Thorpe's Candle

THE SERVANT

The General Secretary gazed across the table in the private dining room at General Cho. They had finished their meal and were ready to discuss business. A servant had removed the dishes and offered both men green tea. He then stood by in case either man requested anything else.

“So they have found another source of the ore?”

“Escandoza says it looks promising, Beloved Leader.” Cho had arrived from Bogota only a few hours before and came to report personally to the General Secretary of the People's Republic of North Korea.

The long hours of travel the last few days had taken their toll on Cho, the General Secretary thought. The old soldier looked tired. “So he wants us to send our scientists to Colombia to finish the project?”

“Correct. And as long as Dr. Thorpe is under his control, I see no other way to proceed.”

The General Secretary brooded as he stared across the room at the post-war Korean tapestries. Having the lab within the borders of North Korea would have made the korium devices assembly go quick. Now he must turn over the operation to a bunch of pirates and drug smugglers while the West is breathing down his neck to renew weapons inspections. Fortunately, they have no idea what the whole story is. They suspect he is building a weapon but they don’t realize to what ends he will go to use it. Still, the setback gnawed at his gut.

He was running out of time. Each day, the South relied less and less on the Americans for protection. And because of the new trade agreements, their economy grew ever stronger. South Korea was becoming just another arm of the West. And he knew there were many in his own government that would never allow him to develop the korium device. They were brainwashed by the moderates and their American friends. They called themselves Communists, but in reality they were soft and weak, corrupted by the West. Just like the Russians and the other former Eastern Bloc traitors. Just like the Vietnamese, now wallowing in a capitalistic quagmire, forgetting the lessons of the past.

He was not going to allow this to happen to his beloved Korea. He would seize the opportunity to place a firm grip on his leadership before his enemies could harm him. With the money he would raise from the sale of the korium devices, and the power he would wield from possessing the deadliest weapon ever made, his enemies would stand back and tremble. But he must be cautious, there were those who would want him dead or at the least, locked away. He must remain totally in charge, possessing a power that the entire world would respect and fear. The korium device would give him the power he needed to unite the two Koreas.

“My sources tell me that the individual who witnessed the offloading of drugs onto the submarine is probing into places he should not be digging.”

“Escandoza has promised to eliminate the leader of OceanQuest. But precious time is slipping by while we wait for the drug dealer and that renegade colonel to find the second source of korium.”

“There will be enough time, Comrade General. Be assured that when the Americans finally realize what we are doing, it will be too late. We and our comrades-in-arms around the world will have our new weapons placed in the heartlands of America and its allies. They will have no choice but to step aside and let us do whatever we desire.” The General Secretary studied the tea leaves in the bottom of his cup. “The clock is ticking, Comrade General. The day is soon coming when there will be one Korea — a Korea united under a common flag, the flag of Communism. It will be a sweet victory indeed.”

“And what of the Colombians?”

“They are simply pawns in our global game of chess. Essential, but a pawn just the same. Believe me, Comrade General, when the time comes, I will deal with them just as I have dealt with the rest of our enemies.”

“And if Escandoza suspects betrayal?”

“There is a saying: To defeat your enemy, bring him gifts through his front door so he will not hear death slipping in the back.”

After the General Secretary and General Cho left the dining room, the servant finished cleaning the table. He brought in a new arrangement of flowers and set the table for breakfast the following day.

His work shift had ended so he gathered his belongings and made his way through the quiet hallways lined with the General Secretary's favorite paintings and silk screens. He emerged into a courtyard on the south side of Communist Party Headquarters, nodded to the guard at the security gate, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. A few blocks away, he stood under a lamp and watched the city lights reflect off the Taedong River. He paid no attention to the clatter of traffic and the bells of passing bicycles. Soon he noticed a woman and a young girl approaching — the girl sang softly to a small doll she held.

When they were close, he turned and smiled at the little girl, and bowed to the mother. The servant asked to see the doll and the girl handed it to him. He commented on how beautiful it was as he bent to give the girl a kiss on the cheek. Handing the doll back to the child, he again bowed to the mother, wished them a good evening, and watched them walk away.

Then he took one last look down at the dark, slow moving river before heading to his apartment a few blocks away.