Dr. Kutlas is an elderly Frenchman with a tall and plump figure. When he stood up straight, he was like a giant duck egg standing there. He had blue eyes, sharp eyes, aggressive, but also showed a little kindness. He always looked at his round belly with smug face. His hair was gray and a red apple-like face made people feel very happy. He received us in a house in a small French town. There was nothing in the room, and the decoration from Polynesia was empty.

The swaying room was very eye-catching. Dr. Kutlas held me tightly with his wide hands and looked at me with kind eyes. From his actions, I could realize that his smartness was definitely beyond ordinary people. Then, he shook hands with Captain Bruno and gave cordial condolences to the captain's family. We also had a few casual conversations and chatted for a while for local interesting things and news, such as how much coconut harvested this year, how the vanilla fruit was sold, etc. Then our conversation came to the topic and talked about the purpose of my visit.

In order to explain to readers the story that Kutlas told me, I can only re-narrate it in my own language. The language he told was vivid and easy to understand, but it might become dull after my retelling. His voice was low and magnetic, and it matched his tall figure. He would also perform the situation at that time when he spoke, so it was very contagious. Listening to him was like watching a wonderful drama that made people intoxicated.

The whole story of this matter is like this. One day, a female chief in Tarawo was sick, and Dr. Kutlas went to see her. Kutlas described the female chief carefully to me. She was stupid and obese, lying on a wide bed. She was smoking a cigarette, and next to her was some black servants. After the doctor had treated her, she was taken to another room. It turned out that she had already instructed the servant in advance to entertain the doctor. So he enjoyed a feast - raw fish,

Fried bananas, chicks, and many things he had never eaten before. According to the standards of the local natives, these meals were the basic configuration for treats. When he was having a meal, a crying girl was dragged out of the door ruthlessly by people. He saw this scene, but did not take it to his heart. When he finished the meal and planned to take a carriage to go home, he saw the girl crying on the road. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, which made him feel sympathetic. The doctor quickly asked the people beside him why she was crying so hard.

Others told him that the girl was from the mountains and she wanted to ask him to treat a sick white man. But they had told her that the doctor was very busy and had no time to treat an irrelevant person. Dr. Kutlas called her over and asked her what was wrong. She said that Aita asked her to come to see the doctor. Aita had worked in the Flower Hotel before, and because of the "red hair" disease, she wanted to ask a doctor to treat him. After that, she unfolded a wrinkled old newspaper in her hand and handed the doctor a hundred francs wrapped in it.

"Do you know who the 'Red Hair' is?" the doctor asked a local person closest to him.

The man told him that "Red Hair" was a nickname, referring to an Englishman with a red beard. He was a painter and living with Aita. Their home was in a canyon, seven kilometers away. Based on these simple information, he immediately determined that the person was Strickland. He wanted to see him, but he had to go to Strickland's residence, without transportation, and could only walk. They knew that the doctor could not go so far, so they drove the girl away.

"To be honest," the doctor turned to look at me and said, "I was hesitant at that time. The path was not easy to walk, and no one could stand it if he had to walk fourteen kilometers back and forth. Besides, it was too late at that time, and I couldn't get back to Papeete overnight. Moreover, I didn't like Strickland very much. In my opinion, he was just a waste who did nothing all day, without motivation, and would rather marry an indigenous woman than use his own labor to create a better life. Oh my God, how could I imagine that his talent would one day be recognized by the world?

I asked the girl if he was too sick to go to my house for treatment. I then asked her what disease he had. However, she never said a word. I asked her a few more questions and even got angry at her, but she still didn't say a word. She just opened her eyes wide and looked down at the ground. After a while, she shed tears. I had no choice but to shrugged. As a doctor, it was his duty to treat patients. Although I was dissatisfied with this girl who said nothing, I decided to follow her and see the patient's condition."

Dr. Kutlas was full of air when he left. When he walked with the girl to the destination, his anger did not decrease, but became even stronger. He walked all the way, sweating profusely and dry mouth. Aita couldn't wait at home, so he came out to greet him.

"I am thirsty. Before seeing a doctor, give me some drinks, otherwise I will die of water shortage," shouted the doctor, "Can I pick a coconut for me for God's sake?"

Aita called a boy and said something to him. The boy quickly climbed up a coconut tree and threw down a mature coconut. Aita opened a hole in the coconut, and the doctor drank the sweet coconut juice in big mouthfuls, feeling like a grass that was about to be dried, and it was moistened by the rain and restored infinite vitality. Then, he rolled up a cigarette and sucked it in his mouth for a while, feeling much better now.

"Where is the 'Red Hair'?" he asked Aita.

"He is in the room inside. He has been painting before you come. I didn't tell him what you are coming. You should go in and see what he is doing."

"Where is he uncomfortable? If he can still draw, it means he has the strength to go to Tarawo himself. But he did not do this, but let me trek for so long to see him. Is it so much more precious to him that his time is more expensive than a doctor's time?"

Aita did not refute him, which made the doctor feel uncomfortable. He felt that he shouldn't have lost his temper at a woman, and that he was too ungraceful. She walked into the house and followed the boy. The girl who had found the doctor found a place to sit on the balcony. The doctor saw an old woman sitting on the floor against the wall and smoking cigarettes on the balcony. The doctor felt very strange. In his opinion, these people's behavior was a bit abnormal. He felt that he might have been fooled and was very angry. He walked into the house,

Seeing the painting Strickland painted, it was on the easel in front of him. Strickland was slowly cleaning a palette with a Palio tied to it. He heard the voice, turned around and glared at the doctor. He didn't expect someone to disturb him, which was his most annoying thing. He was surprised, but the doctor was even more surprised than him. Kutlas was stunned when he saw the scene in front of him, and his feet were as if they were stuck to the ground. He was startled and his eyes widened.

"Why don't you knock on the door before you come in?" Strickland said impatiently, "Is there anything you're doing here?"

After a while, the doctor realized. He tried to speak, but couldn't open his mouth for a long time. He felt anger before coming, but now he was no longer angry, and replaced by deep sympathy.

"I am Dr. Kutras. After I was treated for a female chief in Tarawo, I was invited by someone sent by Ata to come to see you."

"She is a big fool. I have some pain recently and I have an occasional fever. This is not a big problem. It will be cured in a while. If someone goes to Papeete next time, I will ask him to bring some cinchona cream."

"Before you say such words, you'd better look in the mirror first."

Strickland looked at him with a smile and walked forward two steps, with a small mirror hanging on the wall. The mirror looked cheap and had only a wooden border.

"What's wrong?"

"Didn't you see that your face is different from before? Didn't you find that your face looks swollen? How should I describe it? Your face is like the kind of 'leo' described in medical books. Oh my God, my friend, can't you see that you have a terrible disease?"

"I?"

"You can see in the mirror that you have leprosy."

"Are you kidding me?" said Strickland.

"I hope so, too."

"You mean, am I already suffering from leprosy?"

"Although unfortunately, that's the truth."

Dr. Kutlas has witnessed the deaths of many people in the past and told them the fact that they were about to die. But he was never used to this. He always thought that patients who knew they were about to die would compare themselves with the doctor. They would feel that the doctor was healthy, had a long lifespan, and could live happily, but he was not long, so he would be very angry. He could clearly feel the complicated feelings of the patient, but he did not see this feeling in Strickland. There was no expression on his face that was traumatized by illness.

"Do they know I'm sick?" After a long time, Strickland pointed to the people outside. They sat quietly on the terrace with no laughter on their faces.

“They are all locals, you know that locals are very aware of the disease,” the doctor said, “but they don’t have the courage to tell you.”

Strickland walked towards the door. He glanced out, and knew that his face must be very scary now, because they suddenly began to cry loudly. Strickland looked at them quietly without saying a word, and soon turned around and entered the house.

"Based on your judgment, how many days do I have to live?"

"I can't say it well. Sometimes, people with this disease can live for more than twenty years."

Strickland walked to the front of the easel and looked thoughtfully at the painting placed on it.

"I know it's very difficult for you to come here, and you must have walked for a long time. You deserve to be paid, take this painting, don't look at it worthless now, maybe one day in the future you will be glad to have it."

Dr. Kutlas rejected his kindness. He said that he would come here without any intention to ask for compensation, and even the hundred francs that Aita gave him was returned to her as much as possible. But Strickland insisted that he accept the painting. Then the two of them walked to the balcony. The people on the balcony were still holding their heads and crying.

"Don't cry, woman. Wipe your tears," Strickland said to Aita, "this is not a big deal, I'm leaving."

"You won't be taken away by them, are you?" she said as she cried.

At that time, there were no corresponding isolation measures on these islands. The leprosy patients were all determined by themselves. They could choose to go home and recuperate slowly.

"I'm going back to the mountains," said Strickland.

Aita suddenly stood up and looked straight into his eyes and said:

"I will never leave you. You and I are husband and wife. If you want to leave me, I would rather hang myself in the tree behind the house. I dare to swear to the heavens."

She said the above words in a firm tone, as if she had become completely another person. She was no longer docile and weak, but became strong and brave.

"Why do you have to be with me? You can go back to Papeete. If you were there, you might marry another white man who could take care of you and you can work for Tiaree again."

"You and I are husband and wife. No matter where you go, I will go with you."

For a moment, Strickland's heart seemed to be touched. Tears suddenly spilled out of his eyes, wetting his cheeks. But the true feelings were revealed for only a moment, and he immediately returned to his original sarcastic expression.

"It's strange for women," he said to Dr. Kutras, "you can beat them all over the body, just like dogs. Nevertheless, they still love you very much." He shook his head helplessly, "Of course, in Christianity, women are also seen as soulful. This is ridiculous."

"What are you talking to the doctor?" Aita's tone was filled with worry and suspicion, "You really won't leave, are you?"

"If you want me to stay, then I will stay, poor kid."

Aita rushed over and fell to his knees, hugged his legs tightly, and kept kissing him. Strickland looked at Dr. Kutlas with a smile.

"Look, even if you try your best to struggle, you will still be held tightly by them. Whether they are white or brown, you can't escape from them."

Dr. Kutlas believed that in the face of this situation, no matter how much comfort he said, he decided to say goodbye. Strickland asked a boy named Tanai to take the doctor back to the village. At this point, Dr. Kutlas stopped talking. He thought for a long time and finally said:

"You know, I don't have a good impression of this person. When I walked towards Tarawo Village, I suddenly developed a feeling of admiration for him. He was still full of courage in the face of this extremely terrible disease. When I bid farewell to Tanae, I told him that I would take time to give him some medicine, which should help his condition. However, I also understood that Strickland would probably not take my medicine, and even if he took it, it would not be effective. I entrusted him to tell Aita that if she needed my help, I would rush over at any time. Nature is so cruel that it would actually make its people encounter such a thing. When I got on the carriage and thought that I was about to return to my comfortable home, but he didn't know how many days he could live, I was in a heavy mood."

We were silent for a long time.

"But, Aita never called me over," the doctor continued, "It happened that I was somewhere else and could not go to that area, so I didn't know anything about Strickland. I had heard that Aita came to Papeete twice to buy painting supplies, but I never saw her. Two years later, I finally had the opportunity to go to Tarawo, and this time I went to see the female chief. I asked the locals about Strickland, but I found nothing. At this moment, the locals knew that Strickland had leprosy. Then, people left there one after another. At the beginning, the boy Tanay, and not long after, the old woman and her granddaughter also left. In the end, the only people who remained here were Strickland, Aita and their children. No one dared to approach their coconut garden, because they were afraid of this disease. You also knew that

Before, once someone suffers from leprosy, they will be beaten to death by people. However, when the children go up the mountain to play, they sometimes see a white man wandering around the area, he has a long red beard. The children are very afraid of him, and they will run away when they see him. Sometimes, Aita will come to the village late at night, knock on the door of the grocery store, wake up the clerk from his sleep, and then buy some things. The reason why she chose to go to the village at night

, because she was worried that she would meet the villagers during the day. She knew very well that the villagers were very afraid of their family. Once, Aita was washing clothes by the stream and saw a few women walking towards her carefully. They had never been so close to the coconut garden. They picked up a few stones and threw them at her. After this incident, the village grocer told Aita a message: If she uses the water from that stream in the future, they would burn her house."

"These bastards," I said angrily.

"My dear sir, don't be so angry. This is how people are. Because people cannot eliminate the fear in their hearts, they become cruel and ruthless... I made up my mind to see Strickland. When I cured the female chief's illness, I needed a boy who knew the way to take me to his house, but I couldn't find someone who was willing to lead the way. There was no way, and in the end I could only go alone."

Dr. Kutlas walked into the coconut garden, and a feeling of uneasiness lingered in his heart. He walked all the way, and was sweating profusely. Suddenly, he shuddered. He felt an invisible resistance in the air that was preventing him from moving forward. The weeds in the coconut garden were full of desolate and dilapidated scenes. The coconuts were rotten because no one picked them. Dr. Kutlas was getting closer and closer to the house, and he had an ominous premonition. At first he didn't hear anything, and he thought everyone had moved away, but he saw Aita. There was a small shed not far from the house, where Aita was cooking in the shed. Beside her, a little boy was playing with mud. Aita heard footsteps and turned around and saw the doctor at a glance, but she didn't smile.

"I came here today to see Strickland," he said.

"I'll go in and say to him."

Aita turned around and walked into the room, followed by Dr. Kutlas. However, before he entered the room, he saw Aita gesture, signaling him not to go in first, so he waited quietly at the door. Aita opened the door and a fishy and sweet smell came from the air. The doctor was very familiar with this smell, and the leprosy patient's residence often had this unpleasant smell. Aita whispered a few words to Strickland, but the doctor did not hear the content clearly. Strickland also answered her in a low voice, but the voice was completely different from what Dr. Kutlas thought. It was a very hoarse and vague voice. The doctor judged that the patient's vocal cords had been attacked by pathogens. Not long after, Aita walked out of it.

"He doesn't want to see you. You'd better leave quickly."

Dr. Kutlas insisted on seeing the patient, but was stopped by the same stubborn Aita. Dr. Kutlas was helpless. He thought for a long time and finally decided to turn around and leave. He felt that perhaps only doing this would fit her idea.

"Before I leave, I still want to ask, what is there to do I have to serve?" he asked.

"He needs oil paint. You can send a little bit of it." After saying that, she added, "He only wants this."

"He is so sick, can he still draw?"

"He is painting now, although it is painting on the wall."

"Poor child, it's not easy for you."

A smile finally appeared on her calm face. Something was flashing in her eyes, which should be the glory of love. Dr. Kutlas thought to himself that he had never seen such a look, which made people feel awe. He didn't know what he should say.

"He is my husband," she said proudly.

"I remember you have two children, I should remember correctly?" said the doctor. "Where are they now?"

"Yes, you remember correctly. One of them is dead, and he is sleeping under the mango tree."

At this time, the doctor planned to go back, and Aita only sent him for a while and stopped sending him. Dr. Kutlas believed that she was afraid of meeting villagers, so she did not dare to move forward. Before the two parted, the doctor told her that if she needed his help, she would send someone to pass on a message and he would definitely come immediately.
Chapter completed!