Climbing the Sacred Mountain

The Guardians were not awake when the two of them left that morning, armed with only machetes to fight the forest. It was just before dawn, and the night before, the village elders had called them reckless, and irresponsible, but they were very much in love. Seth took her hand, and silently he prayed they would make it to the sacred mountain.

Nothing could restrain them now, as they lunged into the unseen. It was the snakes and lizards that always bothered her, but Seth whispered in her ear, “Don’t let the tree frogs touch you, they’re poisonous.” Two hours later they were scratched, and bleeding almost everywhere, from the branches and thorns of the brush, but they did make it to an open field, where there was thick fog, covering the mountain in front of them.

It was terrifying. They looked at each other, and held hands more tightly. “Gem, I think we can do this, we need to talk to the Seer.” Gem knew he was right, and shook her head yes. They began the ascent, in order to ask questions of Jambres the Seer, questions everyone else was too afraid to ask. Seth couldn’t help noticing her long black hair, pulled back.

It was a brutal climb, with rocks crumbling beneath them, slipping, falling, and their fingertips bleeding from trying to hold on, but each step brought them closer, and the cave of Jambres would bring them the answers they needed.

It was Gem that made it there first, offering her battered hand to Seth, pulling her love, one last step. When they saw the cave their hearts began beating faster. And when they walked in…… he was there! They gasped when they saw hundreds of candles lit all over the cave, and the old man calmly sitting on soft pillows, meditating. Jambres (with eyes closed) said softly, “Come in, I’ve been expecting you.”

They hesitated, but gently placed their filthy bodies on two soft pillows facing the old man, and they waited. Finally Gem spoke, “Seer Jambres, why is the mountain considered sacred?” The Seer opened his eyes, and said softly, “Because courage was born here, and those who seek it, will live in it forever.”

Seth’s burning question came next, “Seer Jambres, why are we so different……. we don’t fit in, and we will never fit in with our own people?” They didn’t realize it, but this very day they would begin new lives……….and they would start a new village on the other side of the mountain, where the people live free.

            

     

Writing and Image © Copyright 2016, The Mystical Forest

originally posted on Ancient Skies