Breaking Part 1

The climb was steady, but I would not stop now. As the sun drifted further into the ground, I was going higher into the sky. My arms ached, my legs pulsed in pain, but this was just a part of the process. My body begged for relief from this drudge.

And it was going to be a beautiful thing when I reached the top, because I was close. I saw it now. My eyes behold the crease spanned in an uneven pattern as a horizon over him. I noted that the rock close to the top seemed to be of a deeper, darker color. It didn't seem like it was because of the overcasting shadows. There was this nagging feeling as I looked up there. Something seemed odd about it I couldn't place initially. Maybe I was thinking too much. With the pain in my fingers, time was limited, so I placed that in the back of my mind and decided to just keep going. The sky was above me in an orange glow. Clouds were dispersing into the bright hue.

My fingers dug into the dirt being dispensed from hard rock. The arms burned, yet carried me incessantly. My back arched as I went further up the stone precipice, reaching an incline and a very unnerving problem.

The rock was smoother, so there was going to be a problem going up with this. What was I going to grab onto? Now, granted, I could just use the hook. That alone should be fine, but not ideal. The problem was, it was just going to be harder to go up with just the hook. Hanging on to the hook only was going to put pressure on that hook, and there were times when the hook slipped out. Meaning unless I was perfect with my insertion of the hook, then I was liable to feel the flatness of the Earth again. And that was not going to be a very wonderful experience.

I inhaled and exhaled with a resolve to get to the top and I was going to get up here by any means necessary. The hook was steadied in my hand. I inhaled one more time and then slammed the hook into the smoothened rock.

Pulling myself up, I anchored my body over the hook, and my lungs heaved. The next problem now was to find something I can hold on to so that I can take out the hook. My eyes scanned above me for nothing that looked favorable.

The only thing that seems like a good option was a branch sticking out from the rock. There were only a couple of problems. It wasn't remotely close to me and it looked flimsy. I was not having a good run of luck right now. What did I have that I could have used? My thoughts drifted to the darkest of my mind as my eyes closed in frustration.

Thinking on it, I carried ropes; I had the hook; I had spines, and then my eyes opened. Rope, I could use that. I pulled them closer to the hook and with my other hand pulled my handbag to my side, then I went in and drew out my spare rope. My hand grasped it tight, so I don't drop it. This was my last hope now that I think about it. I laughed. "I always find myself on the edge, don't I?"

There was no answer on the wind. It would have been nice to hear that giggle again, but I guess that would ask for too much right now. I tied on knots and created a loop at one end of the rope. My hand whirled the rope into a spinning lasso. I threw it forward, and the loop went up and over the branch, dropping onto the end.

I mumbled yes and then breathed out a side of relief. It was also a good thing that the robe was closer to the root of the branch, for that was where it was going to be the strongest. Grabbing the rope, I swung to the side, pulling the hook and with the upswing connected to the hook into the rock. Stone spurted out from its epicenter.

They glace off my head, causing me to close my eyes. I shook my head and hence my hair, throwing off the tiny pebbles out of the roots of my hair.

With that, I pulled myself up further, using the rope as leverage. It was a tough test, but nothing was without struggle.

I was sure that would be what Joel would have said. Making Joel proud, making my friends, my sister who cried tears knowing I was not going to return. Making everybody proud to know that I got there. That I achieved my goals. My death had not occurred yet. I was still alive. That I reached the top of the mountain was not only important to everything and everyone I left behind but also to my endearing desire to finish this diary. They find out what would that last page be. What was the secret to this curse? It fueled everything with every pull off the hook, every push of my foot against the slippery rock.

I was getting closer. The top was within my grasp. The gale that passed me by became cooler to my approach.

"Got to be kidding me." This was an annoying development.

The mountain was unkind, but I would not stop here. I hit the hook into the rock close to the edge of the mountain. The wind got relentless, yet strong and defiant to my rise. My arm shook, and the robe shivered, smacking me in the face. I grasped the rope and pulled myself up with my left hand, finally getting over the age and grasping into the wet grass. My fingers broke into the dirt, my fingernails digging up mud under them.