At Any Moment Life May Become Difficult

At last they arrive in Kunming. It is early evening. They have been met by a guide, Sikong Shu.

The name is familiar.

Are you named after the poet? says Arthur.

No, says Sikong Shu. That would be very bad form. I am in fact he.

I read your poem on the plane, says Arthur. The one where you visit your cousin. Yellow light on white head...

My white head, says Ouvert, from Arthur's pocket. Hello, I'm fish mouth. Weee! Pop!

Sikong Shu looks surprised. Who's in charge?

Margaret decides to take over.

Good evening, says Margaret. I understand you speak English. I am Margaret, I'm a geologist, this is Gaius, the well known natural historian, and this is Rosamunda Secunda, our junior ...er...assistant, and this young man in the orange shorts is Arthur Rimbaud, the poet. We have with us two small pebbles, Ouvert and Lavender, who may or may not make some contribution, but you need not bother about them.

Sikong Shu is delighted to meet Arthur Rimbaud, fellow poet. And so handsome.

He wonders if that was Ouvert in his pocket, the fish mouth, who said Weee! Pop! so amusingly. He would like to find out.

Then, he remembers his manners.

We'll have dinner, he says. Then catch the late train to Qujing. Doctor Zhu Min will be waiting.

He takes them to a restaurant, where they are served cucumber and lotus blossoms, shredded eggplant in chilli oil, rice noodles, pork and spring onions with ginger, sticky rice with coriander. Snow beer.

A wonderful dinner, says Gaius. If a trifle over-indulgent.

Sikong Shu looks stern.

It could easily have been less so, says Sikong Shu. Enjoy while you can. At any moment life may become difficult.

I am not here to be lectured, says Gaius.

Of course not, agrees Sikong Shu.

How old are you? says Rosamunda Secunda. If you wrote that poem, I'm guessing.... Tang Dynasty?

Amazing! says Sikong Shu. And correct.

Sikong Shu is chuffed.

What interesting people he has been chosen to guide to Qujing.

And he has not at this point met Lavender.