#5

Zacknue awoke, sweat beaded all over his body and soaked the ground he lay on. In was early dawn. The sun had barely peaked behind the tall mountains that lay so far away. He stood up and turned around to face the sea. A few stars still hung in the twilight, and a cool mist was beginning to settle over the still waters. The new day awoke something deep within Zacknue. He felt a strange kind of nostalgia about this place, like this was where he truly belonged. And so, with a new outlook, he set out at a brisk pace to meet the rising sun.

When the sun had reached its peak, Zacknue had made his way to the mountains. He had climbed the tallest one and trudged through the deep snow towards the peak. His legs ached and stung with the freezing cold, yet he kept walking. The air was thin and cold, but the sun warmed his back and made the climbing easy. When he reached the top, he found an area of bare rock. Zacknue walked over to a large smooth stone and sat. At the top of the mountain, the whole world surrounded him. The shoreline stretched on forever and ever, as did the woods beneath the mountain. From up here, he could see other islands far away on the horizon. Other mountains, that cut through the sea like rocky outcrops in a sandy desert. Zacknue wished he could fly like a bird. He wished he could dive down the mountain, spread his wings, and soar up. He would soar across the meadows, across the sea, across great mountain ranges. He would soar forever. Forever he would be at peace.

And yet, as it does, time passed on. Pretty soon the blue sky became a deep crimson as the sun had begun its long trek to dawn. Zacknue got up from his rock and made his way down the icy slope. By the time he reached the shore, it was night.

“Where have you been Zacknue?” Asked Ara as he walked back to the others. She was not nervous, or angry, she was sad.

“I have been at the mountain, I wanted to see the world as it is.”

“And have you?”

“Yes, from up above one can see the soul of the earth come together. And I was right in the center Ara, I was the point at which all time revolved around.”

“Tommorow we will walk, Zacknue. But you must eat, and you must rest. The body can only take so much.”

“That it does.” Zacknue smiled and sat down. He ate the fruit that had been gathered and the fish that had been caught, and then he dreamed.”