Futurism logo

Mountain Gold

I went to the mountain to find gold. I found much more than that with the incidents that altered my life.

By Srinidhi RanganathanPublished 3 years ago 10 min read
Like
Mountain Gold
Photo by Kalen Emsley on Unsplash

I went to the mountain to find gold. I found much more than that with the incidents that altered my life.

It was a beautiful spring day in the mountains. The sun was shining brightly and birds were singing all around me as I picked my way through the trees. It was a beautiful sight and I had never been more excited in my life. I had spent all morning gathering the materials to build my camp for the day, and I was getting ready for a good meal and sleep.

I strolled along for the next half-day, listening to the birds and occasionally looking up to watch the mountain grow higher. I made my camp just below the tree line where I had a decent spot to clear for my tent. The ground was hard, to begin with, but the last day’s work had cleared out all of the rocks and finally, the tent was tied up. I slept until evening.

I got up all of sudden as I was sitting at the side of my new tent, admiring the view when I heard something move behind me. I turned quickly but there was nothing there. “Just my imagination!” I whispered to myself.

I was just about to leave camp to hunt some more for berries when suddenly I smelled an odd musky smell like something was in the bush behind me. I spun around wildly, but there was nothing again. “I must be going mad” I cursed, turning back to my tent. That was when I saw it, a dark patch at the base of a tree that did not seem to belong. It turned towards me and I saw the eyes, they were gleaming golden brown, like a fox’s. I ran to it at once and looked in at the animal. I heard some growling that instant. A fox came out of the trees. I didn’t notice that the fox was very close and he leapt onto my back, bringing me down to the ground. I struggled for the next few seconds until I finally got the animal off me.

Sitting up, I glanced at the fox who was tensed up on his hind legs ready to spring. They were sitting like that for a couple of minutes until the fox finally gave up. I began to stand up. I made the mistake of looking at the fox’s eyes. I noticed that they had an unusual quality to them. It was as if they were two very tiny golden coins bouncing around in the fox’s eyes.

I began to stand up, and I felt the brush of a claw on my leg. He had cut his paw on my shoe. I looked down at it and saw blood welling up. Then I heard a noise, like someone spinning a pan on sticks. I looked up and the first thing I saw was the fox’s eyes, they were golden. The fox had come much closer and he stood at human height to me. He took hold of my arm and I looked down to see he had stopped the bleeding with his paw. He set me free and then got up on his hind legs. His eyes were set on mine. He squinted his eyes with effort and then he spoke and the sight shocked me.

“Hmm. Dear Human,”, he said.

“What are you?” I asked, amazed at the small fox.

“A fox” he answered simply.

“I mean, what is that you are – you are, dangerous,” I said. He looked down at his forepaw and I could see in his eyes the confusion of my question on his face. He seemed to look inside himself for the answer and like someone trying to remember a fact, his eyes rolled up and down in the back of his head.

“Are you a fox?” I asked.

“No, I am a human.”.

“Are you” I was frustrated with this situation I found myself in. “What is your name?” I asked again.

“My name is Nix. Wait, I am also a fox. That’s why my instinct said to attack you..” he said.

“No” I interrupted, “What is your name again?”

“Nix” he said.

“Nix, how are you speaking? I cannot believe my eyes”, I said.

“A wicked witch cast a spell on me. I am the prince of Lortshire. I had come on a quest to find the Mountain’s treasure. Even though I am a very rich man, I look to seek new adventures. On the way, I met a witch and I stayed in her hut for the entire night. In the morning, I find myself in this body form of a fox,” the fox said.

“Come with me and I will try to make you a human again. My father is a priest. He can help you” I said. I saw the look of anger cross Nix’s face, but it was replaced quickly with a kind expression. It was the first time I had seen anything other than surprise mix into his features. I picked up a stick and Nix walked beside me.

“By the way, what is your name?” the fox asked.

“Oh, Eric,” I said as I helped him over a log.

“Well, Eric. I thank you for everything you have done for me,” Nix said. It was pitch dark by the time we arrived at my tent as we took a long stroll in the mountain forest. Nix was amazed by everything about the tent. It was a simple bed, a table, candle and rug. He looked at me for an explanation and I told him what I had learned earlier about the charm. Nix lay down. “Nix, what are you doing?” I asked.

“Resting” he answered and closed his eyes.

I got up in the night to see Nix standing in front of the tent, staring at the trees. “I thought I saw a movement like someone hiding in the bushes and I thought it was the witch,” he said as he walked over. He looked outside at the woodlands, came inside to lay down, shutting his eyes tightly as he did.

In the morning, we both returned home. The town was shocked to see a talking fox and my father was too. The witch placed a spell on him. I told my father about Nix and I urged him to release Nix. I gave Nix a potion provided to me by my father at that time and he quickly drank it returned to his original Prince form. I looked and wondered if he could ever become a fox again. I had not questioned my intentions yet.

I was with Nix for the next few days, learning about the experience of being a fox. I found myself at ease more with Nix than I had ever been with anyone. Nix was a very good friend and everything about him was magnificent, his beaming eyes. His happy tone of voice, his smiling face and the way my heart raced when I saw him. Nix saw something in me too. The way he acted around me was like a father with a young child he was teaching to walk. Nix was patient and he said that he felt something for me.

One day, a dangerous forest fire broke out, burning all the trees nearby. It was only a matter of time before the fire would reach us. I had been spending the evening with Nix in the mountain. I saw him sitting by the fire, seeing the flames. He had the look of sadness in his eyes, he always had that look. “Nix, it is time to go. I do not want to stay here,” I said.

“Eric, it is fine here, my home” Nix answered. The fire was almost upon us. I knew that I had to do something. I went to Nix’s side and the most unbelievable sight occurred.

I saw a tall tree falling by our side and the sound of gold coins getting splattered on the rocks. Nix got up and looked at me. He took my hand in his, dragging me by his side. “We found the treasure. It was hidden in this particular tall tree all these days”, he said. As we walked, Nix pointed out the different things he saw around us. We walked together, as I had never done before. I was confused about why I felt this way. Nix took my hand and led me to a safer area near the trees. The fire was getting closer like it was meant to be there. My heart pounded in my chest as Nix sat on a stone, and picked out two golden coins that lay on the grass. The other coins were spilt on the side and the fire surrounded us. What happened next was a miracle. It started to rain heavily. There were loud thunderstorms too. Our ears were thundering. Even the trees had water dripping from their branches.

The fire fizzled out and eventually died down. As the fire died, I saw something strange. A knight on a horse who was galloping fast slowed down seeing Nix. He climbed from the horse and bowed to Nix.

“My Lord, we were searching for you all these months. I am going to lead you home.” the knight said. Nix looked at me. It was time for good friends to part. Nix was leaving me. I had learned more from Nix than my father. I was not happy and did not try to hide that. Nix walked towards the knight. He looked back once and I waved at him. He smiled. Underneath the smile was a fox – the most handsome one I have ever seen.

As he galloped, he cried in joy “Thanks for turning me into a human again. I owe you my life. Take all the gold coins. Give it to the needy and people in your town. Goodbye.”. The knight gazed back and in a minute, they were both gone. They will reach their castle in the kingdom of Lortshire in a few days, from now.

I put all the gold coins that lay down in a bag and decided to leave the place. For a moment, I sensed something is wrong. Someone’s hand touched me and I turned back to see a woman dressed in a black robe. My heart started to pound in my chest again. I knew now that I was in trouble. As she spoke, I tried to divert my eyes away from her. She held some stones in her hand. I could see the stones then, they were shining. I was mesmerized by the stones. They were making me sleepy. My eyelids closed and sleep took over. I was not able to move my body. I saw the witch flying like a giant eagle. She was holding my hand.

When I woke up and turned to walk, it was a shocking moment. I had been turned into a fox and the witch was nowhere to be seen. I had nobody to look out for in the forest. The other hunters quickly that came by left me alone – as I was a fox. I knew now that I had to follow my innermost desires in a quest to kill the witch, grab the treasure – the gold coins and give it to my townspeople. I can even catch up or meet Nix in the castle.

I am now ready and willing to do anything to try to get what I deserve. Maybe it was the smart witch who had hidden the treasure of the mountain in that tree. Or, is she guarding the treasure? For what reason? These questions cannot be answered as of now, but I will discover the secrets of this mountain one day and that day is not too far away. I howled as my voice echoed all across the mountains. “Father, I am coming. Keep the magic potion ready.”

Let me see whether I can find the light at the end of the tunnel. I have to be strong. An interesting, mysterious and challenging quest awaits me.

fantasy
Like

About the Creator

Srinidhi Ranganathan

I hold a degree in English Literature. I love reading books and writing is my passion. "Dream of Rainbows" is my first book for children. I love to write fiction, non-fiction and blog articles on popular topics. Happy reading!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.