| Conclusion “...and so I bid thee soul, to rest in peace on its passage unto heaven. Amen.” The pastor closed his Bible, and solemnly stood in reverence as the casket was laid into the earth. The bystanders tossed roses and tears. The dirt was poured over it, and in a few moments the grave was filled. Michael stood by. Tears plastered his face. The day was cloudy, and very imposing. Sarah, and Lindsay, Kody, and Kenneth were by his side. Michael raised his head to the sky, and gasped in a breath. Why, why, why. The world was never fair. The world was harsh. Yet, here he stood, alive and well. He walked to the tombstone and laid a wreath of flowers in the shape of a heart on it. When he got home, the pain had subsided a little. He hung his coat on the coat rack. His eyes were red from the sobbing. He took off his boots, and stepped into the kitchen. He walked to the counter. On it was a picture. He picked it up, along with a rose. A bright red rose. He looked at the picture, and wondered. Why did this thing happen? He walked across the kitchen, and glanced at the clock. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.Time, always ticking away. He crossed the living room to the hall. Down the hall to the bedroom. Into the bedroom. “Hello honey.” “Hello Michael.” Michael walked to the bed and knelt by Cindy’s side. He handed her the rose, and, while she let out a sigh of joy, he kissed her. It was a kiss that would last for eternity, beyond the clutches of time and death. He showed her the picture. “How was her funeral?” “Sad, but with all the honor she deserved.” “She was a great friend.” “Yah, she was.” “Good-bye, Melissa.” Cindy said. “See you in heaven.” Michael leaned down, and embraced Cindy. He would have loved to have danced with her. He would have loved to take her to see the world. He would have loved to have lain on the beach, or looked out from atop the Eiffel Tower. But, that will never happen. When Cindy had returned from the hospital one year ago, two things changed her life forever. One, she was a quadriplegic. The blow to her spinal cord on the mountain had rendered her motionless. The other thing was she fell in love with her savior, Michael. They lay together in the others warm embrace, and on that cold winter day, they cried together for Melissa. As he lay, he realized that the mountain storm in his mind, that had troubled him over the last year....was quiet. The Silence of the Mountains, he chuckled to himself. Goodbye Melissa, God Bless. Destiny is an ironic thing. One year ago, Michael met a girl who probably never would have been anything more than friends with him. Yet, due to an accident beyond control, they lived happily ever after. It took Michael a long time to see that it was Melissa’s time to go. She had died saving him. He realized that she had gone so he could live. His time and effort spent of this world just wasn’t finished yet. Sometimes as we stare up at the infinite night sky, and gaze at all the magnificent constellations and stars, we see how small we are in the great reel of time, spinning onward. Each second holds some secret, and once set it can never be altered. Sometimes we want to change the past, to what we perceive to be for the better. But we’re always looking at the small picture in life’s tapestry. In the small picture, it just looks like a jumble of meaningless threads, creating a criss-cross of chaos forming our lives. But it is only when we step back and look at the tapestry in full do we see that the threads combine to create a pattern that is carefully woven, and results in the most dazzling of all tapestries. Life itself. The storms of our existence give our threads color. We give them purpose. And the mountains? Well, life would be awfully flat and dull without mountains. -Michael Fitzpatrick Side Note: This story is a fictitious story. However, it is loosely based on real events and people. All the characters in the story correspond with real people who went up Mt. McLoughlin with me 2 years ago. We had a frightful storm as well, though not nearly as dramatic as this one. Then, this last year, me and my friends decided to try it again. Same day, same mountain, same storm. It was also harrowing, but not as dramatic as seen here. I hope you enjoyed the story. |
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