Secret Of the Sighing Mountains (The Quest Trilogy)

by Iram Dana

  Sierra whipped around and came face to face with Diego, who was standing with his arms folded over his chest. A deceptive grin stretched across his face.

  Uh oh … pummel time.

  “Diego!” exclaimed Alice, the dark clouds over her sky clearing fast.

  “Diego.... what a surprise.” mumbled Sierra, watching clouds rapidly cover his horizon.

  “I’m sure it is, little brother, I’m sure it is.”

  “Um…ah…I can explain.” began Sierra.

  “I’m sure you can. Why don’t we step outside for a bit and give you a chance to do that?”

  Sierra hesitated for a second, decided it wouldn’t do to get pounded in front of Alice and he quietly followed Diego outside on to the lawn.

  Diego turned around to face Sierra, the smile gone from his face. Instantly, Sierra’s hands flew up to defend his face.

  “Look, the thing is….”

  Sierra began but the rest of his words were drowned when Diego’s fist came crashing into his jaw. Sierra reeled back, clutching his nose.

  “Ouch! Dard it! You broke by dose, D!”

  “That’ll teach you to steal my date.” Diego said, already striding back into the house.

  Sierra clutched at his nose as a steady trickle of blood began to flow out of it.

  “Dashed biece of booger!” muttered Sierra, fishing around in the pockets of his jeans for something to wipe the blood with. At least, he thought with a small smile of satisfaction, he had had the good sense to ‘borrow’ Diego’s jeans again tonight.

  He pulled out a ball of lint and a folded piece of paper. He threw the lint on the grass with a “yech!” and then unfolded the piece of paper. It was a photo of a beautiful model posing in racy black lingerie. He took a moment to admire the contents of the picture, and then proceeded to wipe the blood off his nose. But it wasn’t enough and he searched Diego’s other pocket too. He pulled out another folded piece of paper but this one had some writing on it. He squinted at it in the dim light from the porch, and then froze, gaping at the note.

  Written on it in neat handwriting were the words;

  Okay Diego. If you’re sure Sierra’s going to be out of town. I’ll meet you at Joe’s Bistro at 8 o’clock this Friday.

  xoxo

  Rebecca.

  As he re-read the note, several things hit him simultaneously; Diego seemed to have a date with both Alice and Rebecca somehow. He had also known that Sierra wanted to go out with Rebecca tonight. Rebecca, on the other hand, had cancelled out on him to go out with Diego. And lastly, he had just been punched by Diego for a crime that Diego himself had already committed! He had stolen his, Sierra’s, date!

  Why that lying, conniving, piece of …! fumed Sierra, as he stormed to the house and violently shoved open the front door. Diego was standing right there with a hand outstretched, as if he had been about to pull the door open.

  “What?” drawled Diego, “One punch not enough for you, bird brain?”

  Sierra held up the note to Diego’s face.

  “Recognize this?” he asked.

  He watched as Diego looked at the note first with bored disinterest, then dawning understanding and finally, guilt. Sierra grinned.

  “Yes?” he mocked.

  “You took my jeans again…” managed Diego lamely.

  “I did that, didn’t I? Why don’t you come outside and teach me another lesson?” he beckoned. Then he threw the note towards Alice.

  “Here, Alice, I bet Diego wants to explain what this is all about.” he said, looking innocently at Diego. “Don’t you, Diego?”

  Diego staggered into the room a second later, sporting a bruised eye. He reached out towards Alice who was standing near the door, glaring at him. “Alice…” he said thickly.

  Five minutes later, he was lying on the sofa, legs half hanging out from one end, nursing two black eyes. Stal entered and his groaning grew louder and more pained. Coming to stand near the sofa, Stal watched in quiet contemplation as his elder son twisted towards him hoping for some sympathy.

  “Hmm…interesting.” Stal said, “I just saw Sierra leave with Alice. He told me what happened in here. Reap as you sow son, reap as you sow.” he admonished, clucking his tongue disapprovingly. He then turned and walked away.

  *****

  Both Sierra and Diego gave one last sweeping look to their rooms to make sure they had left nothing important behind. The week had whizzed by in a whirl of activities, leaving them with no time to breathe. They had finished all their packing only last night and were now heading out the door to Stal, who was waiting for them in a friend’s borrowed jeep.

  The cold wind felt like a blast of pinpricks on their faces as they stepped outside and climbed into the car. At Stal’s insistence, Sierra had worn a t-shirt and a jacket over that and also packed several to take along with himself. Diego ignored Stal’s pleas and concerns for his well being, choosing to neither wear nor carry any. But Stal would have none of it and finally, after a lengthy argument, Diego stepped out wearing just a black leather jacket over his bare body. The front zipper was left open for good effect. Stal scowled on seeing him but said nothing. It was difficult enough getting his stubborn son to comply even this much. The jeep roared to life. They pulled out of the grassy lawn and onto the main road. The twins sat in silence, staring at their house as it faded into the distance and finally vanished from their view.

  The three hour drive to the Sighing Mountains was a quiet one. They reached the bottom of the mountain range and parked the car in a shady spot, then put on their back-packs and started the long hike up the mountains with Stal leading the way. After hiking for roughly three more hours, they arrived at what appeared to be a large flat clearing surrounded by trees.

  “That’s it boys. We’re here at the Seeker’s Field.” said Stal, picking a spot near the border of the clearing and setting down his backpack. He started to assemble the tent and Diego and Sierra stepped in to help him. Once their tent was set up, the two boys spread their sleeping bags on the floor and slumped down, exhausted. Stal stepped out to prepare something for dinner.

  “That was quite a climb, huh, D?” Sierra mused.

  Diego said nothing.

  “D…” Sierra turned his face towards him, “Are you scared, D?”

  “Not really,” Diego answered, slightly annoyed at being dragged into the conversation.

  “Nervous, then?”

  “Nope”

  “Not even a wee bit?”

  “I’m a little bit anxious. But that’s all.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “Sounds less sissy.” Diego conceded with a wry smile.

  Sierra grinned. “Me too. I can’t believe we’ve left home and are here finally. Leaving everything behind is tough. Will you miss home?”

  Silence again.

  His brother wanted space. This much was clear. So of course Sierra switched topics, “It’s so eerie here. There are so many people out there yet I feel creeped out. It’s this silence. As though we’re surrounded by some sort of sound absorber.”

  Diego responded this time. “Did you notice the trees?”

  “Did I notice them? Couldn’t miss them if I was blind. They’re as mangled as Mrs. Hubert’s fingers. Right out of my worst nightmare.” said Sierra, happy to have managed to drag Diego back into the conversation. “By the way, are you excited? You know, Dad said we’d get superpowers if we went. Have you thought of what you’d like to have as a superpower?”

  Diego gave Sierra a glance and then looked away.

  “What? Come on! You have to have thought of something you want? What is it? I wanna know.” Sierra prodded, but Diego closed his eyes, sending out clear signals that he was not going to be dragged in this time. Since he couldn’t succeed in getting Diego to open his mouth, Sierra decided to take advantage of his brother’s silence.

  “Wait … I know. Maybe you could be Vanity Man.” speculated Sierra, “you could fly to the aid of damsels in distress
who had forgotten their compact powder or gotten the wrong shade of nail polish. Then you could sit for hours and paint their nails in the most …”

  Sierra didn’t get to finish his sentence because Diego had launched himself on him. The two were tumbling about, struggling for superiority over the other when Stal poked his head into the tent. “Dinner’s ready boys, come and get it.” He said, not blinking an eye over the scene that greeted him. It was no less than he had been expecting of his sons.

  They got up, dusted themselves and followed Stal outside, where they settled down to have a meal of bread and pumpkin soup, the fight in the tent forgotten as quickly as it had begun.

  *****

  CHAPTER 5

  Stal woke up first the next morning and headed east towards the small waterfall that he knew was at a ten minutes distance from the clearing. Some thoughtful person had installed several of those fancy new eco-friendly portable toilets, noted Stal.

  He waded into the shallow area where the water pooled before going downhill, and washed his face. Nobody else was around so Stal took a moment to appreciate the bite of the crisp mountain air. He looked around himself, feeling fresh and relaxed after a good night’s sleep, loving the quiet peace surrounding him. He stayed at the waterfall for a while, reminiscing about the time he had come here as a youngster himself. Then he freshened up and headed back to camp to wake up the boys.

  Diego was a light sleeper and he could wake up and be alert instantly; no morning grogginess for him. Stal only had to call his name once to awaken him. Sierra on the other hand slept deeply, sometimes mumbling in his sleep.

  Diego was up first and after several kicks, managed to wake Sierra up, too. Both of them headed out towards the waterfall guided by Stal’s directions. When they got back, Stal had put out the breakfast of milk and cereal. Sierra scowled at the frugal meal but didn’t complain as he sat down to eat.

  All of them were looking fresh and rejuvenated, noted a bemused Stal.

  “Mountain air done you lot some good, eh?” Stal’s cheery voice broke the silence at their gathering.

  Sierra mumbled something incomprehensible through a mouthful of cereal while Diego ignored the question entirely.

  “There’s something about this place.” Stal continued regardless, “It does this to you. As though giving you a good night’s rest before a hard day’s labor.”

  He looked around the field at the other camps.

  “Hmm…. less people this time.” he noted, “There were almost seventy camps the year I went. People must be chickening out.”

  “This place hardly looks like it can accommodate those already here. How on earth would a hundred fit?” questioned Diego, who had finished eating and was clearing up.

  “That’s the thing about this place... maybe it grows or lessens in size according to necessity. I don’t know what it is, but somehow everything fits. Every year.” Stal replied.

  Diego paused a moment to digest that, looking down at his bare feet.

  “What happens to those who choose not to go?” he looked up at Stal who had picked up a twig and was fashioning it into a crude spear.

  “Well,” replied Stal, “every time you make a choice in life, you have to bear the consequences of that choice; whether good or bad.”

  He lifted the twig to examine his handiwork, then snapped the twig into two, casting the distorted tip aside.

  “Those who don’t go condemn themselves to a life of regret. Forever. I know of several people myself, who to this day feel incomplete. They feel like cowards for not having had the courage to go. To face their destiny and embrace it. It’s pitiful to see really. Better to die trying than to have never tried at all, I say.”

  “Seriously Dad, why is it so important for you that we go? Do you really want us to have an adventure that bad?”

  Stal gave a wry smile. “You think my reasoning would be so simple? You’ll be set for life son. In more ways than one. When you make it back successfully …”

  “If.” interrupted Diego. Stal ignored that and continued.

  “When you make it back … you won’t have to work a day in your life if you don’t want to. Your Quest will provide for you.”

  Diego looked confused. Sierra, who was still busy eating, mirrored his brother’s expression.

  “What? How? I mean … you go to work in the factory.”

  “I do.” nodded Stal. “But it’s not because I have to. It’s because I want to.”

  “What are you trying to say exactly?”

  Stal smiled mysteriously. “You’re just going to have to find out son, if you want to know bad enough.”

  Diego frowned and looked away, chewing on that thought. The camp was coming to life now. People were moving about, setting out their breakfasts and making trips to the waterfall.

  “Weird.” Diego muttered under his breath, coming to no particular conclusion to the mystery. He looked at Sierra who was still eating and was now onto his third bowl of cereal. Shaking his head at his brother’s gluttony, he turned to Stal.

  “You must have had to get a second job just to support his appetite.” he remarked, nodding towards Sierra, who turned to scowl at Diego.

  “And a third one to support your vanity.” chomped out Sierra, then resumed eating.

  Ignoring Sierra, Diego picked up the conversation where they had left it before.

  “What if somebody who didn’t go when they were supposed to, decided that they want to go now? That they are ready to complete their Quest.”

  “You can’t. Only once, when you turn eighteen. If you blow that chance, you’re through. Opportunities don’t come knocking twice here.” Stal said with a shrug of his shoulders.

  “Suppose someone sneaks in? Like how would we know if some twenty-five year old hasn’t sneaked in here? He could enter the Seekers Pass along with us as soon as it is revealed.” argued Diego.

  Stal smiled a tight smile. “It’s not that simple.” He motioned towards the trees surrounding the clearing. “See those?” he asked.

  “They are quite a sight,” began Diego, “so strange…..yet so…” but he couldn’t find the appropriate words.

  “I know what you mean.” offered Stal, and then added “Those are not really trees. They are humans.”

  “What?!” gasped Diego.

  Sierra dropped his bowl of cereal, coughing and trying not to choke.

  “Easy there.” Stal patted Sierra’s back. “As you mentioned earlier, Diego, people who sorely regret their decisions to not go have come here with the very same plan that you spoke of just now. But on the very first night itself these people get pulled into the ground, and in their place grows a tree. It’s one of the many secrets harbored by these mountains.” Stal said gravely.

  “But, if it’s a secret… how do you know?” Diego asked softly. Sierra continued to gape, seeming incapable of speech entirely.

  Stal gave a small smile. “You live and learn,” he said sadly. “I know because I saw it happening with my own eyes. The year I came, a friend who hadn’t had the courage to go when he was eighteen decided that he was finally ready to face the challenge and joined us. We were four of us, Mark included.”

  Stal looked down, slowly drawing circles in the mud.

  “I should have stopped him, but I guess I didn’t know any better. So we encouraged him, all of us. And then, on the very first night at camp here…..” Stal buried his face in his hands, “we were awake late into the night, too excited to go to sleep. We were laughing and joking, ribbing each other when all of a sudden … Marks’ face changed. He leapt to his feet and opened his mouth as if to scream…and he was pulled into the ground. Gone in a flash, just like that.” Stal snapped his fingers. “We don’t know how long we remained frozen in our spots. The next day, we woke up to find a plant growing at the spot where Mark had disappeared. It was growing so fast we had to move our tent to another spot in a week’s time. That was how I discovered what these trees were. It was horrible, just horrible.” Sta
l recalled.

  “What happens to the people once they become these…” Diego looked around and shuddered, “these trees.”

  “I suppose they live as long as their human life span would have been. Then they die and make way for another gullible one such as themselves.” Stal said ruefully.

  Diego looked down, drowned in contemplation while Sierra slowly picked up his fallen bowl of cereal and began to clean up. Diego watched him in amazement. Something had finally managed to pierce through Sierra’s appetite and kill it. He turned back to Stal.

  “Why are some of them covered in pinkish flowers and others in that ghastly blackish- blue?” he asked.

  The barks of the trees were indeed covered with flowers. Some a pretty orange-pink color and others in a dark, blackish hue.

  “That is the essence of the person. Those who were good people are covered in orange blossoms, while those who were evil got covered in the black ones. Mark was covered in orange blossoms. And thank goodness for that, because the black flowers give out a stench so bad even insects avoid them.” Stal said, scrunching up his nose at the memory. Diego let out a low whistle.

  “Man,” he said, “this place is something else.”

  They saw a woman approaching them and stopped talking.

  “Hello, I’m Sapphire. We’re playing a game of volleyball, would you like to join us?” she said.

  Diego and Sierra were in no mood to indulge in any games but Stal jumped at the offer.

  “Of course, of course! Pleased to meet you Sapphire. I’m Stallion. You can call me Stal.” he said, extending a hand to shake Sapphire’s outstretched one.

  He motioned towards Diego and Sierra who were sitting. “These are my sons - Diego and Sierra. We would love to join you in your game. Please lead the way.”

  Sierra stood up to follow but Diego remained seated. Stal spoke from the corner of his mouth.

  “Come on, Diego. Distraction will do your lot some good.”