Nostalgia

The warm fire crackles as the seasons are changing the smell of fire enters my nose as the leaves are falling paper being torn apart and the brisk air slowly takes them down as they are being thrown into the white covered ground through the crisp winter air waiting to go onto the trees again

A forest fire, That should be tired. A pure, glistening blaze Begging to be admired.

Burning for a dozen days, A crackling noise plays As the trees tumble., The forest frays.

Digging through the rubble, scorched and crumpled, Is a note, saying, “I should’ve been more humble.”

Jason was excited to see his mom calling him, even if the timing was a little strange She didn’t normally call him while he was at work, but he had been strangely busy lately, so it made sense she might not be aware of his abnormal schedule Nonetheless, Jason was glad she called He’d had a rough few weeks, what with that idiot in accounting going on and on about the deal with the bank, and he just couldn’t manage to sleep more than a few hours It had all served to make him rather uneasy, and definitely made his life harder than usual No, talking to mom was exactly what he needed right now She always managed to make him feel better, and he desperately needed to feel better right now. Even just hearing her voice could be comforting, what with her relaxed, kind tone Picking up the phone in anticipation, Jason greeted her, “Hi mo” “Jason.” His mom interrupted Hearing her somber tone, his stomach dropped “Jason, your father, he’s– he’s dead, Jason ” As the news managed to fully make its way into Jason’s shocked brain, he forgot about comforting his mom, or even talking with her. No, instead, a whirlwind of sadness roared through Jason’s mind, and he promptly fainted -

Jason and his father were avid climbers when he was younger They’d pick a weekend, pack all their gear and a lunch in their old minivan, and drive to a nearby trail Jason remembered right before the last time they’d hiked together. He was twelve years old, and felt even more excited than usual Sure, it was a lot of fun to spend the day in nature, and Jason loved spending time with his dad, but what he was most looking forward to was using his new hiking backpack. It had been the apple of his eye for a long time; he’d always look at it in the sports good shop whenever he could It was dark blue with fluorescent yellow straps, perfect for hiking with all the pockets you’d ever need.

It took months, but Jason had finally worn down his dad into buying it, promising him that he’d use it on the many future hikes they would go on together. Now, he’d get his first opportunity to use it, his beloved new bag, on their hike The hike started off as normal, with both Jason and his father enjoying the quiet peacefulness of the nature surrounding them. They slowly hiked up the mountain, enjoying the quite peacefulness of the swaying trees until Jason felt his throat tighten He couldn’t breathe They had quickly stopped, and his father drove him to emergency care. Jason, twenty-six, hadn’t hiked since

Thinking back on that time, those were his best days with his father They still had a good relationship and spent a lot of time together afterwards, but they were never as close as they were when they used to hike His father loved hiking and was undoubtedly saddened when he had to stop doing it with his son The solace that they found in nature could never truly be replaced. Of course, they still talked, but they didn’t have that tradition to bind them together as firmly And now he was dead He could never enjoy it again Jason felt a wave of sadness crash into him once again It was almost debilitating But then he remembered his father. His father always told him to persevere, to finish what he’d started His father never turned his back on Jason, and Jason wouldn't turn his back on his father now. “No!” He’d hike up that trail. He’d do it, he’d succeed, and his father would feel at peace No matter how hard it was, as long as he kept on moving, he’d be able to finish it He had no choice He had to do it for his father

And just like that, Jason was going to hike again

Death was confused They’d lived a long time–since the beginning, in fact–and They’d never seen a case like this Death was pouring through their files when something stood out. Death was shocked–they’d never missed a death date. No, this mortal, Jason, should have been dead fourteen years ago They had his death set to fourteen years ago, and They also– wait, no this can’t be– “TIME!” Death roared, “Have you been interfering with the mortals again Time? Why is this man set to die on so many different occasions, Time?”

All the color washed from Time’s face as they heard Death yelling. “Well, he’s just, he’s so pitiful, you know I had to do something” Time whimpered placatingly

“Something, more like many things. Why’d you go this far?” Death questioned aggressively?

“Watch and see ” Time whispered back. “I’ve seen it, what will happen. I know you can’t fully understand till you see it, so just watch and see, please ” Time pleaded

“Fine, fine,” Death replied Death had a soft spot for Time, and often let him get away with things even if he shouldn’t “I’ll wait, I’ll wait ” Death consoled

“Thanks Death, you ’ re a lifesa– nope, that’s not right You’re great Yep, you ’ re great!” Time gleefully thanked them. Time had seen a lot of sad cases among the mortals throughout eternity Many of them were heartbreaking and exceedingly depressing, but in this man, Jason, Time saw some hope A bright light in his future Time had to interfere–just a little bit.

“Just a tiny bit ” Time

Whispered

While Jason was completely unaware what had been occurring between the divine, he certainly knew what was happening with him. He’d called his mom, telling her about his planned trip as well as assuring her that yes, he’d be fine on the hike

He waited a few days, waited for that perfect hiking weather. A warm, sunny day with a slight breeze The three days he waited felt like years, with memories of his father drifting in and out of his mind Finally, Jason set off, ready to climb to the peak He’d make his father proud and finally do something worthwhile; he’d make it to the top of the mountain Jason, managing to scrounge together a small amount of confidence and a dash of hope, felt truly ready to climb. As ready as he could be, at least.

Jason took his first step onto the trail–slightly rocky but overall flat– and then his next, and the one after that, until one step blurred into hundreds. The dark thoughts he’d been having since his mom told him about the loss of his father faded into something much more peaceful; happy memories. By the time he finally came back to himself, he was elevated a mile from where he started, up quite a bit from the base of the mountain, and just beginning to sweat His lungs, however, were gasping for air, showing how extreme his condition truly was. Granted, the scenery was beautiful. Looking down the mountain, a swaying forest slowly laid out with a bountiful variety of trees, with their leaves all in shades of yellow, orange, and red–except for a few evergreens, of course But it was impossible to focus on any of this with his lungs collapsing in on themselves. Jason couldn’t hike like he could when he was a child, especially when just breathing required his full focus not to keel over.

Nothing was the same as when he was a child He couldn’t breathe He didn’t start this hike to enjoy the scenery and talk to his dad like when he was a child, he started it with the sole intent to complete it He couldn’t breathe He wasn’t even able to talk to his dad, his dad was dead He couldn’t breathe His dad couldn’t take pride in him completing it, he’d left him behind, gone forevermore to a place where he couldn’t follow. He couldn’t breathe “Ugh.” A gasp escaped his lips. He didn’t know when it had happened, but he’d fallen on the path, as evidenced by a stick digging into his ribs and a few stones poking into his leg He must have fallen pretty hard at that, what with the ringing in his ears and the pounding in his skull resonating like a battering ram against a castle gate He’d blacked out? The sun was a lot lower than before; he’d definitely blacked out -

“See, Death? Such a pitiful man, dying of suffocation born by his own sadness I couldn’t help but intervene, nobody deserves this ” Time whined sympathetically

“Yes Time, I can see why you interfered this time That, however, doesn’t explain the other times you ’ ve interfered. Do you have a reason for those as well?” Death lectured.

“Yes, yes, I have my reasons Just wait, you’ll see it clearly ” Time replied -

He couldn’t do it He couldn’t hike this damnable mountain, he couldn’t breathe, and he certainly couldn’t go on. It was starting to look a lot larger than before, the mountain towering before him, and he knew he couldn’t do it He’d collapse again, and if he were a bit less lucky, he might even die He couldn’t do it, but he had to do it He’d started and he had to finish. He’d started this hike for his dad, and if he couldn’t finish it, if he couldn’t even make it to the peak– did his dad really mean so little to him? No, he meant a lot Jason would make it to the top, whether it killed him or not He’d climb, and climb, and climb, and he’d reach the end.

He lifted himself off the ground, lungs heaving as he got to his feet Three miles to the top. It was a lot, but he’d make it. He had to. Step after step Jason ascended, rising closer and closer to his goal After a hundred steps he was gasping, after a thousand he was wheezing and coughing, and after two thousand he was on his knees Jason crawled up the path, knees bleeding and covered in sweat he crawled. Jason crawled, he coughed, he gasped, he lay, he looked at the sky The sky was a beautiful color, a nice light blue with threads of white clouds laced through it Why couldn’t everything be as beautiful as the sky? Why did he have to struggle and suffer just to live? Why did his dad decide to leave him, decide to leave mom, just for some stupid choirs and pearly gates? Life sucked, but it had its moments. Surely he didn’t have to leave. Was it his fault? Did his dad leave because of him, because of disappointment or some kind of strange loneliness? If he was a better son and a better person, would his dad have chosen to stay? The sky truly did look beautiful, a blue canvas with dashes of white and a slowly closing black frame. The sky didn’t normally have those weird black frames, but they were only adding to its beauty Jason watched as all the blue in the sky slowly disappeared, replaced by a deep black -

“See what I mean! I just had to stop it Such a miserable death, and he’s already had such a miserable life recently. Surely neither of those should really count.” Time exclaimed righteously

“Yes, I can see what you mean. This hike of his is a depressing example of not knowing your limits He might have gone farther than he’s able, but it’s definitely too sad for him to die like this” Death agreed.

“Exactly! I’m glad you understand I’ve been following his story for quite a while so I couldn’t let it end like that. I’m sure you ’ re happy to know this is the last time I interfered ” Time responded happily

“Yes, I’m satisfied. Your actions were with reason, Time. Just please, refrain from interfering so much in the future ” Death pleaded

Light Jason could see light through his closed eyelids and feel the warmth of the sun against his face. As his mind started to function again, he felt the tremors of pain throughout his body His knees were killing him, as was virtually every other muscle he had in his body But all that was overshadowed by the beautiful sight Jason saw as he opened his eyes fully. Before him stood a tall tree covered in leaves of every color, a virtual rainbow The tree was bent and twisted, resting on the side of the cliff, but still it stood Its branches spread wide, with the leaves sporadically catching the sun Jason couldn’t help but appreciate how the tree dug into the cliff, gripping so tenuously for life.

With admiration for the tree set into his brain, Jason resumed his ascent. Slowly but surely, with frequent and periodic breaks, he managed to make it to the peak The peak wasn’t different from any other peak, not really It was rocky and cold, and there was a slight lack of air–all common things at the top of a mountain. But it felt different to Jason It felt– it felt smaller than usual He’d beaten the mountain, beaten the horrible trail While his dad didn’t feel pride in him, couldn’t feel pride in him, he knew what he’d done He’d decisively proved it, proved that if he put his mind to it, he could succeed As Jason, lay there, looking at the forest below and the sun peaking over the trees, he considered his life. He’d done the best he could and though it often failed him, it had finally paid off As he basked in the sunlight at the peak, Jason was satisfied