Mafia in Malaysia

It was during my vacation in Fraser’s Hill, Malaysia – note the word “vacation”. I was there just for pleasure, to enjoy the amazing plant life and birds. I’d started to take an interest in bird-watching. Of course, there was the “Gems of the World” exhibit opening at the Sultan Abu Bakar Museum – but that was only a coincidence.

As I walked the shady trail, I thought about that exhibit and wondered if the limited supplies I had been able to get onto the plane would be enough to get me in without getting caught. It seemed likely.

About this point in my thoughts, I became aware of someone behind me. They were still a ways off, but I could hear the sounds of inexperienced feet scrambling up the dirt hill, and the faint scent of cigarette smoke.

Out of sheer habit, I ducked into the trees – and lucky I did.

A man, dressed in a suit that was entirely unsuitable (please pardon my pun) for the surroundings, came walking up the path. He slipped, and let forth a curse. That curse made me catch my breath – for it was in Italian. With difficulty, he continued on up the hill. Even after he had passed, I stayed hidden in the trees.

“This is bad,” I said to myself. I pulled out my cell phone and had started punching in Drew’s number before my thoughts caught up with me. First, I had forgotten to get a Malaysia SIM card, so a call to the states would be painfully expensive. Second, I was the one who had gotten involved with the Italians, and I couldn’t stand to hear Drew say “I told you so.” I snapped my phone shut and took a deep breath. There had to be some way out of this.

♥/Kat!e

Today's Novel Idea Prompted by: "Take the following two unrelated items and make them work together in a story. Subject #1: Hiking through the Malaysian Hills. Subject #2: An assassin from the Italian mafia." Courtesy of Jason M. Tucker's Monsters, Magic, and the Muse.