Shower Stories

The Biker and the Mountain

Rosebud Sampson
8.22.09
The Biker and the Mountain

Biking on the narrow sidewalk, people streaming along side. Cars speeding ahead, always in a hurry, always going somewhere. Why does everyone go so fast? Do people ever have time to just look around? Some do. Some are struggling to even find a place to rest. Some are struggling to feed their families, to feed themselves. They have no time to relax. They walk briskly toward their destination; driving fast trying to be on time. To beat the clock.

Biking faster and faster, trying to get away from the people, from the noises. A car honks. Pedaling even faster, trying not to get hit. The driver rolls down the window and a large hand emerges, one finger held up. Fuck you. It means nothing. The driver disappears down the long road flowing into a sea of more cars, going on with their life, the biker never to cross their mind again.

Finally turning onto a narrow road with no sidewalk. A highway, spiraling up and up. The pavement turns to dirt as the city disappears. Trees surround the road. You pedal harder. Beads of sweat dripping down your face as the sun beats down from the light blue sky. To touch the sky, wouldn't that be a great joy? To suddenly spread wings and soar upward toward the silky blue wonder? What would it feel like? You imagine it to be silky smooth or hard as rock, or imagine flying up and up and never reaching it. Never feeling anything. Your hands spread out on either side, you feel the cold air on your face, it feels good after the heat of the earth below. Looking down, what you see, or don't see for that matter, is ten times better than touching the sky. The people all down there working like ants, are nowhere to be seen. You see the pure beauty of the earth. The beauty of the world.

You pull a deep breath into your burning lungs. The backpack full of food and water has become heavy on your back. Your legs are sore from pedaling. Rest. Stop. The words sound lovely in your head. But on you go. Stopping? What on earth for? In a groove now. Stopping would just make it harder to get up the steep hill. You run your tongue over your cracked, dry lips. Your throat burns. The only thing that promises to sooth it is... Water. Reaching down, pulling a water bottle from the holder on the bike. Guzzling down. Ah. On you go as the steep hill becomes flat. The muscles in your legs relax slightly before pedaling up another steep hill.

Down. Faster, faster. Enjoying the rest for the moment. One last hill. You look around breathing the cool air into your lungs. Almost to the top of the mountain. Almost... There. You allow the bike to fall to your feet, feeling tired and exhausted. Walking to the very edge of the cliff, looking out below, the breath exhaled all at once. Looking down on where you used to be. The city is far off. Miles and miles away, like a dark ink splatter on a beautiful canvass. You feel dizzy, struggling to keep your balance. It is so wonderful. Scary and wonderful at the same time. So close to the edge. You trust the rocks to stay put. It is as if the mountain is a person, you trust it. Love it. But still, a voice buzzes in the back of your head. Will the rocks break apart from the mountain, will it let you fall? A scary thought. Down, down? Not back to the city. The place where you had been before. But a world where you exist in what seems like an entirely separate world from the mountain. The mountain doesn't let it happen. But you are still worried. A little worry in the back of your mind. Almost nothing.

You do not go back home. You stay. Parting with the mountain only briefly. Sometimes you have to return to the city. But it isn't like before. Something has changed in you. The mountain has changed you. It has shown you, your weaknesses and strengths. It has become so much a part of you that without the mountain you would be lost. You shyly whisper, I love you, to the mountain. A soft wind engulfs you, swirling lovingly around your body. You are kind. Never wanting to cause harm to the mountain. The mountain loves you too.