| Walking up the trail, Michael just couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was gorgeous, beyond any and all females that had ever crossed his path. Her hair was a shiny rich brown, and her eyes, and her face, O her wonderful step, as she trotted up the hillside, it, all of it, was marvelous. But none of it could compare to her incredible smile. That smile radiated across the mountain, filling him with a warm, and a deep, growing feeling that was gurgling inside of him, a magnificent concoction of happiness, warmth, peace, grace, eternity, and.....love. He couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving his life, or even his view. She enchanted him. Love potion No. 9 was at work again, flowing within his veins, his mind, his heart, and.....and his life. He felt himself praying, praying that this moment and this view would last forever---- “Michael, did you hear?” Michael jerked his head up, glancing frantically around. For a moment he couldn’t figure out where he was, reality danced about him, teasing him with blurred figures and misinformation. Then the blurs disappeared, and once again the mountain came back into view. “Michael, your starting to scare me. Are you alright? You have been walking along like a zombie. What are you thinking about?” Melissa stood by his side, a caring and cautious look covering her face. “I-, er, well.....I was having a-a....a, flashback, I guess. I was remembering, something, a something I have tried for the last year to forget.....” “Let me guess: Cindy Gumb. You really fell for her on this hike, didn’t you?” “I would more describe it as collapsed.” “He-he, listen, I know how much she means to you. But you need to tell yourself that those images are exactly that, images. Things of before. What is ahead of you is neither an image nor of the past. It is a problem, and you have to find a solution. Can you do it? Michael, will you put these demons behind you?” “......Yes.” “Then let’s stop spacing off and go.” “What did you say?” “I said let’s stop- “No, before that. When I was reminiscing, you said, did you hear me?” Melissa’s eyes jumped to the ground, weaving among the rocks and crevices and dirt, searching, as if for an answer. “Aw, it was nothing.” “Melissa, what was it?” “Well......I just said, that their has been some buildup in the west, northwest.” “And......” “And.....we might be in for a.......a storm.” ************* The path had begun its first real increase in angle. The slope became a mild push up the hill, with rocks and an occasional boulder every so often. The group had finally broken into many small cliches, ranging from 2 to as many as 8. The mountaineers and athletes had taken the lead and were now some distance ahead, while the less gifted trudged along at their own steady pace, resting every so often and taking water breaks. Michael, Melissa, and three other friends of his, Sarah Verger, Lindsay Springfield, and Kody Dolarhyde, made there way up the mountain, near the front of the stretched out group. Michael was at the back, his mind racing. A storm. I can’t believe it. It probably is just a coincidence, but still.....same day.....same mountain....mostly same people......and a storm coming. Just like before. Michael had never been one to react to superstition, but this honestly left a queer feeling in the pit of his stomach. He tried to see above the treeline, but he couldn’t get any decent view of the sky. It was blue from where he saw. Don’t worry. Just don’t worry. About 25 min. later, the trees began to seriously thin and the hill began to steepen further. Michael was so detained with his thoughts that he didn’t even notice his friends slipping and sliding ahead of him. The ground had turned to gravel, nothing but loose rock and dirt, and boulders constantly blocked the path. Many a time they had to crawl up the trail, or rely on one another to hoist the other up. Yet Michael did not require help, scaling the trail like a monkey, lost in his mind and his past. Ahead of him the trail steepened greatly, turning into a very slippery hillside at a dangerous 70 degree angle. Riddled with boulders, and about 100ft. long, it presented quite a challenge. And it was here, that their troubles began. Melissa and Kody went first, helping a nervous Lindsay up. Vertigo was ringing in her mind, and it was only her loyal faith in her friends trust that she continued. After her went Sarah, with Michael assisting her. He remembered this hill. He remembered it well..... The rocks were becoming slippery, the loose gravel not allowing the footholds created to remain. Michael glanced up into the ominous sky. All around the sky was turning a gray and black, like a sky out of a horror movie. Mist was creeping down, descending on the mountain. In the distance, the view was obscure by waves of rain. Lightning was flashing, not so far off. And it was moving closer. Michael turned on the rock he was currently located, and extended his arm towards the ascending Cindy Gumb. She took his hand, and he ever so delicately lifted her up, onto the weak platform. Thunder rolled. He began to climb higher up the hillside, gauging the sureness of each foothold as he scoured the surface for some sort of safe path. Behind him Cindy took hold of his jacket, and he pulled her up with him. Lighting flashed. Closer. He dragged her and him to the next foothold. And the next. Nearly 2/3 up the steep hillside now. Closer the heart of the storm came. As he was climbing, Michael began to feel cold prickles dance up and down his exposed neck. Raindrops. As he struggled further up, they grew more condensed. He paused for a moment, so he could reach into his backpack and retrieve his coat. As he did so, he felt Cindy’s hand release, heard gravel roll, and felt his heart hit his throat. He wheeled around, and in doing so, lost his own footing on the hillside. The rocks gave way and---- “aaaaaahhhhh!!!” The scream pierced Michael awake, and he looked up in time to see a sight that made his blood freeze. Rocks were tumbling down the mountainside, and Lindsay was tumbling down with them. Quickly Michael slid his backpack off, and leapt into her current trajectory. Dust and rocks were swirling down, clouding his vision. Splinters pierced his eyes, resulting in a cry of pain. Lindsay screamed again as her arm caught on the edge of a boulder, slicing across it. She flipped over, facing down head first, desperately trying to reach hold of a something so as to stop her fall, but nothing was available. Skin scrapped off of her hands and face, and dirt replaced it. Michael quickly tried to position himself to save her. He glanced back to find himself on the edge of a boulder, staring down a near vertical drop. He whipped back as she bounded the last rock and came hurtling at him. “AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!” She hit him hard, but when she did so he leapt forward, countering her momentum with his own. He spun, slamming his own back into the rock into front of him. The force was enough to jar him, and he stumbled forward, briefly stunned. His toes glazed the edge. He quickly tried to regain his bearings, but the rock chips blurred his vision. One foot nearly slipped over. He tried to step back, but in his wooziness, he stepped sideways, near the opposite edge. Part of the edge gave way, and he slipped. He glided onto his side, holding Lindsay up onto the rock. He rolled. His blurry eyes stared down. Way down. He pushed with all his might the other direction and with grace, pulled away from the edge, and stopped. Everything swam back into focus. Lindsay had him locked in a hug, crying unabashedly. Michael sat up and checked himself, expecting broken bones, and lacerations. Nothing. He was a little dirty and shook up, but alright. Melissa and Kody dropped down beside them. “You two alright?????” “I am,” Michael said, “I don’t know about Lindsay here.” Lindsay meekly looked up, her face cut and bruised. She held up her arms, and they saw they were sticky with blood and dirt. “I want to go home.” Her voice nearly made Michael want to cry. He sat her up, and, taking a first aid kit out of his pack, he dressed up her wounds. “I will.” Kody said. “You will what?” Michael asked. “I’ll take her back. You three go on, I’ll take her back to the van.” “Yes,” Lindsay pleaded, “I want to go back now.” “Alright, but be careful, and take it slow.” Michael warned. He gave her some Tylenol, a hug, and a word of encouragement before sending her back. He stood with Melissa and watched her till she was out of sight. “Poor girl. Michael, I want to say, that was the most heroic thing I have ever seen. I tell ya, you were born to be a climber.” “No, I was just being a friend.” He turned and stared up the hill. “But this mountain I will defeat.” continue |