The Great Mountain

The Great Mountain
By Damon Fillman

The day had finally come. My auburn hair, shiny like the tip of a freshly polished sword, flowed in the wind as I encountered the Great Mountain, and I gazed at the clouds that covered its peak. The sword in my holster was thicker and heavier than my body. My young muscles cramped as the fierce winds disrupted my balance. My bare feet, covered in mud and grass stains, concealed the white pigment of my skin. I looked up at the ascending monster and felt compelled to destroy it.

I glanced forward and witnessed the trail The Elders told me to seek; a dusty path that jig-jagged up the frail rock formations that had cleverly placed gaps for my hands to grasp and my legs to propel from. I looked back at the village while dangling from that first minuscule boulder, which could not compare to the challenges that would arise later in my journey. When I reached a certain point, no more gaps were present but long, grassy vines, which appeared as arteries leading to a heart, hung off a distant ledge that led to a solid surface. Once I stood on the heels of my bare feet, I was greeted by the immensity of the Great Mountain and the sensitive areas I was advised to attack; areas resembling ripe peaches which radiated red steam. These were my targets. Penetrating them would make the mountain crumble.

“Remember,” The Elder told me. “Pierce the Great Mountain's flesh and never look back. Accomplish this and when you return a throne will be waiting for you.”

Birds with large talons disoriented me, forcing me to my knees on many occasions as they dropped fiercely from the winds that had paved their path in the sky, and gnawed at my head like peasants pick-axing coal. The sores would sporadically bleed and form patches of dried blood that adhered to my young skin. As I walked, the solid surface started to cave in, forming short beams of land that could be crossed, but ceaseless holes leading to the Great Mountain's insides. A distant howl echoed that sounded like a scream of despair, but I didn't fall victim to the Great Mountain's ruse.

I followed an enduring path up the mountain, and crossed the thin passageways to more solid surfaces. My arched, bare feet were caressed by the sandy gravel that slumbered on this path, and the raindrops from the hovering clouds offered them more moisture than they had been accustomed to. At this moment I felt manipulated as my body was at ease. I did not know the Great Mountain's intentions, but I knew that these luxuries were not reserved for laymen. Perhaps the Great Mountain sensed my humility, but most importantly my potential for greatness, and wanted to share temporary gratitude to a meager young boy who would fall victim to its treachery once more.

I bellowed an agonizing screech to get the Great Mountain's attention during that moment of tranquility, as if to challenge the Great Mountain to a duel. In response, the Great Mountain released its inner strength and the ground shifted and rumbled. I could feel the Great Mountain's nerves unchained. A few feet in front of a cracked rock was the first ripe peach. I reached for my holster and used the adrenaline running through my weak arms to raise the sword into the sky and quickly thrust it into the flustering red mist and the weak spot beyond it. A red, liquid substance shot into the sky and crushed back to the surface, covering me in it . Rain plummeted from the distant clouds and trickled downward, following a path through pipe-like crevices towards the village. I took a deep breath and was tempted to declare victory before I leaned over a slippery ledge and screamed to The Elders below. But over the ledge was the backside of the Great Mountain, the side forbidden from the villageËœs sight. Peasants prepared explosives at the bottom of it. Quick bursts of flame shot up and a sea of dust followed overhead. This is when I noticed the great, echoed howl from the Great Mountain that I had heard previously.

One of The Elders screamed, “Perfect!” They started to climb up the gap they created with the explosives.

I continued along the path quickly to avoid running into The Elders. They had make it perfectly clear that this was a one-man journey and if I were to witness another person while trekking up the mountain, my throne would be retracted, assuming I succeeded in my task. I decided to rest under a tree twice the size of myself. It was still blooming; the trunks were fresh and moist and it was warm to lean on. It had potential like me to one day become something far greater than its current self.

And it was at this moment my heart began to attenuate and try desperately to break free from my chest cavity.

I remembered that the Elders would share stories to the village after an evening dinner over the fire. They were the only ones allowed to leave the village and were the only ones with stories to share. Outside of the people in our village, the only other faces we had seen were those of the peasants who would be brought in from the Elder's adventures to serve us, though we never knew what they did exactly.