Chapter Text
Celeste Mountain. One of the greatest, and deadliest, mountains on the planet.
Snow crunches beneath my boots as I take my first steps. It’s cold to the touch, yet soft at the same time. Not unlike a blanket, the mountain’s greeting. I push off the ground, placing my second foot into the snow. There’s no going back. “One foot in front of the other,” I tell myself. “Just keep moving. Every step brings you closer. Closer to the peak.”
My steady trek lasts a few minutes, before its first stop. A lone cabin, only a short distance from the trail. Outside stands an elderly lady, who I can only presume is the home’s owner.
I bound up the steps to the elevated platform where her house sits, walking over to greet her.
“Hello Miss! Do you live here?” The lady chuckles, and out of amusement or surprise, I can’t tell. “Of course I do. What other reason would an old woman like me have to be here?” I force a quiet laugh, embarrassment setting in fast. The woman shakes her head and smiles.
“Seems you’re quite the shy one, young lady.”
The world grinds to a screeching halt, and the sensation of drowning floods my senses as my head spins and thoughts ricochet off the walls of my brain. “What does she mean? Did I hear her right? How did she know?”
“Are you alright, dear? You seem overwhelmed.” The old lady walks forward, taking my hand in hers. She squeezes my palm with her own, our hands of a similar size despite her age.
“I need you to breathe. If it helps, picture a golden feather, rising and falling with your breath. Breath in… and out. Again.”
I do as told, taking in a shaky breath, squeezing my eyes shut as the feather floats upwards, then downwards as I exhale. In time, my thoughts slow back to a normal pace, and I peel my eyes open, meeting the woman’s gaze.
“I’m… so sorry. I-I don’t know what happened, and—” “No need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. I know you think you aren’t ready, that you’re too young or that it’s too much for you to handle. But I promise, it’s not. The fact that you’ve begun this journey means you can do it.”
Her words touch my heart, causing tears to well up behind my foggy glasses. I take them off, tucking them in my pocket and wiping my face.
“It’s okay, dear. I won’t judge you if you cry.”
I look to the ground, nodding slowly. Once my eyes are dry, I glance back up, taking note of the lady’s red eyes for the first time.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?” “M-my name is… T-T…” Breath catches in my throat, cutting me off.
“You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to. After all, I’m just a stranger at the foot of a mountain.” “Y-you don’t feel like that though. It feels like I’ve known you for a long time. Sorry if that seems weird… But I trust you.”
“You can be assured that I cherish that trust,” she says, another smile playing at her lips.
“And… I want to tell you who I am.” I continue. “It’s the least I can do, after what you’ve done for me.”
…My name is Thea.
“What a lovely name.” She comments. “It suits you well, if I say so myself. As for me?”
You can call me Madeline.