Meeting Master Wu

Cole

  Cole knew from the start he wasn't a dancer. In truth he had dreamed of living up to his father's expectations as a child. Staying up late in hopes of perfecting his moves by the next day, watching his father's old dance videos, and spending every waking minute trying to get it right. But eventually frustration took over. He realized after a bad memory of the Triple Tiger Sashay how high his father had raised the bar.

  And how he refused to lower it.

  So Cole stopped expecting it to be lowered. He started trying to make his own road in life. Arguments occurred and the difference in opinions caused a rift in their relationship as Lou forced Cole to keep dancing.

  The one thing that kept the family together was his mother. Cole's mother tried hard to see both sides and ended up smoothing over a lot of disagreements. But you can't always patch up a sinking ship.

  Cole began going on long runs to cool off after each and every fight. Then he started going to the gym. He realized he built up muscle fast and after some encouragement from some old buddies at the gym he began rock climbing. There was nothing more satisfying the climbing up a mountain. It was like the metaphors his mom always talked about. His life was a mountain. And instead of going up the trail made for him he was scaling up the side.

  It was after Cole skipped another dance lesson to rock climb that finally Lou snapped. There was a huge fight and Cole barely remembers the words said. He remembers the pain. The hurt. The anger. His mother crying. He had left, fuming, and enraged and went for the highest mountain near Ninjago City.

  He remembered making it to the top and screaming in frustration. But suddenly his phone rang. It was the hospital.

  His mother had gone after him but a car had hit her hard.

  They said she was killed instantly and wouldn't have felt any pain.
 
  Cole didn't understand. How could she not feel any pain? Didn't she felt the loss and anguish? The smash of glass?

  Dinner was sullen and every meal after that was. Lou moved on and forced away his bitter, depressed, and sad feelings to continue his dancing. Then he encouraged Cole to do the same. Cole didn't understand it. How could he move on? Cole saw the shadows under his eyes. The broken look every time he came across one of her things or a memory.

  Cole tried to be understanding in his own grief but finally he gave up pity. He steeled his jaw every time he made him go to another dance lesson. Fighting was what had killed his mother.

  When Cole got old enough Lou talked about sending him off to a dance school. Cole couldn't hide the hurt that his father was sending him away. They had coldly coexisted for so long and maybe he just wished his father needed him in this hard time. Cole didn't say anything for awhile. But then his mother's birthday came up. Cole remembered breaking down and his teacher for the dance lessons he was finishing up was confused confused and sent him back to his house. He had called his father but when he picked up he told Cole he was in the middle of a tour and couldn't talk.

  Cole's fingers were around the phone and before he knew it the device was crushed. Cole stared at the device and tried to turn it on bit when it didn't he chucked it across the room, knocking over a photo in a frame. When he licked it up his heart stopped when he realized it was his mother.

  Cole remembered running blindly onto the streets. Taking a train out of the town and toward one of the highest mountains ever. He climbed. Even when his fingers bled, his muscles screamed, and he became nauseous he kept going.

  When he made it to the top he froze. An old man was there. Was he...drinking tea? 

  "Hello there." The aged man smiled, sipping from the cup in his hands.

  "How did you..." Cole looked around, the mountain was over the clouds. There were no trails leading up there. And no senior citizen could walk all the way up even if there was. "Who are you?"

  "Maybe that is a question for me to ask. But first, why do you climb the mountain?" His long moustache blew in the wind as his kind, patient, wise eyes stared towards him.

Cole didn't originally plan to be opening up to a random stranger sipping tea at the top of one of the highest mountains he knew.

  "I...just lost someone." He revealed, the words tumbling out after being bottled for so long. "My father should be sad- or angry! But he's just...he's-" Cole broke off.

  "Yes?" Came the calm reply.

  "He spends all his time with his group singing and dancing. He's never home! Leaving me to do all the chores myself!" Cole hardly noticed the chores had bothered him. But as he recalled he remembered the bitter, empty feeling in the out of his stomach as he washed the dishes alone.

  Cole crossed his arms. "I guess at a time like this it's up to me to be the responsible one." It was the mantra he had told himself since she passed. "But he acts like nothing happened! How can he sing and dance at a time like this?"

  The man lowered his head to glance down into his cup. Face somber. "Grief takes many forms," he responded. Raising his eyes up once more. "Some sing and dance, others climb mountains." A small smile appeared towards the raven haired boy.

  Cole blinked. That's what he had been doing. Climbing the mountain of life. He had been slipping each way. Still he hadn't made it to the top. But he kept going.

  "Why do you climb the mountain?" Cole questioned.

  The man blinked his ancient eyes. "To find you."