Fiction
Today, I offer my ears to you
You gaze into my eyes. Your face smiling but not saying a word. It is trying to tell me something, though you might not be aware. Are you dancing in a daydream or carrying the weight of the world? Some days, as I wander through the streets or settle on a park bench, I am a silent witness to a stranger who is you. In the caressing sun rays, I lean in to listen closely, to collect the cues it drops, lest those in a rush remain ever oblivious. But today, I reminisced about the mountains.
At 2000 meters, we slowly descended on the base camp trail. The afternoon sun glared at us unceasingly at this altitude. Snowy and arid, sheets of strong white weighed on the peaks, like the thick icing that would crumble a tall wedding cake. Hanako and I were not close. In fact, it was only our fourth day of knowing each other. But something drew me to her. A kind of affinity. Would you, a stranger, sense that too?
As the cliff ahead towered over us, we began to lose the sharp tingle of the sun. In the cold wind, somehow Hanako and I found ourselves broken out of the group, leaving the rest behind. We walked in silence, hands in our pockets, as I, for the first time, breathed in the grandeur of where we were. Twenty kilometers from the border of Chile, we were on the trail that would lead us to the tallest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua of the Andes ranges. Could you believe it?
I couldn’t when Hanako said her boyfriend had a heart problem. I was stunned both at the news and as to why she brought it up. But I suppressed my urge to break the silence and collected myself. I waited to see if she wanted to go on, but she waited for my reply first.
Oh?
The doctor said he won't live after 25 years, she continued. How old is he now, I asked. 24, she responded bluntly. Are you okay, I asked. Yeah. After a moment, I added, he must live a fuller life than others then, doesn’t he? She turned to look at me and agreed. He does; he does so many things every day.
As far as I remember, that is all there was to the conversation. Apart from showing surprise, could I have said much more? Perhaps Hanako didn't know why she brought it up, either. The breeze caressed us. Cold but light. She smiled at me and cheerily said, “Oh, I must use the washroom,” as she skipped downhill towards it, leaving me behind in the remnants of that exchange. As I waited for the others to catch up, I gazed up at the hills. This time, the sun was glowing in the afternoon. For a moment, I smiled and thought the snow no longer burdened the rainbow mountains. That day, I was glad I could offer my ears.
At 2000 meters, we slowly descended on the base camp trail. The afternoon sun glared at us unceasingly at this altitude. Snowy and arid, sheets of strong white weighed on the peaks, like the thick icing that would crumble a tall wedding cake. Hanako and I were not close. In fact, it was only our fourth day of knowing each other. But something drew me to her. A kind of affinity. Would you, a stranger, sense that too?
As the cliff ahead towered over us, we began to lose the sharp tingle of the sun. In the cold wind, somehow Hanako and I found ourselves broken out of the group, leaving the rest behind. We walked in silence, hands in our pockets, as I, for the first time, breathed in the grandeur of where we were. Twenty kilometers from the border of Chile, we were on the trail that would lead us to the tallest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua of the Andes ranges. Could you believe it?
I couldn’t when Hanako said her boyfriend had a heart problem. I was stunned both at the news and as to why she brought it up. But I suppressed my urge to break the silence and collected myself. I waited to see if she wanted to go on, but she waited for my reply first.
Oh?
The doctor said he won't live after 25 years, she continued. How old is he now, I asked. 24, she responded bluntly. Are you okay, I asked. Yeah. After a moment, I added, he must live a fuller life than others then, doesn’t he? She turned to look at me and agreed. He does; he does so many things every day.
As far as I remember, that is all there was to the conversation. Apart from showing surprise, could I have said much more? Perhaps Hanako didn't know why she brought it up, either. The breeze caressed us. Cold but light. She smiled at me and cheerily said, “Oh, I must use the washroom,” as she skipped downhill towards it, leaving me behind in the remnants of that exchange. As I waited for the others to catch up, I gazed up at the hills. This time, the sun was glowing in the afternoon. For a moment, I smiled and thought the snow no longer burdened the rainbow mountains. That day, I was glad I could offer my ears.