How to Stop Time

Omai and Tom look over menus. Omai, as Sol Davis, has been living there for 17 years. A waitress comes and takes their order. She recognizes Omai as the surfer from YouTube. He smiles politely as she leaves. Tom talks about teaching. He mentions 1891, Hendrich, and the Albatross Society. He explains about the eight-year rule. Tom emphasizes how unsafe they are even today, citing the institute in Berlin. Omai asks about the consequences for not joining. When Tom doesn’t answer, he compares the society to the mafia. He’s been in Australia for 30 years and doesn’t want to leave. Tom tries to convince Omai that the society will keep him safe. Omai stands up, places some cash on the table, and walks out.

Tom remembers Omai’s belief that people live on in the mind and can provide guidance “if you stop mourning them, and start listening to them, they still have the power to change your life” (291). Tom finds Omai’s house on the edge of town. An old woman answers the door. Confused, Tom asks about Sol Davis. She nods and points toward the beach where Omai is surfing.

Tom watches Omai surf. Hendrich calls, reminding Tom that he is only Plan A. If he doesn’t succeed in bringing in Omai, Plan B will be enacted. The call ends. Once Omai leaves the water, Tom follows and tries to convince him to take the offered protection. He asks about the woman in his house. Omai just wants to be himself. Tom remembers what Dr. Johnson once said: “[w]hile knowledge without integrity is dangerous, integrity without knowledge is weak and useless” (294). Omai is living without knowledge; he only has integrity. Tom tries to give him that knowledge. Omai admits to being like Tom before, moving around, getting fake documents, starting again. But one day, he fell in love. After her death in World War II, Omai joined the army in New Zealand. The old woman in his house is his daughter, Anna. She lives with Omai now that her husband is dead. Tom can’t believe the secret never got out. Omai leaves, advising Tom not to live in fear.

Tom sleeps on the beach. The next morning, he heads back to his hotel to eat and check messages. He goes for a walk, thinking about Camille. He loves her and no longer cares that they will age differently. He finds a peaceful lagoon. He knows Omai will never join. Suddenly, a woman appears pointing a gun at him. It’s Marion. She accuses him of abandoning her and her mother. Tom tries to explain that it was to keep them safe. She says that he told Hendrich that he never wanted to be a father. Tom is shocked. Hendrich actually found her and never said anything all while knowing it was the one thing Tom wanted.

Tom tries to tell Marion that it is a lie. He’s been looking for her for 400 years. She says she saw the letter he wrote to Hendrich about finding and killing her. That letter pushed her into a depression and gave her a panic disorder. She stayed alive with the hope of finding her father, but that was crushed by the truth. Marion is still pointing the gun at Tom. He distracts her with memories of her playing the pipe and earning the coin. He takes the coin from his wallet. She cries, slumping into him and says Hendrich is there. Hendrich, worried that Tom wouldn’t be able to complete the assignment, escorted Marion to Australia. Marion was sent to follow Tom but remain unseen.

Marion returns to Hendrich for dinner at the hotel. Tom walks outside near the hotel. He thinks about Hendrich controlling everyone through fear. He was blind to it before, but hearing how Marion was treated has opened his eyes. Tom realizes that “the Albatross Society ran on secrets and the manipulation of its members, all to serve Hendrich’s increasing paranoia about external threats” (305). Hendrich is the real threat. Marion calls Tom. Hendrich has left the hotel and is on his way to see Omai. Tom runs.