"You alright?" Eric asked laughing but concerned nevertheless.

"Yeah," Marty looked up at Soni, "over half of the class is going to Egypt Soni."

"Wait, Marty, let me say it in a better way so that Soni will understand." Eric looked at Soni like a concerned father would. "Look dammit, over half of the women are going to Egypt. What the hell is wrong with you?" They all broke out in laughter. Other students in the gym looked at them and if they were children.

"Think about it this way," Soni advised in a professional manner. "Think of all the pretty Asian women that will be at your wants and needs."

Eric and Marty became silent for a moment. They looked at each other with one eyebrow raised. They both eyed Soni with a mischievous grin on their faces.

"When does the flight leave?" they said in unison.

Soni continued to have dreams of his grandmother guiding the child down the street in Ludshom. Why Ludshom? he asked. Is something there that I'm missing? He felt a pull coming to from Asia. Something deep inside telling him that there was a message there revealing something to him about his grandmother.

The dreams weren't occurring as frequently as they were in the beginning. He was having them two times a week now.

Soni had finally gotten back his swing at dream control. He meditated bringing himself to the level of consciousness he had when he was in the orphanage.

As hard as he tried he could never bring himself to catch his grandmother. She would quickly disappear around the corner of the building no matter what speed Soni performed.

Two weeks before graduation came quickly for those who wanted to stay with their friends forever and much slower for those who wanted to go on the trips. Soni was surprised to see that most of the seniors that were going to Egypt changed their mind and chose Asia. He knew it was because of Marty and Eric's sudden change.

Most of the seniors lived by their rules and whatever they say will be everybody's way. Soni found it funny on how he changed and Marty and Eric changed suit.

The day of the trip Soni packed a small suitcase with loose-fitting clothing that would be suitable for the weather in Asia. He felt a lot better and felt that the trip would do him some good. He was placed beside Marty near the window.?

Everything went smoothly until the plane moved. He felt the power of the seven forty-seven lurch forward and felt his heart shutter.

"My God," he gasped terror-stricken, grabbing the armrest. Marty, wearing a set of headphones to his CD player noticed the awkward movement.

"What, you forgot something?" He asked confused.

Soni found that he couldn't speak. He looked out of the window as the plane moved to a take-off lane. Somebody tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump.

"Huh," he turned to see one of the graduates Kresha Winston smiling and him. Her dark brown hair swings loosely over her oval-shaped face as she leans toward him. Soni hadn't paid attention to her much during her four-year stay. She hung with the popular crowd and is considered a flirt among the other flirts.

"What's wrong baby?" She said grinning at him. "Scared of planes?"

Marty's eyebrows shot up. "Damn Soni, it's just a flight. Get over it," he said laughing.

Soni looked Kresha "yeah, I guess you can say that. This is my first time!"

Kresha facial expression showed shock. "Wait I thought that you've been in college seven years. You didn't go with the other seniors the past two years after you graduated?"

Soni was shocked that Kresha even paid any attention to him during the years.

Soni shook his head, "I'm not the outgoing type," Sony admitted.

"Mmm.hmmm," She said sitting back in her seat.

Soni turned back around and put on his headphones. He turned on his iPod listening to some pop music he had downloaded for the trip weeks in advance. He had enough music stored to last the trip either him getting bored with the same music. When the plane lifted into the air, the vibration smoothes out evenly and Soni felt more comfortable. He stared out of the window watching the earth’s population shrink below the plane.

So this is what it feels like to actually be in the air, he thought to himself.

The flight took them to New York. Soni felt the same nausea as the plane landed.

Marty laughed at him still continuing to tell Soni to get a grip. They grabbed an adjoining flight taking them overseas to London. By the time the last plane took off to Asia Soni had gotten used to the flying. It reminded him of when his grandmother was teaching him to fly. He had the same phobia once his feet left the ground. Months later he found that he could do anything from dips to dives to twist and turns through walls, Soni grinned to himself. Man, I miss her, he said to himself.

When they reach Asia everybody was worn out. The air there didn't make situations any better.

"What's that smell?" Eric had asked as soon as they stepped from the terminal.

"Asia," Soni said sniffing the ocean scented air. "It should thin out in a couple of hours," Soni continues as he checked his watch. "Nine-thirty in the morning," he said looking to the cloud filled sky. "It should break up soon."

"Forget that," Marty said sitting on his suitcase. "I'll see everything later," he stated yawning tiredly. "I want to sleep."

Mr. Jenson, leader of the chaperones did a student count to see if everybody was still present. He made a speech about what was to be expected of the graduates and that after a few days they would be allowed more freedom. The behavior had to be monitored first, considering that everybody was in a foreign country, the Asians and the students would be monitored to see if things will work before any leeway is given.

They reached the hotel and was shown to their rooms.

“What, we won't get to share rooms with the ladies,” Eric says as everybody broke into laughter. Always the center of attention.

Soni was always impressed with how Eric had that thing to have everybody laughing on cue. There will be a moment where everyone is dead serious, and he will ruin it with jokes.

Marty also had that talent but he wasn't as good as Eric. Five rooms were rented in advance for the trip. Eleven men occupied two of the rooms on the 14th floor. The girls were on the 12th.

They thoroughly planned this trip, Sony thought to himself as he stepped into the spacious room. He could tell two apartments were joined together to make one big room.

Six beds were in the room for the men that were queen size. Well, at least we’ll sleep comfortably. Sony walked to one of the beds by a window and set his suitcase down.

Marty grabs the one next to him and fell face down onto the soft blankets. “Now this is more like it.”

The walls were plastered with purple and faded blue flowers on a green background giving the room a comfortable feeling. Two 52 inch televisions were placed evenly apart so that one television was in front of three beds and the other the same. There were three small dressers that were placed between every two bunks that were supposed to be shared. Sony went ahead and put his belongings away.

“Marty, put your stuff up and get it over with,” Eric chimed.

Marty said nothing. He didn't want to make a move.

“He’s sleep already,” Sony said shocked. He slid his empty suitcase under the bed and stepped to the window. The misty clouds were still low. Sony could only see the side of the brick building next to him.

He laid back on the bed and close his eyes. A couple of minutes won't hurt right now, he said falling asleep. Soni woke up two hours later shocked that he didn't have the recurring dream. He felt at peace and well rested as he sat up.

He noticed his colleagues were watching an American station they had found. Others were still in bed. Soni glanced at his watch. One o'clock. He grabbed some clothes and went to a shower. Apond returning he glanced Marty still snoring from in the bed and shook his head. 

The students were supposed to go out to eat at a restaurant tonight a chaperone had said earlier before everybody was assigned to their rooms. When Soni returned from his shower, he woke Marty and Eric up.

“Get up. We're going out in an hour," Soni pressed.

The graduates gather in the lobby of the hotel and then stepped out into the busy streets. They ate differently for a change. Soni took note of everything around him. Beautiful, he thought. Everything is so different. The people, transportation and the variety of food was a huge change from the American way. That night the graduates talked into the wee hours of the morning then fell asleep.

Sony stared at the ceiling most of the night, wondering why he held back from seeing the world for so long. Just one day in Asia had may impact on his life. It's so different, his mind kept repeating over and over as he drifted off to sleep. It's just so different...

The next day a touring bus loaded the graduates up and took them on a quick tour of the city they were in. They stopped by a shopping center that was considered a mall and walk through. Eric and Marty, Sony notice had never had so much attention. It was going to their heads, Sony thought, laughing at them as the Asian women flirted with them.

Many approach Sony, but he held them off politely. He was anxious to get to Ludshom. It was next on their agenda and he found himself impatiently waiting to get there. When the tour bus finally arrived at the front entrance, Sony was already on his feet ready to jump from the bus.

He broke off by himself leaving Marty and Eric with each other. They didn't seem to mind. They had planned on harassing a few monks to pass this time anyway.

Sony walked through twice over, looking for the street he had continuously dreamed about and the man with the newspaper and magazine stand. Nothing, he thought to himself hopelessly.

The streets were not the same and nobody but monks walked by. Nobody was dressed in civilian clothes as the concession stand man was in his dreams. He stared up at the temples and started laughing out loud. I'm bugging, he stated mentally after a few moments. What was I planning on seeing, my grandmother running down an empty street?

He exhaled shaking his head slowly. He grinned, “I must be getting old”, he thought to himself. “Enjoy your vacation old boy. Enjoy it while it last.”

Maybe that's what the dreams were about. Getting some very deserved rest. Sony walked around much slower now observing the monks behavior. Their minds hold so much power.

One monk sitting in a yoga position caught his attention. Sony stared at him for a moment then started walking toward him. Sony looks around to see a few students walking around taking in Ludshom’s artifacts.

The monk wore the same style robe as all of the monks that were walking around as if they had all the time in the world to do with they want. The dark brownish color had a look of mystery to it.

The monk sat a faded burgundy pillow that was set up on a concrete platform. Large concrete beams held the concrete ceiling in the air above them.

Sony was curious about how such architecture this old could've been built without machines. Shade cover the monk keeping the suns heat at bay. He stopped when he had gotten 10 feet away from him and took notes on how the monk looked.

He seems so deep, Sony thought to himself. Another level of peace that couldn't be reached by the average living everyday people who had stress and life issues on their mind. The monk’s appearance looked young but Sony knew better. He's probably in his late 50s or early 60s.

He sported a bald head and no facial hair, except for the thick eyebrows that showed strength and determination. There was a pillow identical to the one the monk sat on in front of him.

Soni stares at the monk, “ hey, are you awake?” Sony laughed to himself. What if he was? Or wasn't?

The monk sat motionless without opening an eye to see who was disturbing him. Sony waved his hand in front of his face like a second grader would bullying another kid. He stop suddenly when he heard laughter coming from behind him. He turned in time to see Kresha and her friend Stacy laughing at him. Embarrassed, caught in the act, sticks his hands to his temple demonstrating that the monk is coo-coo. They leave laughing at Sony's antics with his new friend.

Once they were gone he studied the monk once again to see if he had awakened our move. Nothing. He glanced at the pillow then at his surroundings from the deck where he stood, searching for any more graduates that could possibly collide with him.

"To hell with it," Soni whispers under his breath.