Earth. I researched and cross-referenced all of the flood myths. There’s Deucalion and Pyrrha of Greece, the Epic Flood story of Gilgamesh, Tapi of the Aztecs, and so on. One similarity among all of them is that, when the rains abated, the people were led to dry ground.
“In India, there is a myth that Manu saved the life of a fish who, in turn, told him the flood was coming. He built a boat, and the fish pulled him to the mountains. Several locations have been suggested as a landing site, but I omitted many of them for not being ‘of glacial mountain blue.’ The mountain that makes the most sense to me is—”
“Mount Everest.”
“Yes. If you take the account literally and assume the entire Earth was flooded, then the land that would appear first would be the Himalayan Mountains. Because the Himalayas ‘touch the sky,’ one could make the assumption that the second quest we will embark on will be related to air. Birds and other flying creatures are featured heavily in the prophecy as well, and the object we are seeking is called an ‘airy prize.’”
“Mount Everest? You don’t think Kishan and I would have to—”
“No, no. Climbing Mount Everest is something only a brave handful of people have ever done. I wouldn’t think of having you attempt that. No, what we are searching for is a city at its base, a city with a wise teacher. I’m hoping that you might be able to make a list of possible cities for me and perhaps think of a place I haven’t yet.”
“It sounds like you’ve already given this a lot of thought.”
“I have. But, as you mentioned before, sometimes a new set of eyes can help.”
Mr. Kadam handed me a list that I went through city by city, checking each one off the map. Sure enough, he had already crossed off every city within a several-hundred-mile radius of Everest. The only site on the map not crossed off was north of Everest and written in Chinese.
“Mr. Kadam? What’s this city?” I asked, pointing to the spot.
“That’s called Lhasa. It’s in Tibet, not India.”
“Well, maybe the teacher lives there on the other side of the Himalayas, but the item we’re seeking is still hidden in India.”
Mr. Kadam froze and then ran to get a book on Tibet. “Wait just a moment . . . a place of the gods.” He flipped open the book and looked in the index. Fingering through pages quickly, he began muttering to himself. “Ocean Teacher . . . spirit gates . . . yes . . . yes!”
He slammed the book shut and grabbed me in a brief hug, eyes twinkling. “That’s it! You’ve done it, Miss Kelsey!”
“What did I do?”
“Lhasa is the city ‘’neath Noe’s mountain’! Its name translated means ‘city of the gods’!”
“What about the teacher who is supposed to show us things?”
“That’s the best part! The Ocean Teacher is probably one of the lamas. Possibly even the Dalai Lama himself!”
“What? Lhasa is nowhere near the ocean.”
“Ah. The verse doesn’t have to mean the ocean literally. It may mean his wisdom is as deep as the ocean or perhaps his influence is as vast as the sea.”
“Okay, so we go to Lhasa and ask to meet with the Dalai Lama.” I chucked the black tiger on the shoulder. “Sounds pretty easy to me, right, Kishan?”
He huffed and stretched his head.
Mr. Kadam mumbled, “Yes. That might be a problem.”
“You don’t happen to have a good relationship with the current Dalai Lama, right? Kind of like Ren’s grandfather did?”
“No. And the current Dalai Lama isn’t in Tibet. He’s living in exile in India. The prophecy clearly indicates we need to go to the city ‘’neath Noah’s mountain’ and begin our quest there. It says here that the Ocean Teacher will anoint your eyes, unfold sacred scrolls, teach wisdom, and possibly lead you to the spirit gates.”
“What are those?”
“Spirit gates mark entryways into shrines in Japan. They are said to be the doorways between the secular world and the spiritual world. When people pass underneath them, they cleanse themselves and prepare for the spiritual journey that will take place beyond.”
“Are there any spirit gates in Tibet?”
“None that I’m familiar with. Perhaps there is a different meaning in the prophecy.”
“Okay, what about this navel stone?”
“Ah, I do know what the navel stone is. I believe it means that you are seeking an omphalos stone. They are stones to represent the center, or the navel, of the