Majestic, beautiful, limitless were some of the synonyms for the word mountain in Gary's dictionary. When he was a young boy, his dad used to say, ‘always look up and never look down’. As the young Gary looked out through his window that night, he saw the tall mountains afar glittering in the moonlight, steadfast to the ground not afraid of the dark. The sight of the humongous mountains touching the sky made Gary wonder what he will find atop the vertical mass of Earth. He wanted to go there and see it. He decided to become a mountain climber.
He started training to become a climber from a very young age. He went to his training while other kids of his age were still figuring out how to solve a crossword puzzle. He worked hard his whole life. He trained everyday whether it was cold or hot, rain or snow. He was preparing to conquer one of the most difficult mountains and nothing was going to stop him.
Finally, the day arrived. He stood at the foot of the mountain and looked up to see the peak touching the skies, like a gateway to heaven. He looked around and there was no one to cheer for him.There was silence around him, he could hear his heartbeat. The same heart that once told him to conquer the majestic mountain. He wished his dad was still alive to see him reach the top. He took a deep breath and moved ahead. He looked down at the ground moving under his feet, it felt like the earth was slipping. He started ascending fast at the beginning but gradually slowing down and moving more carefully now. He started to lean more and more as the mountain became more and more vertical.
His breath became faster as the air became thinner. His body started to shiver as the temperature dropped sharply. He maintained his balance while walking like a small child taking his first steps, he felt like he was reborn.
His body rose from the layer of cloud that gave way to the edge of the mountain. Now he can see, he can almost feel the top. With a final tug and pull, he cleared his last hurdle. He stood there and could feel every muscle in his body aching. His soul was not tired but his body was.
When he looked back, he saw the rugged path he climbed to reach the top. He looked forward to seeing the emptiness, there were no more heights for him to conquer. He cried. He was emotional. He wished he had someone’s shoulder to cry on. He is like the mountains now. Majestic but alone.
_ Abdul Wahid Saleem