The Mountain

Mountains always have secrets.

And this one had more than most. Tall and majestic, with jagged peaks that punctured the sky, it appeared unknowable and immovable.

And yet, if you were to watch it, and not just glance at it – really watch it – it would sometimes appear to be breathing.

If you stared long enough, you’d start to think that it was a different mountain altogether.

One person had been watching this mountain for a very, very long time.

And he had decided it was time for the mountain to show him its secrets.

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Deep within the mountain, a great creature stirred in its sleep. Its eyes rolled back in its head, and its wings jerked wide open. It suddenly sat up straight, trying to remember what it had seen in the nightmare.

Darkness. All it saw was darkness and desolation.

The creature shuddered and closed its eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

It had been waiting for something, for someone, for a long time. It could wait longer.