Chapter One - Richard Lewis

Chapter 5
Fifty million nightmares nibbled at Nol's sleep, and he finally woke for good to an
early rooster's braggart crowing. Let's see how well you do in the cockpit, Nol thought
sourly.
He was a good man, and a humble man who didn't trumpet his virtues, but there
was nothing wrong in a private and reassuring listing. He was a reliable and respected
member of his community who faithfully carried out all obligations towards village and
temple. He wasn't afraid of hard work. At forty years of age, a time when men began to
lessen life's labors, he put in two days a week as security guard at the Japanese-owned
golf course up on the hill overlooking the town. He checked all suspicious packages, and
suspicious people too, figuring if he was going to get blown up then it was his fate to be a
posthumous hero. His bravery was beyond dispute. Consider that time he chased away
the thieves who thought they could steal grass from the putting greens.
What else, what else. Possessed of vision? Indeed. Consider his concept for a
submersible glass-bottom boat, long before such machines appeared in Bali's water sports
companies.
A man of the times? Without question. Take, for example, the occasion when he'd
escorted Dian and her classmates to Serangan Island to release baby sea turtles into the
ocean. In the feasts of years past, turtles were turned into turtle satay, and Nol's taste buds
quivered at the memory of such succulent treats, but now turtle meat was illegal and there
he was releasing baby turtles with his beloved daughter. When he mournfully observed
that all would be snapped up within hours by ocean predators, Dian fiercely shushed him.
Nol was healthy, with a small paunch that spoke of a sound diet, and his teeth
were stout. He was a faithful husband and loyal to his wife. He didn't drink. He didn't
smoke. He was honest. He did not let any merchant or salesman get the better of him. He
was a safe driver with excellent traffic sense and swift reflexes who knew how to hit the
accelerator when a red light turned green and beat oncoming traffic to the intersection.
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