The chill wind settles,
something in the darkness stirs.
The man moves once again.
In his sight,
in his mind,
he sees only the mountain.
So far away,
and he knows this,
yet he still moves on
through the darkness.
Yes, there are many dangers,
many obstacles,
but the man is sure he can overcome them.
He moves forward
into the unknown...
and yet
it is not completely unknown.
He has tread upon these tracks before.
Tangled vines block his way,
as well as interwoven branches.
He is stopped, but not for long.
He finds a way.
He moves on for many days and nights.
He consumes nothing.
He does not eat the foliage.
He does not trust it
because looks can be deceiving.
The only animals are the predators,
those that walk by night,
that wait until the right moment to pounce.
He is attacked,
but he does not die.
The hurt is deep,
but he pushes it away.
He must reach the mountain.
Many more predators arrive
to prey on this feeble man.
But feeble he is not.
His will is steel,
his desire burns brightly.
Temptations line the way.
He could stop at any time
and give in to the temptations,
but he does not.
He ignores them.
For in his sight,
in his mind,
he still sees the mountain.
And finally,
after all the trouble is behind,
he believes he is safe.
He reaches the mountain.
He is there.
He reaches out to touch it...
and it disappears
and reappears in the distance.
And again he sets forth
with as much strength and fervor as before
into the cold night
until he reaches the mountain again.