Descending White Death Mountain: The Fourth Steps

Descending White Death Mountain: The Fourth Steps

While the night descended, forcing the adults to sleep, Chaha felt that she could not. Yet, she knew that White Death Mountain took no prisoners. Even the hairy chinned adults speak of how even they are at risk. She was only 12 and small for her age. Her journey might only take the adults a day to walk, but it would take her longer. Minutes before the sun descended behind the mountain, threatening to take all of her light, she saw a small piece of flat land near the road. Quickly she went and put her bag down. Opening the pack, she saw the test tubes filled with red medicine, the radiating heat warming her. A small crack on one of the test tubes freaked her out, but nothing seemed to be leaking from it. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, she kept searching in her bag. Besides, the medicine was a small but firm box. She took the black box and put it on the ground, pressing the button and holding it for five seconds. 

The box then began to make beeping sounds, and she quickly stepped back. What was once no larger than her hands, now expanded, filling with air. The thin black yet sturdy tarp came to a point at the top, and a triangular-shaped tent was formed in less than a minute. 

“It’s so huge!” she exclaimed, “They told me these were the small tents, but this is bigger than my bed!” She quickly went to the narrow end facing her, and she grabbed the zipper opening the tent up. 

Inside, it was a dark blue, with an even darker blue, almost black lines outlining the door. She zipped the tent shut, and for the first time in the whole day, she had some protection from the wind. Taking off her pack, she placed it by her side and took a moment to run her hands over the fabric. 

“Amazing,” Chaha said. Despite the wonder, she could feel exhaustion catching up with her, so she took off her tattered boots, grabbed her blanket, and tried to settle down for the night. As she laid down, there was a rectangular patch with light blue buttons and lettering. It was so worn that she could not read it, but that did not stop her from pressing a button, making the tent whirr with activity. The tent’s ceiling became see-through, and she could see not only the underside of many trees but also hundreds of shimmering stars. 

Chaha could only gasp in wonder as she pointed to one star and said, “They look beautiful, just wonderful.” 

A memory from yesteryear came back to her, and a leader among the hairy chinned people said, “There’s a great and mighty story in these stars. Way over there, he pointed eastward to a cluster of stars, is where humans once lived. Long ago, humans only lived on one planet. But now, humans have grown beyond their solar system. A man or a woman can go whichever space rock they choose, work for ten years, and live well for the rest of their lives. It’s hard work, no guarantee of survival, but I wouldn’t trade this for anything.” 

Chaha’s eyes drifted to the east, where a cluster of lights, some artificial, some natural, shone with every color her eyes could see. 

Her memory continued on with the leader saying, I meet good people, many friends, and family. 

Like Head Maiden? Chaha asked. 

Everyone got quiet, and the leader, with a pained look on his face, said, “I was thinking of people like you.” 

It was Chaha’s turn to get quiet, and she said, “They say my name means to want, greed, and they call me a joke. 

“Nepalese is a difficult language. Some might say want, but when you were named, Chaha meant loving wish. For me, you are a wish come true, and you always brought me joy and laughter every time I met with you.” 

He picked her up and pointed at some stars to the north and said, “Many families live there. We can sing, dance, eat, drink and party every weekend. The rice fields are rich, Momo dumplings abound all over the place, Thukpa noodle soup flows like a river, and everyone can eat Sel Roti bread! It’s almost sweeter than sunshine on your face! The Chatammari, oh, spiced and seasoned, since every day is good, we can eat it whenever. 

He turned to Chaha in his embrace and said, “If you want, when you’re 15, you will be an adult. My work term will end. We can go anywhere, and if you want, together. Whatta you say?

“Let’s go to New Nepal,” Chaha said to her memory, her exhaustion catching up to her, forcing her to fall asleep. Snow and night fell, and early light chased away the wind. Another day for her was starting, and the sunshine and gentle heat roused her from her coma-like slumber. She wanted to sleep for five more minutes, but when she saw the pack by her side, duty roused her. In a few minutes, she dressed, got out of the tent, and smiled at the still, warm morning despite the exhaustion. Pressing a button on top of the tent made it shrink again to a small box. Placing the self-packing tent in her backpack, she took off, slowly walking down, taking care of every step. 

Looking around, she said, “No wind, no snow, I might be able to make it down by the end of today.” Chaha, despite the nippy cold, her tattered clothes barely acting as a shield, felt warmed by hope. 

As she walked, and as the sun rose, the birds also woke up. She heard many birds, the hooting of owls going to bed, the cooing of morning doves, the chirping of babblers, magpies, and robins all making quite the noise. She never heard many of these birds sing their song, and for brief moments she would stand still immersed in the singing. She wanted to listen to the chatter of those flying musicians so much that she said nothing as she walked down the mountain of White Death.  Less than an hour of careful meandering, and she heard a frightful, piercing shriek from her left, on the other side of the path. 

Turning, she saw three birds, one shimmering male, and two drab brown females in the distance flying straight for her. Behind them was a massive cat with hunger in its eyes. Surprised and shocked, Chaha tried to move down the mountain faster, but her rush moved her from solid bare ground to a slick spot, and she tumbled. The area was thick with trees, so she did not drop far, but hitting a Chir Pine knocked the wind out of her. 

“Raaarrrwwrraa!” screamed out something behind her, and she tried to turn around, scrambling backward, trying to flee on all fours. 

She saw the large cat, white with black stripes longer than her and with far more muscles with two massive enlarged teeth bursting into the air. It grabbed a Monal pheasant and tore it apart with its massive canines and claws. Beautiful, shimmering orange, green, blue, indigo, and even purple feathers flew apart, red blood splattering everywhere. 

If one of the men of the valley was with Chaha, they could tell her that it was a Siberian Sabertooth, among other things. It could have been an intense bonding moment, a reflection on the brutality of nature. Sadly, she was alone, and fear seized her, forcing her to scramble backward. Chaha never even noticed the ground giving away, and she was barely aware of her body falling. 

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