park onto the sidewalk. To avoid waste of time -and simultaneously limit the possibility that her father appeared and the inevitable meeting with Lucas should occur, a fact that would subject her to an intense anxiety she was trying to postpone- the girl opened immediately the door and waved the boy shaking his hand, which caused the motorcyclist a big surprise.

This looks like a courtship of 1920. Said he a little angry.

I do not want to feed gossip in the neighborhood.

Sure, are all  the old Chinese matrons peering to blab at home afterwards?

My dad would kill me if I make him lose face.

Lose face?

Be ashamed.

She rode in the back seat, stretching her skirt so that it  covered her knees, and they departed. Their destination was a place in the same neighborhood. Uncle Cheng had invited them to have tea at home. It did not take more than ten minutes to arrive.

It was an ancient and spacious house of the same kind and epoch of the Zhang´s home, with a high wooden door with shining brass handles; the size of the door was an anticipation of the height of the rooms; the two windows had iron shutters painted green. The general maintenance state  of the old house was very good.

From the descriptions made by Nancy and her mother Lucas expected  Uncle Cheng to look like a mandarin with a long coat of loose sleeves, a long beard with a few hairs and a braid longer than the beard. The man who opened the door however seemed quite ordinary and hardly would attract any attention in Buenos Aires, which already had an oriental population of some importance. However, as the conversation of the three moved from mundane matters that followed the introduction of  Lucas to other issues, the boy started changing his assessment and understanding the reasons for the attention Cheng´s opinions received in the girl´s family and in the Chinese community at large.

Nancy lead the conversation to what really interested her.

Uncle, I told Lucas that I am your disciple and that you are introducing me in the knowledge that the I Ching provides. I would like to ask you to broadly explain to Lucas what it is about. The boy noticed the respectful tone in which she spoke to her relative. The overall environment ended up getting the young man, unaccustomed to ceremonial and formal relationships.

While he was serving tea -Nancy had anticipated Lucas that Uncle Cheng was a bachelor- the old man started giving an introductory explanation to benefit primarily Lucas.

The I Ching or Book of Changes is an integral part of the Chinese culture, such as Taoism and Confucianism, which base part of their thoughts precisely in the I Ching. So in the same way that those two are not only religions in the Western sense but the basic philosophy that nourishes this culture, the I Ching is not only an oracle but a system of knowledge or wisdom. These three pillars and some other minor traditions determine the actions and behaviors of the Chinese, at least the educated ones. Furthermore, the Book of Changes is the most famous piece of Chinese literary culture, and much of the Western understanding of this culture is based on the study of the I Ching.

Then a Westerner like me cannot understand what this wisdom is based upon, since I´m not part of that cultural world. Said Lucas.

Do not believe that. A German as the great translator of the book Richard Wilhelm, the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung -who used it in his studies of synchronicity and archetypes- and the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges were scholars or at least advanced students of the I Ching. It is really not an impenetrable system and on the contrary the I Ching wants to be widely interpreted and used. Lucas noticed that Cheng attributed intentions to I Ching, as if it were a human being; this characteristic would repeat over time.

In the beginning, the I Ching was created in the Zhou period as an oracle... Continued Cheng. ...So it was linked to divination, character that still unfortunately keeps at present and lowers it to the level of the Tarot. But gradually diverse philosophical texts were added forming the so-called Ten Wings that seek to provide a cosmic knowledge and its symbolic use has value as a source for making both moral and practical decisions. Ultimately the book serves to guide human behavior and actions in specific and complex issues, in which it is not easy to discern what is right and what is reprehensible, what course of action leads to the conservation and enhancement of the user´s prestige and welfare and what course of action leads to his discredit and ruin.

I see you are talking of acquiring or retaining prestige and not power, fame or money. Interrupted Lucas.

So it is. Answered pleased the old man. You must acquire prestige through your deeds and the rest will follow.

I see in my society very discredited people with a lot of power and money. Insisted the boy.

Indeed they have succeeded to obtain them, but surely they cannot retain them in the long term. Their ambition leads to discredit and finally to ruin. Cheng´s tone was emphatic.

A key feature of the I Ching... Continued Cheng. ...is the notion of change or mutation, in fact, the book attempts to describe the situations and crossroads for which it is consulted as they are, but noting that in the next moment they have already begun to change in some of its components and therefore further consultation on the same subject will give at least partially different results, because the situation itself has evolved.

At this point Nancy and Lucas were completely absorbed in the explanations; the boy even without realizing it had already begun to think along the