Despite my assurances that I would be fine without him watching over me, it felt nice knowing there was a tiger sleeping on the balcony. Sleep came upon me. For once, I didn’t have any nightmares.
13
Vatsala Durga Temple
We kept to our schedule for another couple of weeks. I was getting stronger and felt confident that I could hold my own in a fight. Not because of my physical strength but because of the lightning power. That ability came easily for me. I could take out a weed all the way across the field and not damage the surrounding grass. It was like I had some inner ability to auto-focus, and I just knew where I needed to aim.
Mr. Kadam was spending most of his time trying to find Ren. Since we had discovered that the city we were looking for was Lhasa, the rest of the prophecy fell into place. Mr. Kadam was sure if we began our journey there, we’d find what we were looking for. Before we left, though, we had to make another trip to a temple of Durga.
Boxes started arriving in preparation for our trip. Mr. Kadam had purchased new clothes for me. Hiking boots, a dozen pair of wool socks, wool and fleece sweaters, Gore-Tex jackets, pants, and gloves, thick, long-sleeved T-shirts, a pair of white, insulated snow boots, insulated pants in a variety of styles, and assorted hats soon filled a corner of my closet.
After the latest package had arrived, which included sunglasses, sunscreen, and other various toiletries, I headed downstairs.
“Mr. Kadam, it looks like you’re having me climb Everest after all. Just how many bags do you expect me to take, anyway?”
He chuckled. “Come in, Miss Kelsey, come in. I have something interesting to show you.”
“What is it? A jacket that will keep me warm in an avalanche, maybe?”
“No, no. Here.” He handed me a book.
“What’s this?”
“It’s called Lost Horizon by James Hilton. Have you ever read it?”
“No. I’ve never even heard of it.”
“Have you heard the term Shangri-la?”
“Well, yeah. As in special nightclubs in old Hollywood movies? I think there might even be a casino in Las Vegas by that name.”
“Ah, yes, well, I found a connection between this book and our quest. Do you have some time now to discuss it?”
“Yes. Let me just tell Kishan to come listen too.”
When I returned, I made myself comfortable in the chair, and Kishan settled himself on the floor in front of me.
“Lost Horizon is a book written in 1933 describing a utopian society in which the inhabitants live exceptionally long lives in perfect harmony with one another. The city was set in the Kunlun Mountains, which is part of the Himalayas.
“What’s truly interesting, though, is that Mr. Hilton based his story on the ancient Tibetan Buddhist myth of Shambhala, a mystical city that is isolated from the rest of the world and has many hidden secrets. In the modern world, the term Shangri-la has come to mean ‘a place of happiness, a utopia, or a paradise.’”
“So we’ll be searching for Shangri-la through the spirit gates?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve come to believe. This myth is fascinating. Do you know this book draws upon several famous cities and their stories? There are ties to the Holy Grail, the Fountain of Youth, El Dorado, the City of Enoch, and Hyperborea of the Greeks. All of those accounts are similar to the story of Shangri-la.
“In every story the people are searching for something that will grant immortality or a land that holds a perfect society. Even the Garden of Eden has many comparable themes—the tree, the snake, a paradise, beautiful gardens. Many have searched for such places and have never found them.”
“Well, fantastic. The more I learn, the harder the task seems to be. Maybe it would be better not to know all this stuff. It might seem less daunting.”
“Would you rather I didn’t tell you?”
I sighed. “No, I need to know. It helps to have a frame of reference. So, nobody has ever come close to finding Shangri-la?”
“No. Not that people haven’t tried. I came across an interesting piece of information, in fact. It seems that Adolf Hitler believed that Shangri-la held the key to the perfect ancient master race. He even sent a group led by a man named Ernst Schäfer on an expedition to Tibet in search of it in 1938.”
“Glad they didn’t find it.”
“Indeed.”
Mr. Kadam gave me Lost Horizon to read and warned me that we would most likely leave