Untitled

12 Oct 2021

The wind blew softly, rustling the girl’s hair. The sun loomed low, and the peaks rose higher, higher, ever higher. The girl’s gaze rose, assessing the mountain that lay before her. The mist, rising out of the river, obscured some of the view, but it didn’t deter the girl. She needed this wish. After staring deep, deep into every crevasse, every cave, she nodded. The girl was going to climb the mountain.

Every journey starts with a single footstep, and the girl was starting her’s. It was warm, down at the foot of the mountain. The clouds curled around the sky, like dragons protecting their precious treasure: the peak, and the cave, and the wish. This was for her brother, who was sleeping, just sleeping, under the ground, back at her village.

Still, a smile crept its way onto the girl’s face as she walked. The ground was soft, cradling her feet. She slipped her shoes off, and into her pocket, to better feel the little grasses as she made her way up the hill that would soon turn into a mountain.

“Greetings, young one.” a voice called out to her, from somewhere in the fog. “Where are you going?”

“U-up the mountain.” she stammered out, searching the mist for its source.

“Do you have time to spare on a quick talk, and a bite to eat?” it asked, comfortingly soft.

She carefully 1tilted her head in thought. “Not yet, I don’t think.”

“Well then,” the voice’s owner rose up out of the mist. “I have a trip to run, and a boat to ferry. Would you like me to take you up a bit?” The Riverman offered his hand to the girl. She studied the worn skin, and followed it back up to the arm, and then the man. He was tall, and skinny, and smooth. He wore a long, white cloak, that covered almost all of him. His mouth, though concealed by a hood, seemed to be smiling at her. The girl blinked curiously at his yellow eyes, peeking out from under his hood, and nodded.

“Very good!” the Riverman exclaimed, in his quiet way. “My boat is in the river.” He led the way down the bank, taking sure footsteps, and not slipping a bit. The girl followed, doing her best to copy his steps so she wouldn’t slip into the water.

It burbled, bubbled, built up, a roaring fountain of almost translucent dew, gathered into one magnificent pool, and sent on its way, rushing down, down the mountain from the highest peak. Here, it was strong, tugging away at anything that entered. Miraculously, a boat was anchored to a reed, floating, flirting with the powerful current, but not succumbing to it.

The Riverman untied the reed with practiced motions, slipping his weathered hands around and around the knot, slowly loosening it until it fell away, releasing the boat. Like a snake, his arm shot out, clasping onto the boat, saving it from the current.

“After you.” He held his free arm out cordially, gesturing towards the boat. The girl gingerly climbed into it, wobbling unsteadily. She quickly sat down, and the Riverman hopped into the boat. Swiftly, he began paddling upstream, and up the mountain.

The girl stuck her hand out of the boat and touched the river. It was cool, but not unpleasantly so. She ran her fingers over the boat. It was solid mahogany wood, and it was smooth, polished by the river. She turned her head to the Riverman, and watched him make each stroke of the oar. He was swift and sure, and the boat was moving up the river despite the water’s pull.

“I climbed the mountain once. I thought I would find love. Instead, I found this boat.” The Riverman reminisced, unprompted. The girl didn’t respond. “I’ve been here for many years, and I am happy.”

The river was growing slimmer. Eventually, the current barely a trickle, the Riverman staked his oar into the soft ground hiding beneath the water.

“This is as far as my boat can go.” the Riverman laughed a bit as the bottom of the boat scraped sand. “Come back and visit after you reach the peak, hmm?” The girl nodded, then stepped out of the boat. The ground here was rocky, but smooth. She turned to the Riverman and waved goodbye, before turning and continuing her trek up the mountain.

The sky was fading to scarlet, and the clouds were a deep blue. The air cooled, and the girl pulled her scarf a little tighter.

“Hello there, lass.” The girl jumped a little, turning to search for the source of the voice. It was deep, but welcoming, and it was coming from a man dressed in leather. He was tall, and wide, and seemed to almost be a mountain himself. Her eyes followed him up and up, until she finally found the head of the massive man. He had frizzled blond hair, and kind brown eyes. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

“I am the Miner.” he introduced himself, holding out a massive hand. The girl took it and did her best to shake. His grip was strong.

“I am climbing this mountain.” the girl informed him. The Miner nodded appraisingly.

“It is good to have a goal.” he praised the girl. “Would you like to stop with me for a bite to eat and a place to sleep? Night is falling.”

“I would like to finish, first.” the girl told him.

“May I gift you something, to help you on the way?” the Miner requested. She nodded, and followed him as he walked through the spires and arches of the rocky mountain. They looked polished, like someone had been shining them, as if instead of taking from the mountain, a miner had been taking care of it. The girl smiled, and the Miner led her to a small shack. It was carved from the mountain, and it was strong.

“This is the only thing I have ever mined.” The Miner said solemnly. “I was young, and foolish, and I took it, carved it, and wished it from the mountain. I have spent the rest of my life paying the mountain back.” The house, made from stone, polished to perfection, with its unnatural bends and beautiful carvings, did not seem quite so good anymore.

“I have paid my debt by now.” the Miner admitted. “But I enjoy living here, and caring for the mountain. Here, this is a gift the mountain has gave me.” He held out a small crystal to her, and the girl took it carefully.

“It takes light, and makes more.” the Miner instructed her. “A single drop of starlight can be as brilliant as the sun at noonday. The mountain gives them aplenty to me, and I share them with travelers.”

“Thank you.” the girl whispered in awe, turning the crystal this way and that, rubbing her thumb against the smooth sides. The Miner nodded, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

“I’ll let you be on your way now,” he said.

“I’ll come back and visit when I’m done.” the girl told the Miner. “I’ll have a bite to eat and a place to sleep then.”

“That is good.” The Miner chuckled. “I will be having friends for dinner, later.” The Miner waved goodbye to the girl, and the girl waved goodbye to the Miner, and continued on. As she left the` rocks and polished pillars of the mountain, she came upon a forest.

It was green and black and purple in the dying light. The sun had dipped beneath the Earth completely, but the stars had not yet ventured out. There were sounds of birds, preparing to sleep, sounding from the strange, twisted trees, and the quiet rushing of the river had returned. It was peaceful.

“Good evening, deary.” The girl smiled; another person to talk to. She searched the woods, looking for something that didn’t belong- or perhaps, something that did. Her eyes fell upon a woman, who looked young but sounded old. Her raven’s black hair was pulled back in a long braid, and the shadows cast from the sky made it look purple. Her eyes were closed, and her robes were black, and the girl knew that there was some magic about her.

“Good evening!” the girl chirped. “I am climbing the mountain.” she added on, as an afterthought.

“That is good.” the woman replied. “I am the Blind Witch, and these woods are my home. I grew them a long time ago, after I made a deal with the mountain.”

The girl tilted her head curiously, and the Blind Witch continued her story. “I found a cave, hidden near the peak. It granted wishes, I had heard. I gave it my eyes, and my time, for magic. I was going to leave once the forest was finished, and return home, a hero. I suppose I never got around to it. I could leave if I wanted, but the forest isn’t quite done, I don’t think. Besides, the mountain is my home now.”

“I came here for someone, but I think I would like it to be my home, as well.” the girl admitted.

“That is good.” the Blind Witch praised her. “The mountain knows what is best. You should finish climbing it.” The girl nodded, and walked away back into the woods. As the forest thinned and the moon danced with the stars in the sky, the girl climbed higher, higher, up the mountain. Soon there was snow, crunching beneath her feet, but the girl had lost her shoes some time ago- they had slipped out of her pocket.

“Hale, child.” A voice lifted its way through the Earth, echoing across the snow and sky. “Would you wish me to carry you a while?” The girl turned and smiled and sought out the owner of the voice.

“Yes, I would like that.” the girl called back out, even if her voice wasn’t half as good as the one she was talking to.

“Then I would love to be of service.” The Bird, scarlet and massive, descended from the snow-bound clouds, scattering the flakes as she landed. The Bird bowed, and the girl climbed onto it.

“Where would you have me take you?” the Bird asked.

“I am climbing the mountain.” the girl told the Bird. It nodded, and with a powerful flap of its wings, left the ground behind to catch the sky. After a while of riding in silence, with only the song of the wind to touch her ears, the girl asked the bird a question.

“Have you ever asked the mountain for something?”

“Of course.” the Bird responded. “I asked to be able to escape my village. When I shifted like this, I first thought I was cursed. But it was a blessing. I’ve escaped the village- this mountain is my home now.”

The girl smiled. “That’s what everybody says.”

“I think it might be what you are saying too, soon.” the bird sang out. The girl nodded, and the song of the wind took over once again.

“Here we are.” The Bird said at last, dropping the girl onto the mountain’s peak. The girl waved goodbye, then turned to the cave at the peak of the mountain. What to wish for, she already knew. And yet, she hesitated. Perhaps some things were not to be. The girl smiled.

“Shoes.” It was not what she had come for, but it was good. Her toes were warm, and her brother would not have wanted this, anyways. If he had wanted to stay, he wouldn’t have jumped. It was for the better to let him sleep.

The girl pulled out her crystal, and let the sky touch it. It shined bright, and the girl looked down at her new pale green shoes that fit perfectly. She could walk back down the mountain now. She could leave the snow-tipped peak and the cave where wishes came true, and walked through the woods, and come back down to the Miner. She had friends there- a Blind Witch, a Riverman, and a Bird. It would be good to have a bite to eat, and a place to sleep. The girl smiled, and walked down, down, down to her new home.