God's Eye by P.R. Fittante

Author:P.R. Fittante
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Salvo Press
Published: 2013-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Tashi watched the first rays of sunlight strike the faceted summit of Kang Rinpoche. Like a great white diamond, the mountain’s thick icy shell reflected a brilliant iridescence. It cast the Dirapuk courtyard in a soft secondary glow that, for Tashi, only magnified the monastery’s ethereal nature.

He leaned his thin frame over the thick stone railing, and felt himself drawn to the sacred peak. The center of the universe, as Tenzin liked to say. Below, a few colored lanterns and prayer wheels were scattered around the pilgrims’ tents, remnants of the previous day’s attempt to mark the Buddha’s birthday. The annual lunar festival had become increasingly irrelevant, thanks to the presence of Chinese soldiers, and Tashi had gone to his bed praying for their departure. His dreams, along with the light of the full moon, had kept him awake for much of the night.

Feeling the hard stone press against his stomach, Tashi tried to push himself away from the railing. He was surprised by his weakness and noticed the light around him appeared to dim. Was he becoming faint? He looked into the sky, but the morning sun continued to stream across the Himalayas from the direction of his beloved Lhasa. Only when he turned back toward Kang Rinpoche did he notice something unusual. It was as if a great shadow had enveloped the entire mountain, nearly obscuring it from view.

There was a faint rumble and then the entire mountain appeared to shrug. Tashi watched in amazement as thousands of years of snow and ice slipped from the summit and plunged down the steep slopes in giant sheets that shattered against the surrounding plateau. The impact was deafening.

“Earthquake!” someone shouted. “Everyone outside!”

Pilgrims and soldiers scrambled from their tents and the other monks rushed into the courtyard to see what was happening.

“It’s not an earthquake,” Tashi said to Tenzin, who joined him at the railing. “The ground isn’t moving here. It’s just the mountain.”

Much later, Tashi would understand that this moment marked the end of their sheltered existence. For now, he and the others simply stared in disbelief as their eternal symbol disintegrated before their eyes. The entire mountain seemed to implode and then crumble into a heap of rock and ash. A heavy cloud of dust swirled into the sky, filling the void where the mountain once stood.

Tashi scanned the billowing remains, seeking an explanation for such total destruction. Instead, he discerned something else.

“Do you see the face?” he asked Tenzin in astonishment.

“It could be,” Tenzin replied, his eyes wide in wonder. “It appears—”

Behind them, a horrific shriek caused them both to jump. It came from a soldier who cowered in a corner of the courtyard. Tashi watched him shield his eyes with his arms before he turned and fled behind the monastery. Several more soldiers, as well as some of the pilgrims, also appeared to be paralyzed with fear.

“Apparently, there are those among us who see something else,” Tenzin observed. “But many more seem to be completely at peace.

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