A triumphant song rose to Aarvo's lips:
“If all the troubles in the world
were laden on my shoulders now to bear,
I wouldn’t care. Oh no, I wouldn’t care.
If all the solitude of space
found in my chest its lair,
I wouldn’t care. Oh no, I wouldn’t care.
If all the pain and sorrow of despair
tried to catch me unaware,
I wouldn’t care. Oh no, I wouldn’t care.
Because I am leaving this place lonesome and forlorn
for another one where my true life will be born.
And nothing could shake the happiness I feel
Now that my dream is just about to become real.
So, watch me stars as I fling myself into the air
And the immense space across two worlds I fare.”
As soon as he finished singing, he finally felt the warmth of daylight thawing his shoulders and core. He hurried North, where Eera would be at a reasonable height, then stopped in a clearing that left him enough space for his jump. He was ready to leave these dead plains behind for the green pastures in the sky.
Here I come, Eera! he thought, then sprinted forward with all his strength until his body began to creak and squeak as if about to break. A tail of dust rose behind him as he cut through the lunar plains like a lightning bolt. He gave everything he had, gritted his teeth, pushed even harder, and then jumped.
He started rising, whirling his arms and legs to gain ground, then tightened his fists, opened the vents on the back of his hands, and exploded his jets. Sure that this time he was going to escape the clutch of the moon, he let out the second burst of his jets, then the third and last one he had in his body. He climbed higher and higher, but his ascent soon started losing momentum, died away little by little, and finally came to a stall.
Aarvo kicked, stretched out his arms, whirling them around with all his might, but it was useless. He began to fall back, slowly at first, then with increasing speed, until he found himself falling like a stone towards the ground.
Screaming, he crashed in a cloud of dust and debris, shot out of it like a loose splinter, then came to a halt face down in the dust. He struggled to his feet, stunned, and stared at Eera in the sky. His core started to fill up with black defeat, but he shook it off, and got ready again. He wasn’t going to give up after his first attempt! He waited until he had enough pressure inside his body again, then sprinted forward and jumped, again and then once more, again and then again.
After a dozen failed attempts, Aarvo finally gave up. Jumping didn't work—at least not from so low on the ground. It was impossible to leave the moon that way. He needed higher ground. He tried a nearby hill, but it didn't work, so he turned his attention to the mountains, and spotted a bare stone summit that rose above the nearby peaks. It was perfect, but it was suicide. From such heights, if he fell down, he'd shatter into pieces. No, for a safe landing, he needed a wider jump off platform.
He decided to climb up anyway and look around. When he reached the top, a wide expanse of steep peaks, ridges and deep craters opened up all around. To the East, he found what he was looking for: a massive mountain that ended in a vast plateau.
Sure that this time he'd be able to jump to Eera, Aarvo rushed towards the mountain. Once on top, he examined the vast plateau, and nodded: that was the perfect place for his enterprise. He took a moment to find a name for it, and decided to call it Troom Kor (Mount Hope), then got ready. He took aim at Eera, sprinted forward with all his strength, and jumped.
As soon as he was off the ground, he closed his fists and exploded his jets at full power. The thrust lifted him up towards the sky. He ignited the second, then the third burst, and climbed higher and higher still. This time, it really looked like he was going to make it, but soon he started slowing down. Without any more gas inside him, Aarvo stretched out desperately. It was no use. He came to a stall anyway, then started falling back like a dead weight, and soonn crashed on the plateau, blowing up a cloud of dust and debris.
Rubbing his aching knees and elbows, he pulled himself up and glanced hungrily at Eera. He had been wrong once again. The taste of merciless defeat bit his tongue. No way! He wasn’t going to give up so soon. Perhaps, he just needed to go even higher. If this plateau was not high enough, then he would make it taller himself!
He immediately set to work by carving out slices of rock from the nearby mountains and stacking them up as best he could. For five moondays he worked tirelessly until he had raised a strip of the plateau by three hundred steps.
The deed done, Aarvo smiled with satisfaction, and sat down. Sleep overwhelmed him in an instant, and like a sandstorm buried all his senses into darkness. The transition was so sudden, that Aarvo didn't have enough time to worry about death or loneliness. He slipped into a dream, and there met his mother Lissa again.
****
Have you ever been caught by an idea so powerful, it made you forget how impossible it was what you were trying to do?
Let me know.
Thank you for reading! Please remember to subscribe and heart the episode, if you liked it--it means a lot. I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.
Comments (0)
See all