The Monastery

Chapter 20: The Monastery

Susant wearily opened his eyes, feeling a gnarled ache in his back from his sleeping position. Taking a deep breath, he first noticed that the snow had stopped falling, yet for some reason, he felt even colder than before. High above, one of the two moons was full and lustrous, illuminating more of his surroundings than he could once see. The second moon was dark as could be, and in all of his time living, had never seen it glow even once. Glancing to his side, Susant noticed that the old man was nowhere to be found. 

Susant felt a sudden pain in his soul. Wherever the old man had gone, he had taken the red shawl with him. He jumped to his feet, fear and anger consuming him. He nervously rubbed his palms against the sides of his arms, trying to keep himself warm. He should have never helped the old man. Now he would die up here as a result of his stupid kindness.

The chiming of a bell turned Susant's head. A moment of silence. Then another chime. And another. Walking closer to the iron gate of the monastery, Susant could swear that he could hear voices. Whatever they were, they were speaking in barely a whisper, and their language was not his own, but he could most certainly hear them.

Coming around the front of the gate, Susant's eyes opened wide. Inside the iron gates was nothing at all like what he had seen the first time. It was as if he were looking into a different reality, somewhere far, far away from the cold cliffs of Kailas.

Dozens of people with hair as short as could be, were walking within the gates. They all wore robes and shawls of the same red color that was given to him by the old man. Susant's hands fell against the iron gate, and he immediately noticed that it was no longer decayed and rusted, but beautiful, strong and new, as if it had been built only the day before.

Susant realized he must have been dreaming, for the sight in his eyes was unexplainable. It was the dead of night where he stood, yet inside the Monastery the sun was shining. He could see several dogs lounging about in the grass, their heads laid down softly, taking in the warmth of the sun. Feeling himself leaning closer, Susant heard the iron gate creak, and watched it open to the magical realm within.

Susant walked cautiously into the monastery. He still couldn't believe his eyes, and if he hadn't pinched himself several times, he would have sworn he was sleeping. He assumed the people within the monastery were the monks and the nuns the old man had spoken of, but how could this place be? How could something seem to be hundreds of years old and abandoned in one moment, and completely alive in the next?

"Have I fallen through a tear in time?" Susant whispered to himself. He turned and looked back at the iron gates of the monastery. Outside, he could see the unforgiving nature of Kailas. He shuddered at the thought of returning and turned his gaze back to the monastery.

He found his way to a set of stone stairs. Beyond them was a temple unlike any other he had ever seen or even imagined. Brilliant statues that looked like tigers stood alongside the steps that led up to it. Great trees with leaves as green as the grass stood at its sides, towering beside the temple, seemingly protecting it with their branches.

Susant felt a shiver run up his spine at the sight. For some reason, the inside of the monastery felt warmer than just outside the gates, but the wind that brushed his cheeks was as cold as a sheet of ice. He walked towards the temple and stopped by one of the dogs lounging on the grass. As he knelt to pet the dog, it looked up at him and bared its teeth, growling. Susant pulled his hand back quickly and doubled the space between him and the creature.

As he did, he came face to face with a passing nun, but she only briefly glanced at him before passing. She hadn't said a word. He might as well have not existed. He turned to look over at a group of monks and tried to catch their eyes. He even waved, but none would acknowledge him.

The loneliness that he couldn't seem to escape crept back to him. Even though he was standing in a place surrounded by people, he suddenly felt as if he had never been more alone in his life. He decided not to walk up the stairs to the temple, and instead, took the path that ran along the side of it.

Written on the walls in delicate ornate handwriting were scriptures in another language. He could read none of them, nor determine what language they were written in. They seemed as if they were painted on by brushstrokes, all of them written in varying bright colors.

Susant felt the world begin to tilt around him as he wandered down the path and behind the temple. He could feel his stomach rumbling, and the cold of the wind was breaking down his spirit. It soon felt like he wanted nothing more than to just lie down and sleep.

His legs began to feel as heavy as blocks of lead, and he knew he had reached his limit. He tried to control his walking but couldn't stop himself from bumping against several of the monks and nuns who passed him. The world began to spin around him. He hoped that one of them would stop and say something, anything at all, but none did. No one acknowledged his presence.

Staggering down a flight of steps, Susant found himself in a beautiful garden. There were small pyramid-shaped structures, each of them adorned in gold and silver. Upon them were golden statues of different deities, all of them sitting in the traditional posture, each of them smiling down upon him.

He walked along the stone path through the garden until he found a tree off on its own. It was a small tree, but something about it comforted him. Before he knew it, Susant found himself curled up by its trunk, shivering and scared. He remembered the tree he had awoken next to in the forest. He remembered the kindness of Ahles. But Ahles was gone. And he knew not where he was.

Tears came to his eyes. More so than anything, he missed that love, that kindness, the feeling of a comrade. He thought of the warmth of Ahles, and his thoughts grew hazy. The trunk blocked most of the coming wind, and without much of a moment passing, Susant's eyes closed to the outside world.

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