Life is Not a Joke, Boss! But...

Mountains

32 years Later

After 108 days of trekking through the Himalayas, three young men continuing their journey, trudging through snow to covering paths, and their bodies wrapped in thick rugged blankets. Their attire was more survival than style, heavy rugs tied awkwardly around their torsos to legs, like walking tents. Long sticks in hand, they leaned on them for support as they slowly climbed, each step is a battle against the biting cold. Their beards had grown wild and unruly, with ice clinging to the edges, making their faces look like frozen forests.

"Another day, Another frostbite," one of them grumbled, his breath visible in the freezing air.

Eventually, they stumbled upon a cave, a welcome break from the relentless cold and wind. It wasn't exactly five-star accommodation, but compared to the icy hell outside, it might as well have been a palace. With a groan of relief, they huddled inside, quickly gathering whatever scraps of wood they could find to light a small fire. The flames flickered to life, and they huddled around it, thawing their frozen limbs.

"Ahh, the warm embrace of a fire. I almost forgot what that feels like," third of them said, rubbing his hands together dramatically.

"Yeah, I bet this is exactly what people imagine, when they talk about...", the second one suddenly stops in the middle, rolling his eyes.

The third man, irritated by his half-finished statement, clenched his jaw and choses silence over a response. His eyes shifted away, focusing on a distant point, clearly showing he wasn't in the mood for half-baked thoughts.

Again second young men continues "Some films make it seem like shooting in these locations is the dream, but..." He pauses again, drawing out the moment as if teasing the answer.

He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. The third young man, clearly losing his patience, snapped, "You ridiculous half guy, finish the sentence!"

The first guy stayed silent, a small smirk forming on his face as he watched the third man's frustration grow.

Sensing an opportunity to get under his skin, the third young man, with a sly grin, jumped in, "It's everyone's dream to explore the Himalayas like this! We've talked about it a million times, and now it's finally happening!" His voice was full of forced excitement, exaggerated just enough to annoy, "Too bad, the phones and power banks are dead, or we could've taken some shots here!"

Both looked at him, dead serious, clearly not grasping the current situation.

After sensing their moods, this third man, who had been carrying the map since long back in his bag, finally pulled it out. It wasn't a typical map, it was more like a piece of dark brown cloth with jagged lines and unfamiliar names scrawled across it. He spread it out on the cave floor, squinting in the dim light.

"Alright," he said, his voice steady despite the tension, "Let's see if we're still on track, or if we've been wandering around in the snow like lost penguins."

The map showed their route: Narayana Ashramam, Sirkha, Gala, Budhi, Gunji, Kalapani, Nabhidung, Takalakot, Gugu, and eventually, the ultimate destination—Mount Kailash. Every point is like another mountain to conquer, and they had been ticking them off slowly, but surely.

The first young man's finger traced their path, his brow furrowing, "Well, it looks like we're at Kalapani," he muttered.

"Okay, good, that's...!" the second man paused, peeking over his shoulder.

Third young man felt irritates by his nature, understands, and replied, "Yeah, but we were supposed to head straight to Gugu... and uh... we didn't."

The leader, a tall, bearded man whose patience was as thin as the air up here, rubbed his face, "What do you mean, 'we didn't'?"