“Is he from Nepal?” Rocky asked, and the woman began to answer, but James didn’t hear any of it. He thought hard, forcing through the frustrating feeling of half remembrance, like searching your room for something you lost, knowing for a fact it was there somewhere.
The Chintamani Stone. A stone of great power. Why did that stand out to him? Was it just because he’d been thinking an awful lot about how powerless he was recently, with Derek not there to protect him? Maybe... but why were they here? Calico had walked up these steps, and it must have been for a reason. But why here, in Nepal? Why would Derek tell them to come here, and why had Calico been seen here months ago, well before the Supers disappeared? James cast his mind back to the last few times he’d seen Derek. He’d been acting odd, hadn’t he? He’d shown James the secret bunker, almost like he knew James would need it. Like he knew he’d disappear. But there was no way. The Supers didn’t plan to kill those people. It was an accident, right?
James remembered walking into the bunker, seeing Derek and Avus hunched over the table. Avus had folded the paper he held rather hastily. But not before James caught a glimpse of it. He’d seen half of a strange symbol, a circle covered in flames.
His eyes slid to the hand of Kṣitigarbha, holding the golden stone adorned with flames.
In the abode by the foot of the mountain, wish for wisdom and receive great power.
Wish for wisdom and receive great power.
James nearly shouted with triumph as it clicked, the final puzzle piece snapping into place.
“Right,” Rocky said, nodding at whatever the woman had said. “Thank you for your teachings.”
“Of course.” She floated away, helping other clueless tourists.
“The Chintamani Stone gives great powers, huh?” James said quietly. “Doesn’t that sound familiar?”
Rocky furrowed his brow for a moment. Then his eyes widened in understanding. He caught on much quicker than James had. “You think?”
James explained what he’d seen in the bunker. “This has to be it. Wish for wisdom and receive great power. It’s the wish-fulfilling jewel, and it grants great power and wisdom.”
“But... I mean, the Supers already have great powers,” Rocky said. “Why would they be searching for it, and why would Derek leave clues for you about it? What’s it got to do with them disappearing?”
That stumped James. He looked back at the statue, at the golden stone sitting in its hand, reflecting the sunlight that shone through the windows. Why would the Supers be interested in a centuries-old myth about a stone that granted powers? Maybe they were searching for the source of their own powers, something to explain why they could do such extraordinary things. Did that mean they thought the stone was real?
James felt a twinge in his stomach, the same unbidden bubble of excitement he’d felt when he first read the words receive great power. For a brief moment, James allowed his imagination to run. He saw himself grabbing the golden stone from the statue and feeling a rush of energy as it gave him powers. He would fly then, into the sky, above the city, even above the mountains. And he would find Derek and the other Supers and join them as an equal.
“James,” Rocky said loudly. James jumped as he was torn from his reverie. He realized he’d been staring wide-eyed at the statue’s jewel and shook his head, embarrassed. “I said maybe we should try to follow Calico’s footsteps, see where else he went while he was here.”
“Right,” James said. “Yeah, yeah, that’s a great idea. Maybe ask the old man?”
“He was odd, but sure. Maybe I’ll get another peach out of it. Fresh this time.”
They left the temple. Rocky made a point of checking the mouths of the Makara statues, but he didn’t find the Chintamani Stone, just an old candy wrapper. They descended the stairs and crossed the square, which was even busier now, bustling with people in the afternoon sun. They pushed through the throng, coming upon the spot where the man had been sitting, selling his fruit...
And saw nothing but an empty, square cloth lying across the ground. No fruit, no old man, nothing.
James scanned the square. Other men and women sold their wares along the edge, but he saw nothing of the old man. He was simply gone.
“I’m not going crazy, right?” Rocky said. “That interaction definitely happened, or was the peach I ate that bad?”
“He must’ve left,” James said, shrugging.
“If that frail old man carried all of those baskets of fruit away that quickly, then I’m impressed. What now?”
“I mean other people must’ve seen Calico, right? And the old man said they know of him here, so maybe they know where he went next.”
“Right...”
Feeling exceptionally awkward, James held his hand up and stopped a man who was walking past. “Excuse me, did you see Calico when he was here? The Super?”
The man said something in Nepali, sounding angry, and walked off.
“Nice,” Rocky said.
“Let’s see you try.”
“I mean, random people aren’t going to speak English. But the people selling stuff to the English-speaking tourists...”
Rocky strutted toward the nearest vendor, an older woman in a pink dress, and asked confidently about Calico. He was met with a blank stare. He repeated himself to no response and eventually moved off, rubbing the back of his neck.
“That was odd,” Rocky muttered when he returned to James. “She didn’t even acknowledge me... Hey! She’s talking to those people in English right now!”
They had the same amount of success with the next few vendors. Most simply ignored them, while one very large and burly man grew angry and shooed them away. James had to drag Rocky away from the large man and remind him they had more important things to do than get in a fight.
“I don’t understand,” Rocky said when he finally calmed down. “Is it us?”
James
