This story was written during my thirtieth birthday and was given as a gift to family and friends. My sister suggested I attempt to publish it, and after many rejections from various magazines, I hope that you will find it interesting.

Once upon a time, a million years ago there lived a tribe of people peacefully living off the land.

In the far off distance was a great mountain that was the pilgrimage climb of every member of the tribe upon arrival at the thirtieth year of life. Everyone was given a great ceremony and sent out into the wilderness. Members of the tribe born on the same month travel together and face uncertain obstacles as little was told from the elders of the tribe of the method of scaling the great mountain, but many stories were told of fantastic adventures and amazing journeys that at times seemed to the youngsters as imaginative yarns and fanciful fables.

As my thirtieth year approached, I became filled with great anticipation and wonder. Three other members of the tribe were to be my traveling companions and during the ceremony we were each given a compass and told we would each only need to take with us one extra change of clothing, a compass, tarp, tent and a blanket. Although I was somewhat concerned in traveling so light, I trusted in the fact that the elders who had already made the trek new what they were doing.

We set out on our journey the following morning very excited in at last beginning the great pilgrimage. We wandered many days in the direction of the mountain, carefully keeping track of our bearings and heading. We went out over hill and over dale until at last came to a clearing and there before us was the foot of the great mountain.

The ground began to shake as the mountain began to tap its foot at us. “It must be getting impatient and is anticipating our climb to the top,” I considered. We began in great haste and the mountain settled down.

The trail wove around the mountain base, first at a gradual incline. Then the ascent became a bit steeper, but the trail was still very well defined. I surmised that it was made by the footsteps of all the members of the tribe who have gone before us from time immemorial. As we climbed onward, we saw great vistas and viewpoints. The scenery was breathtaking.

At last, after great effort, we arrived at our destination, The top of the hill, The summit of a lifetime’s achievement. The very top of the mountain was only large enough to fit thirty people at one time and consequently provided a panoramic view of the countryside for miles on end. A fog bank had settled on the valley as the afternoon progressed into dusk and we were treated with the most beautiful sunset that I had ever seen.

We began to make dinner and get ready to pitch the tent and prepare to greet the next sunrise. The tent was made of clear plastic to allow for sleeping under the stars, yet provide protection from the environment. The stars were clearer and closer that night than I had ever seen before as we slept knowing that we had successfully made it to the top.

As the daybreak arrived and the sunrise heralded its wake up call, we ate breakfast in the serenity of the great achievement, as a magnificent view of the countryside stretched out before us in all directions.

When mid-morning came we were faced with a decision. We were not told how long we should stay at the top. We were not sure if we should go over the other side, go back the way we came, or just stay here. We opted for the later and decided that the best thing to do was just to live here. So we set up camp and began our new life at the top of the mountain. We saw many new sights as each day brought some new adventure.

The days flew by and as the world spun on its axis, the four members of tribe were in for a rude awakening one morning. The mountain was tapping its foot again and there were subtle signs that it just might be in the mood for blowing its stack.

We moved off the summit to better observe the seismic fluctuations. Severe geologic activity was ensuing. “What could the mountain possibly be impatient with this time?” we wondered. There, in the far off distance was our answer. We saw four others that had just reached the age of thirty and were beginning to set out on their great pilgrimage to the mountain. “The mountain was obviously anticipating their arrival.” I concluded.

Suddenly, the mountain decided to blow its top. The ground shook as we watched a great caldron hollow out before us in the center of the summit. Streams of molten lava began to develop and shoot fountains high into the air as we clung on for dear life. We did not know what to do and were overwhelmed by the awesome spectacle.

After a time, I had an idea. We fashioned a great tapestry with our tarps and plastic from the tents and wove them all together with rope from the tents. We each held one corner as we stood equal spaced along the rim of the smoldering caldron. As the last rope was cast, we all held fast to the tapestry and were wafted aloft by the heat currents of the volcanic activity. We were lifted higher and higher into the air as we each held on wit every ounce of strength.

We were many thousands of feet above the now minuscule volcano glowing far below, and continued our ascent at a breathtaking pace. The view was wonderful as we could now see farther than ever before. The air began to turn from blue to purple as the molecules in the atmosphere at very high altitudes tend to scatter purple light more readily.

A remarkable sight began to come into view before us. Something we had never seen before due to the great distance and the curvature of the earth blocking our view at the lower altitude. I took out my compass and noticed that in the direction from the mountain away from the tribe, there before us stood another mountain that was twice as high as the mountain we had so recently left. Immediately, we began to tilt the balloon to take us in the direction of this newly discovered mountain vista.

We were aloft for some time and slowly the balloon provided our decent at the foot of the new mountain.

We eagerly began the great climb. It took us another thirty years and much effort to make it to the top of this mountain due to its great immensity. When we finally reached the top, we sat down and were treated with the most beautiful sunset that I had ever seen.