Minjy the Robot and the Search for Wing Wong

Minjy the Robot and the Search for Wing Wong is a fiction e-book for middle grade readers ages 8-12. This is the 5th title in the Minjy the Robot series. Visit smkrystal.wixsite.com/minjy-the-robot

PART ONE

She’s Missing

Chapter 1

Conditions on Mount Everest can change at a moment’s notice.

“This is November-Four-Papa-Tango,” said helicopter pilot Mike Bellford.

Mike Bellford

He was practically shouting into his headset �" the howling winds made it almost impossible to hear. On the other end, the dispatcher listened carefully and could hear the intense, background noise.

“I’m at Everest South Base Camp and my location is twenty-eight degrees north and eighty-six degrees east,” said Mike. “The weather has gotten worse and snow is moving in quickly.”

Challenges on this great mountain came in every form, shape, and size.

He struggled to hear the dispatcher yet understood that there was a missing person situation. A female scientist had wandered off alone. She had mentioned something to the others about gathering more information for her research. She separated from the group and disappeared. Everyone began searching for her but she was nowhere to be found.

 “Mike, we have an emergency,” he said. “There’s a team of scientists doing research in the hills of Nagarkot.”

The scenic village of Nagarkot was about twenty miles east of the capital city of Kathmandu in Nepal.

“A bad storm has hit the area and everyone had to be evacuated,” said the dispatcher. “All are accounted for except one �" her name is Wing Wong. She was last seen about an hour ago. Mike, we need your help. Please get over here as quickly as possible and begin an air search. You know how dangerous it can be to get stranded once bad weather sets in.”

Miss Wing Wong

“Okay, I’m on my way now,” he replied. “I’ve got to get this chopper into the air or else I’ll be stranded here.”

The dispatcher heard the sound of the helicopter’s mighty engine gaining power.

 “Understood, November-Four-Papa-Tango,” said the dispatcher. “Do what you have to do and remember - safety first. Good luck, Mike.”

During his thirty years of working the air waves he had encountered the same situation twice. Fortunately, both had ended without incident and searchers managed to find the missing. The dispatcher hoped for a no lesser an outcome this time around.      

* * * *

As the search for Wing Wong continued, Monique and Juliette Hevelle were on an overseas flight from Glitter City to Borne.

Monique and Juliette Hevelle

Prior to departure, Minjy the robot had been powered off and stored in the plane’s cargo hold. The flight from Glitter City to Borne took about twelve hours, much the same as flying to cities like London or Paris that were nearby. After landing, it would be just a short car ride from Borne International Airport to the town of St. Belle where Juliette lived. The plan was for Minjy to be re-united with Wing Wong.

Minjy the Robot

A friendly announcement from the flight deck was a welcome sound to the passengers.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking,” he said. “We’re now over the Atlantic Ocean, and about half way between the shores of North America and Europe. We have another four hours until we land in Borne. For those passengers seated on the left side of the aircraft, there’s a great view of the Northern Lights. For most of you, I’m sure this is the closest you’ll ever be to this beautiful display of colors.”

To say that Juliette was remotely interested in what the captain had said was an overstatement. Her mind was on Minjy. She was taken from the sisters by airline personnel and stored away. Although the same was done when Minjy flew from Port Marcia to Glitter City, this time something happened which only Juliette seemed to notice.

When it came time for Minjy to be powered off the usual procedure was followed, which was to feel the back of her neck and gently apply pressure. This is how it had been done before by Wing Wong and Monique. This time, however, Monique was looking inside her handbag for her passport and asked Juliette to attend to Minjy. Juliette immediately felt uncomfortable with the task �" she had always been told by Monique that she was heavy-handed. For this reason, Juliette didn’t ask her sister for any assistance.

She reluctantly reached for the back of Minjy’s neck and squeezed. Juliette felt Minjy jerk which was not out of the ordinary. This was usually followed by a slightly slumped posture, but this time Minjy was as floppy as a puppet with no strings. A groaning noise came from her mid-section and became less and less audible until it was silent. Juliette didn’t like the sound of that. 

Juliette seemed troubled from the moment she boarded the plane, and her mood was the same for several hours. Monique, on the other hand, peered out the window and was captivated by the Northern Lights. Then she leaned aside so her sister could look.

“Juliette, you’ve got to see this, it’s so amazing!”

She wasn’t interested and barely turned her head. Monique couldn’t tell if there was something wrong or her sister was merely tired.

“Juliette, what’s the matter? You love to gaze out the window when you fly. You’re nose is usually pressed up against the glass. Are you tired? Please tell me.”

“Everything’s fine - I’m just a little worried about Minjy.”

“Why would you be worried about Minjy? She’s safe and sound. As soon as we land she’ll be here, there, and everywhere! She’s flown before and has been absolutely fine afterwards. It will be no different this time.”

“I hope so. Monique, you’re always the voice of reason.”

“Was everything okay when you powered her off?”

Juliette hesitated to respond.

Monique didn’t wait for an answer, saying, “My goodness, Juliette, you’ve really grown attached to our little robot friend. Just a few more hours to go and we’ll all be re-united. I hope you can last!”

Juliette struggled to smile. It was as if she had a sixth sense that something was not right.

* * * *

A short while later an announcement interrupted the quiet calm of the overseas flight.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” said the flight attendant. “As you can see, the captain has switched on the seat belt sign. We will be landing shortly, and please return to your seats and ensure that your seat belts are fastened. Thank you.”

Juliette put aside the magazine that she’d been casually glancing through. She turned her head towards Monique who had fallen asleep. Juliette gently nudged her arm.

“Monique, it’s time to wake up. We’re landing soon.”

“I must have fallen asleep. Juliette, I just had the strangest dream!”

“What was it about?”

Monique took a deep breath and gained her composure.

“It was about Minjy. I dreamt that I was outside on a very cold day. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and the sun was shining brightly. There were hills all around �" very big hills. In fact, they were more like mountains. There was snow everywhere �" powdery, crisp snow that glistened like crystals.

“I turned to look in every direction. All I could see was a beautiful canvas of white and blue �" the snow and the sky �" all alight by a golden sun. Suddenly, an array of very different colors caught my eye. It was some kind of object and its appearance was drab, grey, and stood out against the snowy backdrop.

“It was Minjy, and she standing waist-high in a mound of snow. She was frozen �" lifeless. Then I heard whimpering sounds - I didn’t know who made them or where they came from. I screamed Minjy’s name and tried to run towards her, but the snow was deep and impeded my every step. In desperation, I lunged forward to get to her. It was to no avail �" I fell. The snow was cold and all over my face. I wiped it away and looked towards Minjy �" she was gone. I guess that’s when you woke me up. I don’t remember how the dream ended.”

Juliette felt a sudden chill.

“That sounds more like a nightmare than a dream,” she said. “It seems like my worrying about Minjy was contagious. At first I was concerned about Minjy, and now you. I hope this isn’t a bad omen. ”

“Nonsense, Juliette, it was nothing more than a silly dream,” she replied. “I guess we’re just over-tired and not use to being apart from Minjy. We’ll be on the ground in a few minutes and be re-united with her soon enough.”

“I hope so,” said Juliette, “but I just don’t know why I have this strange feeling that something’s wrong.”

She turned her head and looked out the window. Strangely, her intuitiveness would prove to be correct.

* * * *

After disembarking from the aircraft, Monique and Juliette found themselves in an unforeseen predicament. Upon arrival in Borne, they and the other passengers proceeded to the airport’s customs and immigration hall. It was all fairly routine for arriving travellers.  When it was their turn, Monique and Juliette approached the counter and presented their passports to the customs officer. He was stone faced as he studied their passport photos and glanced at their faces. He spent a lot of time checking his computer, every so often looking up at the sisters with a look of suspicion.

The wait made them uncomfortable, but in different ways. Monique was the more seasoned traveller of the two. She took nothing for granted when being scrutinized by any kind of official, be it a police officer, or in this case, a customs officer. Most of the time these encounters were mundane, yet experience had taught her to expect the unexpected. 

Juliette, on the other hand, was pre-occupied with Minjy’s well-being. She was anxious to be re-united with her little robot friend and had difficulty re-assuring herself that Minjy was okay. They breathed a momentary sigh of relief when the officer handed back their passports.  This, however, was short-lived and he escorted them to the airport’s immigration department.

Minutes had turned into hours and they were on edge while waiting in the sterile, white hallway. By Monique’s calculation, it had easily been at least two hours since their plane landed. The sisters were fatigued from their overseas flight and were now dealing with a lengthy delay. Sitting on hard plastic chairs made them uncomfortable and irritable. There was nothing they could do but wait.

Monique, looking confused, turned towards Juliette.

“What is this all about?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea. Monique, what about Minjy?”

“What about her?”

“She’s waiting for us - we have to claim her from the airline right away.”

Their brief exchange was interrupted by an immigration officer who escorted them to his office. He asked them to be seated and momentarily excused himself. After a few minutes he returned and sat down at his desk opposite the women. The officer - an older gentleman with grey hair and reading glasses - opened a red file folder and began to thumb through a thin stack of papers. Monique and Juliette sat quietly and were nervous.

“Which one of you ladies is Juliette Hevelle?”

“I am, Officer. Is something wrong?”

“What would make you think that, young lady?”

“No reason �" it’s just that I’ve never been questioned by an immigration officer before.”

Monique took the opportunity to interject.

“Excuse me, sir. I’m Juliette’s older sister �" my name is Monique. Why are we being detained?”

The officer looked at Monique, was silent for moment, and then began to smile.

“It is very nice to make your acquaintance, Monique. My name is Officer Elfson.”

Officer Elfson

Monique and Juliette became more at ease upon seeing the officer smile and hearing his gentle manner of speaking.

“I apologize for the inconvenience and please do not worry. I will keep this as brief as I can. Juliette, do you recall being a patient at St. Belle Medical Center?”

“Yes, I do. Why are you asking?”

“According to the center’s records you were not officially discharged.”

Once again, Monique interrupted the conversation.

“Officially discharged? What does that mean? Who told you that?”

“Ladies, please let me explain. The Department of Health reviews the records of all our patient care facilities. It is standard practice and done to safeguard public health and prevent the spread of contagious diseases. The center’s records were checked and they indicated that Juliette was being treated for pneumonia. She left the center on her own rather than being discharged by a doctor. Her chart revealed that she still had symptoms of pneumonia including a high fever. According to the law, all patients must receive the okay from a doctor prior to leaving. I’m afraid you could have harmed yourself and others by leaving while still sick.”

“But Officer, I’m fine,” said Juliette.

The officer smiled and then replied, “I’m very happy to hear that, but I’m afraid you’re missing the point. You left the center without a doctor’s consent and posed a risk to the public. Fortunately, it’s apparent that you recovered from your bout of pneumonia and did not make anyone else ill.”

“Then why have we been prevented from leaving the airport?” asked Monique.

“Juliette left the country immediately after leaving the medical center,” he replied. “When the Department of Health learned what had happened, Juliette’s file was flagged. That means that upon re-entry to the country, it must be ensured that she does not pose any risk to public health.”

“What am I supposed to now?” asked Juliette.

“Another immigration officer that is responsible for healthcare matters will meet with you shortly,” replied Officer Elfson. “You’ll be required to complete a form and they’ll sign off on your paperwork - then you’re free to go. In the meantime, I’m afraid you’ll have to sit tight until someone arrives. That’s the best I can do.”

Having said that he smiled politely and stood up to leave.

Monique appraised the situation and was resigned to wait. She knew that in a case like this, the path of least resistance was their quickest and only option.

“Monique, what do you think we should do?”

“There’s nothing more we can do. You heard Officer Elfson - hopefully the other officer will be just as understanding. Obviously you’re well and the paperwork is just a formality. Let’s hope they get here soon so we can be on our way.”

“I guess you’re right. Monique, what about Minjy?”

“Oh my goodness �" with all that’s gone on I’ve completely forgot about her. I’m going to speak to Officer Elfson at once. I’ll tell him that we were supposed to claim Minjy from the airline hours ago. He seems like a nice man �" maybe he’ll let me get her while you wait here.”

Juliette thought it was worth a try.

Monique found Officer Elfson in the corridor just outside the office. She explained that Minjy was waiting to be picked up from the airline and asked if she could get her while Juliette stayed behind. He agreed, and Monique was on her way.