Free The Clout of Gen by Ahmad Ardalan

factory. Everything was hectic, and I didn’t want to risk any mistakes being made. Concentration was of utmost importance. I was running around the factory checking one thing after another, and it was an exciting but tiresome day.
     
    “When I finally returned home at around eight p.m., I took off my suit and was just about to hang it up when I noticed the envelope sticking out of the pocket. I grabbed it and opened it just out of curiosity. Inside the envelope were three pages. The first two contained the numbers of the Nikkei stock market, and the third was a report of the results of a Tokyo horserace. I checked the papers again and noticed that stock reports contained figures for that day and the next as well. I quickly called one of our financial advisors and asked him about the day’s market prices. I couldn’t believe it, but every detail matched what was written on the pages the blue-eyed stranger had given me the day before. I thanked the stockbroker and told him I would pay him a visit the next day to check on the figures again. The next day was conclusive. The strange man’s predictions came out to be 100 percent correct.
     
    “I booked an urgent flight to Tokyo that same day to catch the races at the Fucho track. There I was, sitting in Tokyo watching a horserace when it was the second day of operation for our new steel factory. I could hardly believe it myself. I had left all my work behind. I wasn’t much of a racing fan, but I had to know if the results held true. They did.
     
    “At that point, questions began flying around in my head. Who was that guy? And how did he know what the exact outcomes would be in the stock market and on the racetrack? Is he into something…something strange, or were the events predetermined, fixed somehow? Truly, John, the questions I had are probably the same ones you are asking yourself now. I took it as calmly as possible, and there was nothing that would stop me from meeting him at the temple the next day. I wanted answers, just as you do,” added Yaturo.
     
    John recalled what he’d read about the temple in his research. Kiyomizu-dera Temple dated back to 798 and was one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of ancient Kyoto. It took its name from the waterfall that ran down from the surrounding hills; in fact, Kiyomizu meant “pure water.” It was considered a main attraction in Kyoto.
     
    Yaturo went on, “I went to the temple to meet the stranger, just as he instructed. I got there about fifteen minutes early, but exactly at two p.m., the stranger arrived. He was dressed in a more casual way this time, with big black sunglasses that concealed his blue eyes, as well as a large portion of his face. He looked paler, and it seemed he hadn’t shaved since the last time we’d met. He was wearing a long navy-blue button-down shirt that was a bit tight, revealing his muscular physique. On his legs were brilliant white trousers, and he carried a sports bag on his back.
     
    “The first thing he said to me was, ‘How much money did you make from the horses, Hitari?’ and he started laughing from behind the toothpick that he had hanging from his mouth.
     
    “I was very offended. Who the hell did the guy think he was? I wasn’t in the mood for any jokes, and I quickly told him that I would be informing the police that he was involved with a match-fixing scandal of some sort.
     
    “The stranger laughed again and began speaking in a louder voice. ‘I am going to help you change the world, Hitari. Don’t waste my time with the police.’
     
    “I told him I was serious and that I didn’t want to be part of anything illegal. ‘I will turn you in,’ I said.
     
    “He then replied, ‘It’s no use, my friend. I don’t even exist. I haven’t been born yet.’
     
    “My heart nearly stopped beating when he said that. I could hardly breathe. He gave me some water and bought us the entry tickets, and we went inside. I hadn’t expected that at all, and again I