The Elephant Gate

As they headed away from the compound, Kevin had a million questions. But his mom told him that talking to her why she was driving was dangerous, so he stayed mute and just stared out the window.

Once they drove through the ornate gates, he turned left. Trees and fields gave way to signs of civilization as they passed smaller farms. Finally they reached a town. There were taller buildings of brick. Thadchai stopped by one of the larger ones. Kevin turned an inquiring eye, disappointed.

"You live here?" Somehow he thought he would live closer to the elephants. The captain chuckled.

"No, we are here to shop for the things you will need. This is the closest store that has the items we need." Kevin felt embarrassed; of course he would need more than the few things in those suitcases.

Except...

"But what happens if I end up going home all of the sudden? Then the money will be wasted."

"Don't worry about it." Thadchai easily said, "It's more important that you have clothes for home and school. And anything else you may want." He opened the door of the truck. "Let's go."

Climbing out of the big vehicle was harder than climbing in, but he managed to hop down. By then, the captain had walked to the passenger side. He locked the doors and walked into the store together.

Several hours later, they were both laden with packages but laughing and at ease with each. They loaded everything in the back seat. Once they were both inside, the captain backed up and headed out of town back the way they came.

"I've already contacted my housekeeper, so she will have a light supper for us when we get there." Kevin didn't want to admit it, but he was hungry after trying on clothes.

The familiar tan walls of the palace compound came into view, but he drove past the ornate gates of the entrance. "Our house is located at the edge of the grounds, so we have a different entrance."

The wall eventually gave way to a tall, spiked metal fence. The captain pressed a button above the rear view mirror, and a large metal gate ground open. "This is also where our supply trucks and utility vehicles come for the palace." The fencing continued on both sides of the gravel road for several yards until they reached a second gate with a guardhouse.

"Good afternoon, sir." The guard formally saluted.

"Good afternoon, Corporal Suwapitch. May I see the logs?" The guard bowed and ducked into the shack, returning with a thick brown cloth-bound book. The captain perused the entries, initialed the corner and closed it with a snap. "Excellent job, Corporal. You may continue." The young guard bowed again, and ran to manually open the inner gate. Kevin waves at him as they drove by.

"The front gate to the palace is remotely operated by a security detail via CCTV. They are located underneath the council chambers." Kevin wasn't given a tour of the bas.e.m.e.nt area of the palace, but maybe someday he will get to go there too. He never thought about all the people who work in a castle; the books never talk about the staff that makes sure everything runs smoothly.

Kevin spotted something familiar in the distance. "I see the elephant barn!" They drove past a crossroad; the sign read "Elephantine Facility". A similar crossroad on the other side read "Equine Facility".

Just past a copse of coral trees and bougainvillea, there was a two-story barracks on one side of the road, and several individual houses across from it. Thadchai backed into the carport of the nearest one.

The home was two stories, with a blue barrel-shingle roof and white stucco walls. The second story boasted a balcony on the right, above the double-entry wooden doors downstairs. A profusion of colorful plants lined the edges of the tiled driveway. Kevin looked at it with awe.

As they stepped out of the vehicle, a short, plump woman stepped out of the front door.

"Khun Thadchai! You're home!" Her voice was unexpectedly girlish, and Kevin liked her right away.

The captain pushed Kevin in front of him. "This is Noy Kevin. Kevin, this is Khun Mattaya. She will take care of you when I'm not here." She bobbed a quick curtsey; Kevin wasn't sure what to do, so he bowed.

"Well, you two must be hungry. Come inside, the food is ready, and I'll fetch your things later."

"That is alright, we can carry them in ourselves, right, Noy Kevin?"

Kevin nodded. "Ladies don't carry things where I come from. We can do it, Khun Matt'ya." She smiled and gestured them into the house.

The interior was painted a pale green. There was spiral staircase smoothly twisting to a partially-open second floor. Khun Mattaya directed them to a bathroom near the front entrance.

"Clean up, and I'll get the dishes on the table."

By the time they made it to the dining room, the aromas were making Kevin's mouth water. There was rice, soup, small dishes of different meats and vegetables, and an icy pitcher of water. The housekeeper addressed him. "Is there anything you can't eat, or that you don't like?"

Instantly Kevin answered. "Lima beans, even though my mom makes me eat them. I really like peas and lots of green vegetables, but I really really hate lima beans."

She looked puzzled for a moment. "I'm not sure what a lima bean is, so there shouldn't be any in the dishes. We may call it something different, though. You have a strange way of talking. What country are you from?" Thadchai gave a discreet cough before Kevin could explain, and the housekeeper excused herself and left the room.

In a low voice, he explained, "We don't know exactly where you are from, or when you will return there, so, for now, we want to keep the information secret." Kevin felt funny about that; he was just an ordinary boy from America. Although, thinking about it, maybe he was more like Superman, from another planet or something. Except he couldn't fly or lift cars or anything that Superman could do. Still, he could keep a secret.

They sat down, and all the food was tasty, and none of it had lima beans. When they were done, the pair carried everything to the kitchen, which upset Khun Matt'ya. Kevin was firm, though. "If we don't cook the food, we should help clean up." The captain humored him, and put his finger to his lips and winked when the housekeeper started sputtering.

Once the table was cleared, he clapped the boy on the back. "Time to get everything out of the truck and show you to your room."

Kevin headed for the front door; Thadchai stayed back for a moment to talk to his servant. "I want Noy Kevin to feel comfortable living here, so we will have to adjust things a little. I'll explain everything later." She looked unhappy but agreed.

By the time he walked outside, Kevin had already opened the rear door, and dragged out one suitcase and a couple of store bags. Thadchai effortlessly pulled the rest to the driveway. After locking the door, he grabbed the majority of the packages and directed his young charge back into the house.