The Lotus Peak

Had her warm hat not been on her head, Eka's dark hair would have flown in all directions, like a combustion of black matter. The wind howled and assailed them from all sides, and Eka kept having to spit her hair out of her mouth and remove it from her vision. She had already seen the summit, but it was worth seeing again, over and over. Long ago, people made pilgrimages here, and Eka understood why. The view was gorgeous, despite the wind haranguing her, and Eka took a mental image of the verdant and neat valley below.

Eka turned around, to see if her friend was getting along fine. "You are doing ok, yes?"

Feruza had made sure not to simply look up any pictures of the view on Google, or something, because she wanted to be stunned, totally taken off guard by its beauty. She could imagine, though. She imagined seeing further than she ever had before, seeing beautiful valleys, maybe even the ocean... she was so excited.

But she had to work for this. She was taking this long and arduous hike, and it made her thankful that Eka had had the idea to leave their things at the campsite. Doing this whole hike with that heavy pack would be doable, yes, but a lot less fun.

"Yes, I am never better!" the Uzbek answered cheerfully, deciding to catch up with Eka, now walking besides the Georgian beauty. "Oh, your hair is in face!" she giggled, reaching over and tucking in her friend's hair, making sure she wasn't getting distracted.

Eka giggled when Feruza removed her hair from her face. She was an experienced girl, and she recognized that she should have brought a scrunchie or something to help tame her wild hair. "Thanks, comrade," she said. Eka positioned her hair so it was mostly back before she put her cap on over it. It was a temporary fix at best, but it was all she could do at the moment.

Mostly, she was just stalling. Her legs were far more weary than she thought they would be, and her arms were a bit tired as well. She learned long ago that you should use your whole body when climbing, and all of her was aching. They were not terribly far from the top though, and building up a bit of mental momentum was desirable.

"We are so close." Eka's words were almost longing. The peak was within her grasp now, and Eka was going to do her damnedest to make it all the way to the summit.

"Well, we must press on, then, yes?" Feruza asked, giving Eka a motivational pat on the back, smiling confidently. She was going to conquer this mountain. But she wasn't going to do it alone. They were going to conquer this mountain, this jewel of Japan. And so, the hike continued. Feruza began getting rather fatigued, herself, so she could only imagine what poor Eka was going through.

Feruza wondered what her grandfather must have felt, marching for days in the wintertime, carrying hundreds of pounds of equipment. She looked at her coat, and felt pride in her family. Her grandfather was a true badass, as was every soldier fighting alongside him.

But Eka was still having trouble, so Feruza tried to make conversation. That seemed like it would be a good way to inspire Eka a little, even though she probably didn't need it. "You said your father was in Afghanistan, yes? Did he tell stories of the war?" she inquired.

Eka looked up to the type. Her blue eyes were scanning, eager to see anything that would make this easier. When she failed to find anything, she turned back to her friend. She had been here before, done this before. But not when she was this weary. Her friend behind her was giving her quite a lot of inspiration though, both manifest and tacit. Eka could fail herself, but she could not fail her.

"Oh, yes, we will press on. We will make it. I have no doubt." She shook her head. The way to the top was very clear. Just actually making it up to the top was the hard part.

Then she turned to her friend. "He did. Sometimes. Only the good ones, I think. He would sometimes hint at what he saw, but for the most part, he only told me of when he cured people, yes? And he did cure a lot of people. I don't know what that says about the war," she said, "that you have to help so many people. But it is better than the alternative, yes? But what about your grandpa? Does he tell many stories?"

Feruza smiled sadly when Eka asked her question. She missed her bobo. "Yes, grandfather told stories." she said, hoping the implications of the past tense would be enough to tip Eka off to the fact that her grandfather was no longer with her. "His favorite one for telling was his claim that he shot down a fascist bomber plane, one of the ones with the siren, using just a sidearm." Feruza said, laughing a little. "Was it true? Maybe. But he told it so vividly, it is hard to think that it is not."

"Stories of our forerunners are inspiring, no?" asked the Uzbek. "We think it is hard, imagine their ordeals." Perhaps it wasn't the most inspiring, but it was something. "How far is peak, Eka? Sorry if I am sounding impatient."

It wasn't so much impatience as... well, maybe it was a bit of impatience. Feruza wanted to see the majesty of Mt. Fuji, and she would like to see it as soon as possible. Maybe determination was a better word for it. Feruza didn't know. Were determination and impatience really all that different?

Eka got it. She was more book smart than she was street smart, but she picked up on what Feruza was putting down. So her grandfather was not alive anymore. Still, though, it sounded like her bobo did a lot to make her proud, and Eka smiled a warm and tender smile. She did not believe the story, but would have very much liked to hear it all the same. "Ah, yes. There is a lot to learn from our ancestors. I think I ought to know that, as I am studying history."

"But let us talk of the future. It is only a short distance, and we can chat once we find a better place." Looking around, she recognized that this was not terribly far from where they first met. Eka looked up the mountain, then down the mountain, then back up the mountain again. In the back of her mind, she was a bit worried about how tired she was, but she pushed those thoughts aside for the time being.

"Come, we have already delayed so long, yes?" The Georgian girl took off up the mountain, ready to get to the summit as soon as possible. No more delays, not at this point.

Feruza agreed with Eka. "The future, yes. We are going to make it up this mountain, no matter what!" the Uzbek proclaimed triumphantly. She sped up, locking her sights on the not-too-far-off peak with finality in her eyes. It would be a little while, sure.

During the hike, Feruza made sure to glance at her friend every once in a while, to make sure she wasn't overly fatigued. But it was never more than a glance, because Feruza couldn't find it in herself to look away from the ever-approaching peak for more than a few moments. It was so enticing, so beautiful, so exciting! Feruza was one of probably hundreds of thousands who had walked this same path, but that made it no less special. Because this time, it was her and Eka.

After probably 20 more minutes of hiking, the pair arrived. Finally. And, to her delight, the peak lived up to what Feruza imagined it to be. In fact, it may have even exceeded her expectations. She gasped as soon as the stunning vista came into view, and immediately understood why it was so holy. Mt. Fuji felt like a place where gods would dwell. Nothing near it rivaled its height, and it rose like Olympus above its surroundings. She didn't know the specific legends about the mountain, but she understood why so many had been written about it. It felt like there was no higher place in the world. If you were in ancient Japan, there wouldn't be a higher place in the world. It was hard to find the words to describe it...

"Wow." was all the awestruck Uzbek could muster.

Eka made it to the top, just as Feruza did. When she first crested the last little ridge that kept her from the summit, it was as if she were Columbus with sight of the New World. The Georgian girl had been here not even 24 hours before, but it was still as special as the first time. Mostly because the Uzbek was right behind her. The valley below them was as gorgeous as ever, and everything seemed so small, yet in just the right place.

The ravenhaired girl held her walking stick close to her. She was one of the very few people on earth privileged to see such a sight, let alone see it for the second time. Her weary legs did not bother her, nor did her failure to grab any wins in her most recent matches. She was here to enjoy the moment, and that is precisely what she did.

"It is...incredible, yes?" She asked.

"I... uh, yes. It is hard to find the words." Feruza stammered, before embracing Eka. She wished she could spend her whole life here, together, with her new friend. She wished that her grandfather was there with them to see this— he'd probably have some story of how he climbed a mountain during the Great Patriotic War, and did something involving killing fascists on it. Well, maybe her bobo was here. Of course, not physically, but Feruza knew that he would be proud of his beloved granddaughter for accomplishing such a feat.

"Thank you, Eka. I am glad that I am sharing such a moment with somebody as good as you." Feruza said, not caring if she sounded romantic. "Do you think it is safe to stay here for... thirty minutes?" she asked, not knowing too much about how the cold wind would affect them. It was cold, yes, but she didn't mind cold. What she did mind was frostbite, something she wanted no part of. "I just want to admire the view..."