A Supernatural Helper ( Narrative)

In Cigars of the Pharaoh, Tintin chases after an international group of drug distributors through the Middle East and India. He is able to capture most of the cartel members, but not the mysterious leader, who falls down a cliff and disappears. We now follow Tintin as he travels to China to crack the drug cartel at great jeopardy.

At the beginning of ‘The Blue Lotus’ adventure, Tintin and his friend Snowy are in India invited to be the guests of the Maharaja of Gaipajama. Within the palace, Tintin meets the famous fakir, Ramacharma, who has the power to reveal the secret of one’s future. He perceives that Tintin’s life will be at stake in the near future. Therefore, he teaches Tintin how to say the inscription for a magic crystal that can be used to conjure the spirit-Shiro. Shiro is a spirit boy, who died of leukemia at the age of eight and has been fostered by Ramacharma as a supernatural helper.


Tintin is asked to meet a businessman from Shanghai in the palace gallery. Unfortunately, the informer is shot by a poison dart when explaining the purpose of his visit. The poison of madness, the Rajaijah juice is used by the opium gang against their enemies. But before he goes mad, he mumbles two words “Shanghai” and “Mitsuhirato”.

Tintin travels to Shanghai in order to find out the source and there he risks his life to fulfill his desire of bringing down the drug cartel. With the help of Shiro, he is able to escape from danger and satisfy his will. Tintin makes his new foe in defending his young Chinese houseboy from Gibbons, a Western businessman and racist bully while he is on his way to meet a Japanese businessman, Mitsuhirato. Gibbons is also a friend of Dawson, the corrupt police chief of the Shanghai International Settlement. In Gibbon’s fury, he and Dawson begin making life difficult for Tintin.

In the same evening, by accident, Tintin is caught and sent to the prison by Dawson’s patrol. They intend to beat Tintin up, for he hurt one of their mates before he is under arrest. During the attempt at retribution, Tintin only tries to avoid their attack as he is unarmed. Luckily, the Ramacharma’s words bring to his mind in a wink. He, then, retreats to a corner and hold up the magic crystal, saying the inscription loudly not sure if it would work. At once a queer wind blows a dank thick mist over the whole prison. Before it entirely envelopes Tintin, he gasps as a giant shadowy figure crawls towards the warders. Horrifying the warders, they panic and run to the exit. However, as the doorway is locked, one of them attempts to open it with his dagger, while the other two just stand there, doing nothing. Tintin throws a chair at the two, trying to knock them down.


With the assault, one falls, the other rushes at Tintin in his anger. Yet, the shadow instantly turns on him and emits a bloody red light as if it wanted to prevent him from harming Tintin. Under this strange beam, the warder looks enchanted and loses control of his body. Flung up into the air, he floats for a moment before dropping with a nasty thump into an unconscious heap.


Tintin, shocked at what he sees, hears a child’s whispering urging him to end his battle. Tintin follows the advice and aims a china vase at his last enemy beside the locked doorway, who shakes in his wet pants. The doorway bursts open and all the wind and mist vanish. Tintin is guided by the shadow to get out of the police station. At the street corner, Tintin asks the shadow if it is Shiro the boy spirit. And yet, the shadow only makes a fingered shape point at Tintin’s necklace where the magic crystal hangs.


Tintin doesn’t get the meaning and takes off the necklace for a clue. At that moment, a fresh light comes from the crystal and the shadow disappears with it suddenly. Despite Tintin attempts to use the crystal again, he receives no response. After a while, he recalls what he is told about Shiro, who becomes a shy spirit before a stranger and needs to be called back once a task is done. All the same, Tintin is extremely delighted to have such supernatural helper for his journey.

Shiro is the main contributor to Tintin’s final battle with the mastermind. As it turns out, without his aid, Tintin and the Wang family would be killed. Wang and his family are abducted. Wang is the leader of the brotherhood launched to fight against opium. Told by Mr. Wang’s servant that the Wang family is in trouble, Tintin attempts to save them. He goes to the Shanghai docks and conceals in one of the barrels that will be sent to the secret den of the opium cartel.


Although Tintin finds the Wang family once he arrives there, he is caught by Mitsuhirato, a corrupt Japanese Government secret agent and drug smuggler. Tintin is soon tied to a chair alongside the Wang family and introduced to the boss of the opium cartel. Tintin looks in disbelief at Rastapopoulos, once his friend, now obviously the mastermind.Taking order from Rastapopoulos, Mitsuhirato commands his underling to untie Mr. Wang’s son, who is insane under the effect of Rajaijah juice. He is given a sword to finish off his parents and Tintin.


When lunging at Tintin the necklace is cut and fallen. The magic crystal breaks into splinters and a grim fog comes from the remains, starting to fill up the whole room. Tintin calls out “Shiro” afraid that the spirit is harmed. He feels something moving towards him in the haze. Tintin is uncertain of what it is until the thing comes in sight. It turns out to be Shiro, a young boy with black hair in Indian cloths. He bows introducing himself. With Tintin’s relief, he would give Shiro a big hug if he was free to move. Tintin asks Shiro if he can untie him and the Wangs before their lunatic son has another attack. Shiro nods and says that there is an antidote to the Rajaijah juice in the den.

Tintin makes a plan that requires Shiro’s aid again. Nonetheless, Shiro expresses that he is not powerful as he used to be, due to the damage of magic crystal. With Shiro’s encouragement, Tintin conquers the madman and takes his sword and then runs at his enemies.However, Mitsuhirato points a gun to Tintin, takes the sword, and demands him to inject the Rajaijah juice into himself if he wants the Wang family unharmed. Tintin receives the needle from Rastapopoulos and gazes at him sadly reminded of the deception. Just as Tintin puts the needle into his forearm the bloody red light shines in the mist.

Tintin, familiar with that light, closes his eyes quickly as he is scared to be bewitched and knows he is about to be helped. The light fades away after a minute with two loud thumps. Before him, Mitsuhirato and Rastapopoulos are unconscious on the floor. The underling capitulates on knowing his masters have been overcome and offers the antidote to Mr. Wang’s son.


As they are all ready to leave the Chinese police break into the place, and with Rastapopoulos’s arrest, the drug ring is eventually brought down. Mitsuhirato’s embarrassing involvement with the cartel and Japanese espionage leads to Japan's withdrawal from the League of Nations.


Tintin bids farewell to all his Chinese companions at the pier and starts his return journey to India. And yet, he has to do the same thing to his intimate friend, Shiro on the ship. As a consequence of overspending the power in the last conflict, Shiro will turn into colorful bubbles at sunset. Tintin’s eyes are brimmed with tears on knowing the harsh truth. He understands that the departure of Shiro will be the fact though he still wishes that it was just a nightmare.

The sea-gulls wheel in huge flocks over the sea that looks extraordinarily beautiful under the reflection of the sunset. At the stern, Tintin’s tear stains sparkle with the rays of the setting sun. He stands beside Shiro, saying nothing, neither does Shiro. All they can hear is the sea-gulls’clamours. Finally, Shiro breaks the long silence by hugging Tintin from his right side for a second. To Tintin’s sorrow, he fails to ask Shiro why he can hug him as a spirit before Shiro’s departure. Shiro floats up into the darkening sky after his transformation. At that, the sea becomes fairyland and this picture will be embedded in Tintin’s mind forever.


The End ~