Everywhere: Book 3 of the Nowhere Trilogy

54. Five O'Clock World

I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob - The Vogues

1:19 PM, Saturday, June 11, 2022

"Race you to the top!" Harry yells.

"RACE? Are you insane?" Chele stands at the bottom of the brightly colored steps at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "It's 272 steps! Besides, I'm checking out the statue."

"Yeah, that guy is quite the giant," Adam agrees, surveying the golden god who is flaunting a topknot and quite a bit of fancy jewelry to spice up his outfit.

"How big is it?" Sarah wonders, and Chele reads her guidebook, using her finger to keep her place as she slides quickly over the words before stopping.

"Okay. It says here that he's over 140 feet tall, and he's the second tallest statue of a Hindu deity in the world." Her eyes skim over the rest of the text. "They used about 300 litres of gold paint on him."

"Wow. Can you imagine how big his --" Mitch begins, but Sarah pokes him in the ribs.

"Mitchell Rowland! He's a god. People worship him. Don't talk about his junk. It's disrespectful."

Pouting, Mitch puts his hands in his pockets. "I was going to say hands."

"Sure you were," Harry teases, patting his guitarist on the shoulder. Shifting his attention to Chele, Harry sets a listening pose. "Okay, tell us about him. Who is he?"

Continuing to play tour guide, Chele recites a few of the facts she's been reading. "Lord Murugan. Apparently he has quite a few names: Skanda, Kumara, Subrahmanya, and Kartikeya. Holy divine deities! He's the God of War and Victory and seems to also be the Commander of the Gods. What a title!"

"Yeah, but what does he do? What's he responsible for?" Adam has a voracious appetite for information, and this is no exception. Jeffrey stands at the edge of the circle, waiting for the team to move onward. He's engaged three bodyguards today, and their primary purpose is to protect Harry. But he's made sure they all know that Chele is a secondary priority. At this point, it would do no good to protect Harry if something were to happen to Chele. The musician would be devastated.

"Ummmm....let's see...He brings detachment, willpower, and contentment. Oh, and it says that his spear represents the power to overcome darkness and ignorance. It points the way."

"Which is up," Harry states, "and that means climbing those 272 steps. Sure you don't want to race, Chele?" Waggling his eyebrows, he prepares his game face. Jeffrey grins at the childish move. Harry has been attempting to best Chele in some kind of race for weeks.

Simply shaking her head, Chele moves to the stairs. "Let's walk." Her quiet demeanor is unusual for her, and Jeffrey watches as she slowly advances towards the steps, her head hanging low. Wondering what could be on the blogger's mind, the manager follows the group, hanging back to keep an eye on Chele.

"Sweet!" Adam exclaims. "He seems like a chill dude."

Sarah leads everyone up the first flight.

"Oh! Bananas!" Harry exclaims as he spots a vendor with a cart displaying the fruit. "I want one!"

"Of course you do," Chele rolls her eyes, but her heart doesn't seem to be in the smart aleck reply. "You never pass up a banana." Her gaze roams the space surrounding them, and Jeffrey is curious as to what she sees. Something is on her mind, which worries him.

"Hey, Squib," he nudges her with his shoulder. "You okay?"

Startled, she quickly adjusts her attention and her body. "Yeah. Of course I am. Thanks for making this happen. The longer we're on tour, the more chances that fans will find us. I appreciate the ability to continue these outings."