You Better Bring an Umbrella, Vol. 2

Chapter 27: Long Gone Brother

            My eyebrows flew up toward my forehead as I stared up at the awe of the mansion in front of me. When Klaus described where he lived, I honestly thought he'd been lying, and in reality, he was camped out in a box under some bridge. But this... this house was filled with majesty and grandeur, far more than I was accustomed to associating with Klaus. It would have been honorable, even impressive, were it not for the way he acquired his wealth.

Though I could hear a multitude of voices in the backyard, I chose to ring the doorbell, unsure of what I would find if I barged in through the gate. It took a few moments, but finally, a short man dressed in a blue kurta swung open one of the large doors, staring at me with confusion. Self-consciously, I stared down at my purple sweater and grey pants, realizing I stuck out like a sore thumb among the ranks.

"Welcome to the Temple of Destiny's Children!" the man greeted. I resisted the urge to snicker at the name, unsure of how Klaus would be able to explain his way out of that one when the 90s rolled around. "What has brought you to us today?" I remained silent for a moment, still gawking at the strange man in front of me, before I finally collected myself.

"Uh, I'm here to see Klaus?" I spoke like it was a question, unsure of whether or not they knew him by that name.

"Ah! You mean the Prophet." He seemed a little too enthusiastic at the mention of Klaus' name, causing me to take a step back. "Have you come to join us?"

"No, no," I denied quickly. "I'm his sister, actually. I have to talk to him." The man cocked his head at me.

"The Prophet never mentioned having siblings." Still he let me in and led me through Klaus' mansion.

Paintings of my brother hung all over the walls, admired by several individuals all donning the same baby blue, muttering prayers I couldn't hear. As I passed by one group, I noticed strange markings on their hands, and only then did it hit me they all had those same 'hello, goodbye' tattoos Klaus did. Once again, I had to hold back my laughter. Maybe it was because I'd known Klaus our whole lives, but I could never imagine listening to anything he said and thinking it was anywhere close to prayer or scripture. Not that we'd been a religious household to begin with.

Outside wasn't any less creepy. Klaus' disciples were multiplying by the second, crowding around to greet me with wide smiles and sayings that were a little too familiar.

"So, how does this whole thing work?" I inquired, imbibed with a morbid curiosity. "Like, is there some sort of prayer book Klaus has you guys memorize, or does he have morning rituals or something?" The man brightened up a little too quickly at the mere mention of anything involving Klaus.

"We have his vedas and scriptures to follow. Those of us who followed him from the beginning pass them down to new followers of his teachings." With my interest piqued, I decided to inquire further.

"What's his most famous teaching?" The man barely missed a beat.

"'Don't go chasing waterfalls. Stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to.'"

I couldn't help myself—I choked on my own saliva as I stopped dead in my tracks, trying my best to cover up the fact I'd begun to laugh at something he considered genuine life advice. Of all the places Klaus could take a phrase from, it had to be a "TLC" song. I didn't dare to think of what would happen when the time finally came around for that song to release, and these people heard the lyric sung. Part of me wanted to be there to see it.

Trying my best to recover, I stood up straighter and turned the laughs into coughs—a clichéd move, but it seemed to work on this guy. He resumed his joyful steps, leading me all the way back through the acres of land Klaus possessed, before finally bringing me to a set of gardens on what felt like the edge of the world. A few disciples of his were tending to trees of fruits and beds of flowers—the same ones I'd noticed scattered in the pool waters back when we first came outside—giving the air a lilting aroma that attempted to lure you in and make you stay there.