“I knew that when your father came up missing, you would do everything you could to find him. And if I didn’t tell you the truth, you would spend the rest of your life looking but not finding because you’d be looking in the wrong world. Besides, you’ve never let me shelter you from anything. Babel, you’re the only one who can save your father. I can’t bear the thought of losing both of you but I also can’t bear the thought of you living the rest of your life being deceived by me.”
Babel nodded in understanding. “I’ll find him. You don’t have any idea where he would be over there do you?” Alicia shook her head. He would be going in blind.
He called for the waitress, paid their bill, and they returned to the hotel. It was mid-day in Amsterdam but they were exhausted. Their flight to India would leave the following morning.
Babel had never been to Amsterdam before and hated the idea of not seeing a few sights while he was there but knew that once they landed in India, everything would change. He didn’t know how many nights of restful sleep he would have going forward and he wanted to take advantage. He told his mother good night and retired to his bed.
The next morning, they arrived at the airport early, boarded their plane, and lifted off to India. Babel watched the early morning skyline of Amsterdam disappear beneath the clouds as they continued east.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“You sure you’re okay with this?”
Babel nodded at his mother. “I’ll be okay. I didn’t come all the way to India to back down at the last minute.”
“But you can…if you want. Your father will understand.”
Babel was tempted to become angry at his mother’s words but he knew that she was still just trying to protect her little boy. He shook his head. “I’m going to get Dad and I’ll bring him back.”
They had arrived the previous day and had spent the day viewing the sights of Agra. The tour ended at the Taj Mahal and Babel was mesmerized. He had been wrong. He had thought the Taj Mahal just another ancient building but it was so much more. The energy that came from the building reached into his soul and told him he belonged there.
He became lost in his own thoughts on what the Taj Mahal meant to him and his family when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to a view of his smiling mother encompassed by the welcome area of the airport. “Welcome back. I thought I lost you there for a moment.”
Babel grinned sheepishly. “You thought that perhaps, while standing here at the airport, I had been sucked through the portal to another world and my body was left behind?”
“Um, not quite. But it’s interesting that’s what you thought I thought.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Look, you be careful and come back to me. I love you, Babel.” It was time for her to leave him and return back to America for the first of many worrisome days.
“I will. I love you too.” Babel gave his mother a hug and she kissed him on the cheek. Then, she turned and entered airport security.
He waited until his mother disappeared from view and then followed her airline’s progress on the board. When his mother’s plane hit the air, he left the airport and began to the journey to his father’s world.
The journey back to the Taj Mahal was chaotic but the sight of the building made it worth the stress of being pulled helpless through the streets of Agra. “It’s no wonder rickshaws haven’t caught on back home.” Babel said to himself as he exited the tricycle-drawn contraption.
He made his way to the waters that reflected the magnificent structure. He wasn’t sure what to do next but for the moment was content to be consumed by the ambiance. He stood next to the reflecting pool on the south lawn and waited for something to happen. Nothing did. He walked around the pool and still nothing happened. Worse, he didn’t feel the expected draw.
On the flight over, he had read much on the Taj Mahal, including the mysticism of the structure. He recalled a myth associated with the Taj Mahal’s finial, the decorative feature that crowned the summit of the main dome. A water pot was a part of the design of the finial. It was said that by beating the silhouette of the finial, the waters of the finial would be brought forth. Babel walked to the shadow and saw many broken bangles on the ground – traditional arm ornaments worn by women – that had been used to clout the silhouette, proof that the myth still lived. He looked for any clues that this might trigger but found none.
He walked around the grounds for some time and frustration began to seep in. “What am I looking for?” he screamed to himself. The day was winding towards noon. Out of habit, he glanced at his watch. He had plenty of time left; the grounds did not close until that evening. But he couldn’t help but feel as though he was wasting time. The sun moved to directly overhead and the morning shadows changed to afternoon shadows. It was then that he noticed a new shadow on the ground. He looked up and saw the sun shone through the finial of the Mihmankhana or the guesthouse of the Taj Mahal. Little was known about this building including its original purpose. Babel noticed the finial also included a water pot.
Out of curiosity, Babel squatted down next to the silhouette of the guesthouse’s main dome finial and pounded the ground where the shadow was displayed. No one else noticed the change but he did. He looked up at
