He said that they’re smelly and dirty people. He also Xi’an Map said that Lhasa is being modernised and given a new lease of life. I interpreted his Xi’an Map words to mean that the old town is being demolished and replaced with modem concrete buildings. Yet perhaps it’s only the tourists who appreciate the quaint old houses; perhaps their occupants are fed up with the leaking roofs and difficult conditions; perhaps they are pleased to be given new houses which are convenient and easy to keep clean, and perhaps to them the concrete buildings are beautiful. None the less, Lhasa sounds a depressing place at the moment and I didn’t regret not going there. Besides, it wasn’t Lhasa I yearned to see, it was the countryside.
The team was about ready to leave when a blood-curdling scream echoed up the basement stairs. The cats! We quickly returned to the basement doorway and saw the two tumbling head over heels down the stairs. They were in an intensely fierce fight, tearing and clawing at each other. Both continued the battle until their bodies slammed to the floor and then disappeared into the darkness below. Mari came over in surprise. She told us they never acted like that.
Was their anger the result of Mari’s emotional turmoil, transference of her demon to them, or just two cats acting up? We could only wonder.
Unknown to us, as our group was involved with Mari’s deliverance, Matt’s team and Bev were investigating the antiques shop. For the most part, it had moved along smoothly though somewhat uneventful until they entered the old basement. It was shortly before 11:00 p.m. that things began to get interesting. That was just about the same time Mari’s deliverance was nearing it tremulous conclusion. This section of the basement is where the half-lizard man appeared.
