she took me by the hand, and led me far above my resting place.
the mountain side was warm underfoot. “walk with me, as far as you can”
“happily”, i said even as my legs began to ache. i hadnt been taking great care of myself, and this woman was fit in a most general sense of the word.
“this mountain will go on forever, you can only get higher, never to its summit. does that scare you?”
“im not wise enough to be afraid, im just stubborn enough to keep trying.”
“haha, that leaves you a perfect companion for such a journey i suppose, so long as you last.”
the air crisp in my lungs reminded me of years spent in a smoke den, languishing in fantasy. a sudden panic welled in my chest.
“wait! where are we going?”
“up”
“up where?”
“there”
“why?”
“are you afraid?”
“i hadnt thought about it, until now. i have a hand in mine, and otherwise im blind to the end of this journey.”
“yes, but it is a warm hand.”
she looked deeply into my eyes, blew lightly across my head, and i knew that i had died.
“What is next?”