A Natural Paradise

A goliath.

What’s your story?

My fingers digging into the granite snapped me back to reality.

I can’t maintain this position for long.

Mustering up the strength from my fatigued arms, I dragged my right leg onto a tiny foothold. Shifting my weight to my leg, I scrutinized the remainder of the granite monolith ahead of me.

Right arm grab, left arm crossover, left leg switch with right, wai---

Snap.

The foothold disappeared.

My fingers screamed.

With my legs flailing around looking for a foothold, my grip started loosening.

My eyes shot underneath me, scouring each potential crevice and nub.

Damn!

Still no holds!

The jagged surface of the rock now felt like tiny spears piercing through my fingers.

I grimaced as tears rolled down my face.

Is this how my story ends…really?

I wanted to scale this mountain, enjoy the view at the peak, and then shout at the top of my lungs to the world. I wanted the mountain to acknowledge me and give me the right to travel through nature and uncover its secrets.

I wanted to prove my worth.

Would I let some pain stop me? Really?

Wiping my tears against my arms, I looked again.

Confirming there were no viable options beneath me, I turned to my last resort: a swinging move.

Glancing right and left, I discovered a decent-sized hold to my right.

I have to go for it.

Building my momentum by swinging left to right, I braced myself.

Fighting through the pain in my fingers and forearms, I extended my right leg on the last swing and barely reached the hold.

My hands quickly repositioned themselves to holds closer to my body.

Letting my arms relax in this new position, I considered what just occurred.

I almost just died.

My enjoyable climb spiraled into a battle of life and death; one mistake, namely, not reaching the foothold, could have cost me dearly. Grappling with this fact inevitably led me to a pressing question:

Do I continue or do I go back?

There was a trail close by, and I could easily climb there and walk down the mountain along its curved, sloping path.

But if I did that, would I still have the right? Yet, my body turned in the direction of the trail.

I was exhausted.

My fingers hurt, my forearms ached, my back was pumped, and I was all out of energy. My body was begging me to stop. And honestly…I wanted to as well.

Then I remembered his words: “In times of grave crisis, a man’s true nature arises. Will you cower in fear and escape your troubles, or valiantly charge ahead with nothing but your will? Ultimately, the choice is yours.“

My hands moved first.

Then my legs.

Locked into this repetitive trance, I didn’t stop moving until I reached the summit.

Now standing on the peak, I let out a hearty whoop. A whoop releasing everything I just experienced out into the world.

The rising sun cast its golden brilliance through the clouds, creating an almost ethereal view. The sounds and movements of the waking animals beckoned to me. Coupled with the stillness of the trees, clouds, and rays of sunlight, I was living inside a landscape painting.

Wow. This is nature.

Eventually, the clouds masked the rays of sunlight and the magic had disappeared.

Descending down one of the mountain’s trails, my mind was filled with the moments of the climb.

The enjoyment.

The fear.

The struggle.

The ease.

This really was one hell of a confusing experience.

“I see the man you have chosen.”

Back on the ground, my head whipped back in the direction of the voice.

I saw a man wearing a hooded cloak sitting cross-legged on a long, thin black sheet. The man had not moved an inch since I last saw him when I started my ascent.

“I climbed it. Now it's your turn to uphold your side of the bargain. What’s the reward?”

“Foolish one, you already possess it.”

Now he’s trying to swindle his way out of his bet!

“What the hell are you talking about?”

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of me.

Frightened, I tried to move back. But in one swift motion, he thrust the key into my sternum and twisted it.

Before I could even process the pain, the world around me began crumbling, literally crumbling.

“Your power is their salvation, and yours as well. Godspeed savior! Godspeed!”

He crumbled before my very eyes. And not just him, but the mountain, trees, and animals dissipated. All the color within my surroundings clumped together and formed the massive void that trapped me in a world of black.

I tried moving my body, but I still felt frozen in place.

No matter, I’ll just rest then.

How long have I been resting for? Wait. Why don’t I feel groggy after waking up?

Let me see if there’s anyone nearby?

“-----------”

Silence.

Again.

“-----------”

Silence.

I can’t move, I need help! Anyone, please help me!

“-----------”

Silence once again.

The unsettling reality set in.

Wait, am I even talking right now? Or am I talking in my mind?

Now that I think about it, the only thing I hear is myself, and I do not smell or taste anything. Although I can't move my eyes one bit, I can, oddly, still see the darkness.

What the fuck is happening to me??

I need to get out of here right now! Now!

Move body. MOVE!!!

For the first time, my body budged.

Why did I move this time around though?

Well one thing was guaranteed: my thoughts played a role.

It can’t just be thoughts though, there has to be some other requirement.

Could it be…emotion?

Helplessness and Frustration are the only emotions I felt when I moved so this should be easy enough.

Recalling my helplessness with the situation, I proclaimed the magic words:

Move! Please move!

No response.

Naturally feeling frustrated by nothing happening, I again proclaimed the magic words:

Come on man, Move already!

No response.

Then, once more, in a resolute tone,

Move.

That same feeling of lightness I experienced when I first moved returned.

I see. So it never was emotion.

Does willpower apply beyond just movement?

Make the colors return. Make them return.

The same trick didn’t seem to be working on the abyss around me.

Wait, I almost missed it.

I already had an idea of what “moving” is! If I’m right, this space transforms through imagination and resolve.

I didn’t even have to think; I instantly pictured the scene from earlier at the peak.

From the mountain, trees, animals, and sky, to the color, smell, texture, and noises; I recreated the entire moment within my mind.

Now, I found myself in the moment once again.

Umm…I’m back?

“What the hell just happened?”

“You have awakened.”

That same seer from earlier was floating in the air in front of me!

“How are you floa—Hey man! Why the hell’d you stab me! Explain to me what is going on, right now!”

“I’ve shown you the truth.”

“Okay you cryptic bastard, what in the world does that mean?”

“Follow me.” He floated away in a different direction, as if I had no other choice.

And that pissed me off.

“Well, we got a problem. I can’t fly man! And why the hell would I follow you in the first place?”

“Have you learned nothing from the void? Recall your movement!”

Move!

Oddly enough, the sensation of floating wasn’t foreign; rather, it felt just like moving in the darkness.

All I know is that this can’t be real.

We picked up speed.

We left the world, and started racing through space. Colored dots and distant disks flashed by us as we plunged deeper, and deeper into the darkness. So much so, we passed through the darkness and witnessed its true form:

“A Tree?”

This tree appeared larger than anything I had ever learned about, even larger than space itself. Aside from sharing the basic structure of a massive tree, it appeared mechanized. The parts were transparent, and wisps of tiny blue smoke in the shape of orbs systematically entered through the roots and stayed in the leaves. The roots connected to each and every disk I had seen on the way here, and the leaves had rows upon rows of doors that seemed to take the orbs far away from here. Most shockingly, each and every component seemingly stretched on forever and was seemingly present in infinite quantities.

How is this possible? Who could have constructed such a beautiful mechanism? And what are those wisps of blue? Energy?

“Listen closely”

With my vain feelings of stubbornness shattered by the allure of this wonder, I heeded his advice.

A torrent of emotions washed over me: Laughter, sadness, anger, hope, love, pride, curiosity, and too many more to recount.

“Hold up, wait, impossible! They’re all—”

“Souls, regardless of species from everywhere.”

“Why are they all trapped in the tr—”

“Reality. They are caught within the rules; rules which we operate outside of. I told you did I not? Climb the mountain and this right is yours.”

“But this is—”

“You yourself thought it beautiful, did you not? The tree builds itself on the countless stories that each soul contains, allowing it to create better and more desirable galaxies. However, each galaxy has been doomed since their inception, created with an expiration date. The tree is incapable of resolving this problem. This job can only be completed by a truly courageous and imaginative soul. Of all entities to ever exist, only you passed both tests; the climb and the darkness.”

“I’m…worthy?”

“I finally have an entity capable of recording the stories of the countless souls whose fate is to have their memory wiped before their reincarnation. I need their memories to make better realms and you shall help me.”

“You’re the…, Ha, I can’t believe this.”

“Will you help me create a better reality Chris?”

“My whole life, I wanted to explore nature, but at times, it felt lackluster. Discovering original scenic views and new areas was extremely difficult within an already explored world, and I’d only ever experienced the enjoyment I chased after a handful of times throughout my 25 years of being a nature explorer. There is nothing I yearned for more than a place that never ended; a region of immeasurable land with trillions of diverse species, an area where exploring never faded. If you allow me, I will create it.”

“Then, from now on our lifespans are linked. You will live forever and we will build it:

A Natural Paradise.”