PODCAST · arts

Stolen Idols

by E. Phillips Oppenheim

Two temple statues, one with the most beautiful of features, the other a hideous sight, are at the core of this tale of adventure and the supernatural. Carved by Chinese craftsmen, they have stood to either side of the great Buddha for hundreds of years, worshipped and protected by generations of priests.Taken together, they represent human nature in balance, the spiritual with the bestial, the Soul with the Body. But what if they are separated? Ancient legend warns of disaster to anyone who disturbs that balance. Young Gregory Ballaston of England, however, gives no credence to such dire threats when he and a friend set out to steal the idols, which are rumored to conceal a treasure in jewels. His friend dies in the attempt and one of the idols is presumably stolen by his murderers. Gregory nearly loses his own life in the effort but manages to get away with the other idol – the bestial Body. What will be the outcome for Gregory, or the beautiful young woman he meets in China and cour