Ezra stood in the crowd and considered his surroundings. It had been a long trip to this point. In the distance were some of the biggest mountains he had ever seen in his life. The people around him swirled in a mixture of bright colors, strange languages, unusual luggage and bright smiles. "Friendliest damn country I've ever seen!" he thought to himself.

He hefted his suitcase and turned to see Liza talking with an old man. The man looked vaguely familiar. Ezra was startled from his musings when the old man turned and addressed him. "And what do you seek, Mr. Coffin."

"Damn!" he thought, almost startled into a verbal exclamation. "How…" he started to ask when Liza interrupted him. It's Mister Po, Daddy. He was with us on the ship." She smiled, a dazzling happy smile that convinced him this trip had been the right thing to do.

Ezra felt the stirrings of suspicion as he studied the old man before him. "What do you want, Mister Po!" he asked, a hint of steel in his voice.

"The same as you, Mr. Coffin." Mr. Po showed no hint of resentment at his tone. "Enlightenment." Po had a soft voice with a strong accent. His face was wrinkled up like an apple doll and he was missing a few teeth. Those that remained were stained and brown. Yet, there was a indefinable quality of security and satisfaction about him that relaxed Ezra's suspicion.

Mr. Po introduced them to the city. He acted as a kind and gracious host though they could not tell if he lived anywhere in the city. Each morning he greeted them as they left the hotel and showed them the sights. He introduced them to a people who seemed to take live in stride. People for whom life could have been a burden but who worked through it and bore it with a stubborn serenity.

Ezra came to like these people for they reminded him of life on the island. Life was hard there too and had few luxuries. Yet it was good and if you worked hard you could be sure of a relative happiness. He watched Liza as the city stole her heart and knew that the trip had been a good idea.

One day Mr. Po introduced them to a very old a wizened man. He sat at a street corner with his begging bowl before him.

"This is Li Chen," Mr. Po whispered. "He is a very wise and knowledgeable monk." It was obvious that Mr. Po was very impressed with the old man. Ezra and Liza squatted next to him to talk but before they could speak the old man reached out to Liza's auburn hair.

"You are a seeker." The old man's voice was soft and lisped around missing teeth. "You should leave this place and go there." He pointed to the great mountains that formed the horizon. "It is there you will find what you seek."

"That's all very well, Mr. Li, but Liza is going nowhere. In a few days we will be returning to where we came from."

Li Chen studied Ezra for a few minutes. "You are not a seeker. You're daughter is. You have found your truth but do not yet recognize it. She seeks her truth and will find it there." This one," He indicated Mr. Po, "He has done you a great service but he cannot guide you to the Center Of The World." He spoke rapidly to Mr. Po in what Ezra was coming to call Not-English. He had not yet been able to distinguish between the various dialects of Hindi, Chinese, and Tibetan swirling around him. It had astonished him to see how quickly Liza picked up the tongue.

The old man finished with Mr. Po and turned back to them. "Mr. Po will introduce you to a sherpa who will guide you to the high lama. When you get there your answers will be waiting."

At that the old man settled back against the wall and brushed a fly away from his cheek. They could elicit no other response from him.