Ripples Upon the Mountain

There, nestled in a mountain range of eternal awe, lies a realm out of time, hidden shyly from the outside world by a shroud of billowing clouds. A lush landscape to breathe in at a pace of personal choosing.

At the foot of one of these stony giants is a stream. In the stream is a man. The man is Mjnari, a young fellow from the nearby village who comes to this stream every afternoon to collect wood, water, and whatever else he deems of use for the benefit of the village.

On this idyllic day he decides to venture farther upstream to where the water meets the mountainside. Then spotting a fox, his curiosity is peaked. Where could it be headed up there? He tracks the creature to an alcove mostly hidden by tall brush.

Not wanting to startle the fox, Mjnari gingerly enters the darkened space. But what he finds inside is simple emptiness, nothing more. Either the fox has the ability to camouflage itself, or Mjnari’s eyes are playing tricks on him. Just as he is turning to leave a spot of light reflects in his eye. It’s emanating from a pendant attached to the front of a little black notebook.

He pulls the book out of the darkness and flips through the pages. There is no name or any form of identification. Only two pages have anything written on them. One has a map, and the other has but one sentence inscribed on it.

“There is a tomb by the marker up high. Riches lay within. Only one who is worthy shall inherit the wealth.”

It doesn’t take but a moment for Mjnari to determine that the map is referring to the mountain before him. He hesitates to begin the journey, never having probed more than 30 feet up the hillside. But the possibilities are far too alluring. And adventure at hand!

The trek takes him round and round the slope as it is the only safe path forward. And after about an hour’s march he comes across a rock in a familiar shape. It is the symbol of the pendant on the notebook. But there is nothing else to be seen.

He walks past the rock, clueless to what it means. Suddenly a small entrance to a cave appears before hm. He could swear it was not there just moments before.

He cautiously enters. He is in a large high-ceilinged open space. He stares in awe. And there it is. A large tomb-like structure with a slab of very tiny inscriptions that are almost impossible to make out.

Pushing aside the heavy stone guarding the entrance by himself he figures would surely be impossible, but to his shock it is as light as though it were floating. Nor is it as dark inside as he thought it would be. His eye immediately latches onto a worn tan leather bag with a golden handle. Excitedly he tears open the bag, spilling out a scattered treasure of fresh $100 bills. The notebook wasn’t lying.

He scoops the bills back into the bag, urgently wanting to run back to the village. He takes a deep breath and can barely contain his excitement as he heads for the cave exit. Oh, what a glorious life lies ahead he is assured as the bright sun hits his skin. A life for him of endless opportunities.

The moment he passes the embroidered rock, he finds himself at the foot of the mountain, back in front of the alcove where he found the notebook. The tan leather bag vanished.

Dumbfounded as to how this could be, Mjnari suspects that perhaps he blacked out on his way down. But where is the bag? His treasure? Nowhere.

In a panic, he runs up the hill as fast as he can both to retrieve the bag and to reassure himself he isn’t imagining things.

He’s completely out of breath, but he has no time to rest. Once again, he passes the rock, enters the cave, opens the tomb, grabs the bag and runs out as fast as he can. And yet he once more finds himself staring at the alcove. Empty handed.

Mjnari opens the notebook and slowly once again reads the words.

“There is a tomb by the marker up high. Riches lay within. Only one who is worthy shall inherit the wealth.”

“Am I not worthy?” he thinks to himself. Has he not spent his life doing his share of the work for the other villagers, and never causing a ruckus? What could be more worthy?

He plans to return home to the village to think through this dilemma. He does not want to raise suspicion as to what he has been up to, so he hides the notebook in his inner pocket and brings the wood and water he had originally gathered, returning in the dark of dusk.

Every day for the next two weeks he returns to the cave. And every day he becomes more and more frustrated at the eternal loop he is caught in.

Mjnari tries every permutation possible - walking slowly, running faster, crawling, jumping over the threshold. Yet each time he finds himself back at the foot of the mountain staring at the alcove. An image that has become burned into his mind like a dreaded nightmare.

Each day he spends longer and longer trying to solve the puzzle. Even tries coming back in the middle of the night, but no bag of treasure ever accompanies him. His obsession has consumed any chance of rest or peace. He begins to feel like he’s losing touch with reality.

One day as he sits by the stream in deep thought, his friend Ernst comes by to pay him a visit. “Are you okay, Mjnari?” he asks rather sternly. “I’m worried about all the time you’ve been spending way out here.”

“Yes, yeah I’m fine!” he answers startled that he is no longer alone. “I’m just building a lookout at the top of the hill. I thought it could come in handy in the future, for the village.”

“Well why didn’t you tell me before? I’ll give you a hand.”

“No! I don’t need anyone’s help! I mean, it’s a surprise for the others. If you join me everyone will get suspicious.” He anxiously holds his breath.

Surprisingly convinced by Mjnari’s answer, Ernst wishes him the best and returns to the village. But now that he has been noticed in his odd routines, the urgency forces him into a panic. Back in the village he gathers food and supplies to last him for an indetermined amount of time. He can’t risk Ernst or anyone stumbling upon his fortune. He must guard it day and night.

On his first nightlong stay he decides to empty the bag onto the ground and count the amount of money he has. He sits far enough back from the fire he’s made to ensure no gust of wind will force a single bill into the flames. Before he can begin the count, he stares at the crisp $100 bills. The firelight dancing off the edges being forever intoxicating. Something about a one followed by two zeroes almost seems like perfection incarnate.

By morning he has finished the count. $20,000 on the nose! He can hardly believe his good fortune. He’s never seen so much money. He cannot help but think of all the things he’ll do with it. Down payment on a home? Move to the big city?

Suddenly he snaps back to reality as he remembers he still hasn’t remedied the situation of the loop from hell. Then it dawns on him, “Why don’t I take a little at a time?”

He grabs only $1,000 and nervously heads for the exit. But no luck. He then tries $500, $200, $100, but the results are unchanged. Totally dejected, he breaks down in tears and slumps back into his bed of dirt. “Should I give up?” He thinks to himself. “No! I can’t let anyone take this from me. I found it! I discovered the secret!”

The next afternoon, Mjnari is startled by the echo of Ernst calling out from down below. He grabs the tan bag as always and starts the descent. He jumps from behind a bush and startles his friend.

“Oh, there you are. I didn’t hear you come.” Ernst eyes his friend with great concern. He is shocked. “Come home with me, Mjnari. You look absolutely awful. This is not healthy.”

“I’m fine, alright!? I don’t need you to keep coming by checking up on me.” Mjnari could not be more cold, indignant. “Uh, I’m almost done here, so tell everyone not to worry.”

As Ernst turns away in anger, Mjnari runs up the hill in desperation.

Weeks pass by. Ernst makes his visits more frequent, clearly on alert at his friend’s behavior. Each time he calls out, and each time Mjnari yells at him to go away.

Then one day Ernst decides to make the trip up the winding slope himself. But when he gets to the top, he is surprised to see no lookout hut and no Mjnari. He calls out again.

This time Mjnari can hear that he is close by to the cave and starts to panic. He decides to say nothing in fear that his friend might follow his voice to the hidden sanctuary.

“Mjnari! I’ve just come to say goodbye,” Ernst says with a heavy heart. “I’m leaving. I’m finally going to follow that dream of mine and move to the big city. You know, start my own business, find a girl, and maybe start a family.”

There is no reply.

“I just came by to say good luck. Hope to see you again some day, and I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Slowly, Mjnari emerges from the side of the mountain, frail as famine itself, covered in tattered clothes.

“Hello Ernst. I want to show you something,” Mjnari says as he motions towards the embroidered rock.

Ernst follows him into the cave and is in awe of the experience.

“I’m sorry my friend. I have treated you badly.” Mjnari says as tears caress his face. “I want you to have something.” Weakly he hands over the golden-handled bag.

Ernst opens the bag and is in disbelief at its contents. He tries to talk but is quickly cut off.

“Please, just go! Okay? May you be happy in your new life.” Mjnari struggles to stay standing.

Ernst nods and slowly heads out the cave. And as he passes the embroidered rock, there is a deafening silence. Nothing happens. He starts to make his descent down the mountain.

Mjnari smiles softly and collapses. Only now can he comprehend what the notebook said.

“Only one who is worthy shall inherit the wealth.”