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“I don’t understand why you have to go hiking all the time.”
Cole sighed, turning around to face his father. “I like the mountain, Dad,” he said irritably. It was too early in the morning to deal with his father.
Lou frowned disapprovingly. “It takes away from your dance sessions.”
I hate dance. Cole had to bite his tongue to keep from saying it out loud.
“And I know you skipped your singing lesson yesterday.”
Cole groaned. In another life, in another world, maybe he’d tell his dad how much he hated singing and dancing. Maybe he wouldn’t be so afraid to let Lou down. Maybe he wouldn’t have to push his anger down his throat, into his fists, and clench them tight until his fingers hurt, so it wouldn’t come up. But that wasn’t in this life or this world.
“This rebellious phase of yours - “
Don’t let it out.
“ - is not funny.”
Don’t let it out.
“If your mother were still here - “
That was the last straw.
“Well, she isn’t, Dad!” Cole shouted.
Lou recoiled.
The rage left and Cole felt guilty the instant he saw the hurt in his father’s eyes. “Dad, look, I’m sorry - “
“Be back before evening,” Lou said, turning around and heading into the kitchen. “Your music teacher is expecting you tonight.”
Cole stood in the hallway for a moment with sagged shoulders. Then he sighed, grabbed his hiking backpack and went out the door.
The outdoors were beautiful. The sun, the sky, the clouds. This was why Cole loved the mountain. He could see everything from so high up. Everything felt alive, and it made all his problems ebb away. Although this time, Cole couldn’t shake his troublesome thoughts.
His mom... It’d only been a couple of months. The wound in his heart was still fresh. His dad hadn’t helped it either. All this pressure to follow in Lou’s footsteps; to be like him, to honour their family traditions, to make him proud.
To make his mom proud.
Cole gritted his teeth. Mom would’ve wanted him to go find his own dream. She would’ve been proud of him no matter what he chose. She would’ve stood by him no matter what.
But she wasn’t by his side anymore. While that hurt like a knife had plunged into his chest and cut out a piece of his heart, he’d come to accept it more or less. He felt her absence everyday. He felt empty without her everyday. But it didn’t hurt as much as it first did. He’d heard that it hurt more on birthdays, and Christmas, and other holidays. He wasn’t looking forward to it.
Lou had always wanted him to be a dancer. That desire seemed to have intensified after Mom passed away. He was stricter, harsher, and pushing Cole to work harder. Always on his case about dance practice, and singing lessons, and that art school. What was it called? Oh yeah, ‘Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts’. Wow, was that a mouthful.
Cole didn’t know what he wanted to do, but he knew it wasn’t singing or dancing. He wished his dad wasn’t so... well, overbearing. If only he’d just encourage him; support him. Like Mom did. Instead of trying to live his dreams through him.
The only good thing about going to that school, was that he’d be far away from his dad.
With a grunt, Cole pushed himself up and crawled up on the ledge. Carefully, he stood up and stretched, sighing when the breeze hit his face, cooling him off after the exertion. He always felt a sense of completion when he reached the mountaintop.
“Hello there.”
Cole jumped when he heard a voice. There was an old man in a funny hat sitting on the mountain, drinking a cup of tea.
“What the..? Cole stammered, “you... how did - ?”
“An old man has his ways,” said the stranger. He sipped his tea again, then gestured to the spot beside him. “Care to join me?”
Cole huffed, still catching his breath. He looked around. After a moment of debate, he figured he had nothing better to do and went to sit next to the old man.
“Tell me, Cole. Why do you climb the mountain?” the old man asked.
Cole sighed sadly. “Well...” He frowned. “How’d you know my name?”
The old man took a long sip of his tea. “... Lucky guess.”
Okay... this guy was weird. Cole thought.
“You seem troubled. Is that why you climb the mountain?”
Cole didn’t respond at first. He valued privacy and hated talking about his emotions. Which might’ve been why he didn’t have many friends. The only person he felt comfortable enough to open up to was his mom. But now he didn’t have her to turn to, so he just kept everything bottled up. He knew it wasn’t good for him, but he was good at it so he kept doing it.
But this old man was offering to listen. And Cole could feel his frustration welling up inside his chest.
“It’s my dad,” Cole spat, “He’s trying to control my life! And the worst part is, is that he won’t even talk about...” The frustration slowly drained out of him, replaced by sadness. “We-we just lost someone... and he won’t talk about it with me. All he does is boss me around.”
The old man watched him intently.
Cole rubbed at his arm. “He never used to be such a... such a... a jerk!” Cole winced at his own tone. He hated to say such an awful thing about his father, but it was true.
“We all deal with grief in our own way,” the old man said. He looked Cole in the eye. “For example, some climb mountains.”
Cole looked away. Then slowly he looked back at the old man. “Why do you climb the mountain, sir...?”
“Wu. Master Wu,” the old man replied, “I climb the mountain because I am looking for someone special.”
Cole chuckled. “Sorry, but I don’t think you’ll find anyone special up here, Master Wu.” As far as he knew, he was the only one who came here.
“Ah, but I already have,” Master Wu said.
Cole frowned, confused. “Who?’
Wu gazed right at him. “You.”
Cole blinked. Was he serious? “What’s so special about me?”
Wu took a painstakingly long sip of his tea before he answered. “I knew Rock Ash, Cole.”
Cole’s eyes widened. “You knew my grandpa?”
“Yes,” Wu nodded, “He was the master of earth. And I have reason to believe that the same power flows through your veins.”
Cole looked at his hands. “You think I have my grandpa’s power?”
“Potentially.”
Cole remembered his mother telling him stories about Grandpa. How he was a great hero, and a wonderful father, and annoyingly stubborn even on his deathbed. How whenever she looked at Cole’s face, she saw a younger version of him in Cole’s eyes. How he would’ve loved Cole more than anything had he gotten the chance to meet him.
“So... what do you want me to do with... this?” Cole asked Wu.
“I want to help you harness this power,” Wu responded, “but your life is yours to live. Your power has not yet awakened and it can stay that way if you so wish. The choice is yours.”
Cole stared at the ground. He didn’t know what to think.
“Give yourself some time,” Wu said, “I’ll be here for awhile.”
“Will you...” Cole cleared his throat embarrassedly, scratching his cheek, “Um, will you tell me about my grandpa?”
Master Wu smiled warmly. “Of course.”
That night, Cole had another fight with his dad. He skipped his lessons once again, including the interview with the director from that stupid art school. His dad was not happy.
When Cole went to his room, slamming the door hard behind him, he knew he had to do something. He couldn’t go back and forth with his father like this forever.
He had to get away. And not just from his father, from everything. From this house, this town, the pitiful looks people gave him on the street. He couldn’t stand it anymore.
But what was he going to do? Where was he going to go? He had nothing, he had nobody. He was alone. He was all alone.
He missed his mom.
It was midnight when the answer came to Cole.
The portrait of his grandfather on the wall.
The power of the earth in his blood.
Cole didn’t know for sure if it was the right answer. But it had to be better than singing and dancing.
“Oh, you’ve come back,” said Master Wu, still in the same position he’d been in when Cole left and still drinking tea. It wasn’t even 2 in the morning.
Cole panted from his second trek up the mountain, wiping the perspiration from his forehead. “Do you just sit up here all day and night or something?” he asked.
“I’m sure you’re not here to talk about my hobbies,” Master Wu said.
Cole laughed a little. What a weird old man.
After regaining his breath, he plopped down beside Master Wu. “I’ve decided to take you up on your offer.”
Wu raised a brow. “Have you?”
Cole nodded seriously. “Yes. I know it will be hard work, but I want to be your pupil.”
Wu, again, took a painstakingly long sip of his tea before he spoke. Cole wondered if he did that all the time. That would get annoying.
“Have you told you father of your plans?” he asked.
Cole had left a note for his dad, saying the school had called and said he’d been accepted into the program. Lies. All lies. But Wu didn’t need to know about that.
“Yes,” he answered.
Wu gave him a look, as if he could see right through Cole. But all he said was, “Very well. We will leave and begin your training after the sun has risen.”
Come sunrise, Cole’s life would change completely. And in time, he would no longer feel so alone.
Some Climb Mountains
In grief, hearts scream.
Some scream loud with agony,
Some scream silently.
In grief, bones ache.
Some break in half,
Some only crack.
In grief, people do strange things.
Some sing and dance,
And some climb mountains.