The Lotus Peak

Eka could really get used to this. She got to see the stunning Mount Fuji up close and personal, and she did not get tired at all doing it. The bouncing made it all the more enjoyable, really, and she felt like when she was a little girl, and her parents would rock her to sleep. All of the worries that she had been having dissipated completely. The troubles that loomed over her seemed to be at the bottom of the mountain, far away from her and her friend.

"No, it is not a problem at all. I am fine." Eka replied to her friend. She was a lot more than fine, if she was being honest. The Uzbek then set her on the log, and Eka sat with both feet on the snow. A quick breath invigorated her nearly as much as the carrying did, and Eka stood up.

The first few steps were wobbly, but she managed to delicately amble on over to her tent. She tore through her bag searching for a few protein bars and wolfed them down. An apple was her desert, and she emerged from the tent with a full stomach and a twinkle in her eye. The Georgian girl handed her friend a protein bar. "I will be fine. I will make it down the mountain. I promise!"

"Are you sure? I would not mind carrying you once more." Feruza said, equal parts flirting, being serious, and joking. Feruza graciously accepted the protein bar, and opened the wrapper. "Thank you." she said, chomping down on the energy bar. "I believe in you, Eka."

Feruza started packing up her tent, rolling the rather compact thing into a small cylinder which she could affix upon her main hiking pack. After a little more packing, she was ready to go— but was Eka? "Are you packed, friend?" she asked, hoisting the heavy backpack onto her shoulders. "I am good at rolling sleeping bags, if it gives you trouble." she said, a charming smile on her face.

"I am ready when you are."

When Eka breathed out, the cold mountain air turned the exhalation into a fine mist. It was a pretty sight, save for the fact that Eka's downcast face was on the other side of it. I would not mind carrying you once more. The words stuck in her brain, rolled around, and came out in the form of Eka's watery blue eyes. There was no shame in it, she felt. Greater people needed the help of their friends from time to time. Roosevelt needed Stalin, Sartre needed de Beauvoir, and Eka was beginning to need Feruza. But there was a lot to be said for descending the mountain under her own strength. "Yes," the word finally came out, "I will make it. I will believe in me, too."

With self-affirmation out of the way, Eka hurriedly and neatly packed all her things. When she was a little girl, she was amazed so many things could fit into a backpack that seemed so minuscule in comparison, but she had grown experienced in the ways of mountaineering. That meant that she lost her sense of wonder when it came to the backpack, and that also meant that it took her a very short time to get everything stowed away

"Well," she said as she shifted her weight a little bit, "let us get going. I will lead the way, yes?" Without any hesitation, Eka set off down the sacred mountain at a brisk pace. So brisk, the raven hair that she did not manage to secure under the cap bounced as she walked. She turned around one last time, to ensure that Feruza was coming with her and that they had left nothing behind save the calligraphy in the snow.

To tell the truth, Feruza was kind of disappointed that Eka could carry herself the rest of the way down the mountain. Carrying her was an intimate experience, and Feruza already loved getting intimate with her new friend. And plus, it gave Feruza a way to show off her strength, which strengthened her ego more than anything else. But no matter. She was happy that Eka could do it.

And now, for the first time, in full light, Feruza got a view of the Georgian's hair. Even after all the hiking they had done, it was beautiful and light, bouncing with her steps. It was nearly godlike. "Yes, I will bring up behind."

The Uzbek was entranced by her friend's flowing hair, and followed it with her eyes the rest of the way down the mountain. They were going to make the best of friends, and, if Feruza had her way, maybe more than that. However, Feruza realized she had forgotten to ask one crucial thing on the way up. "Eka!" she gasped, shaking herself out of her trance and jogging to catch up with her. "Your phone number!" she said with a grin, slowing back down to keep pace. She didn't need to ask now, but she didn't want to forget again and let her slip away. "Do you have one?"

The untamed zephyrs that blasted down the mountain whipped the hiking duo mercilessly. It was not as cold as it was the night before, but this was far from a stroll through the park in the charming Alabama spring. Eka was beginning to feel like she knew this mountain like the back of her hand, which was quite the accomplishment. This mother of mountains had bowed many who tried her, but she had not yet bowed this Georgian girl.

Eka was focusing when Feruza came into her field of vision. The trail they trekked was fairly narrow, but it was fairly safe. She turned her head to listen to her friend speak. "Oh, of course. I, uh," she turned her head towards her backpack, and wondered if she should break out her pen then and there, "do you have a good memory?" Eka did not particularly feel like going through the whole ordeal of taking her gloves off, getting the pen, finding a scrap of paper and then handing it to her.

Then she smiled devilishly. "Let's test it, yes?" Eka rattled off her number, going ever forward as she went.

"Uh, I think I do... hey, Eka!" Feruza protested, as Eka started to rattle off her number right then and there. She didn't think that she had heard it right, but she tried to repeat it back to her anyways. "Uh, is that right?" she asked, laughing. They had kept walking the whole time, and were drawing ever closer to the base of the mountain. "Maybe I should ask when I have a paper, yes?" she joked, looking over at Eka.

"Does not look like much longer until base, yes? Did you take train? Maybe we are on the same one home!" she said, grinning at the thought of spending more time with Eka.

Eka paused for a second. She had given her number out so rarely that even she was not sure if the number was correct. After taking a moment to reflect on it, Eka recognized that Feruza messed up one of the numbers in the number. Or maybe Eka, in her lilting Georgian accent, said it in a way that Feruza did not understand it. Eka repeated it for her friend's sake patiently and warmly. "But you were very close." She reassured her friend.

The duo were making wonderful time as they kept walking down the mountain. "Yes, I did take the train. It was a bit cheaper by bus, but there is something romantic about trains, yes?" Eka's eyes glazed over as she looked down the mountain. There was only a little of the holy peak left, which sort of disappointed her. Either way, this trip had been quite fun, and the train would take her into the heart of the city, right next to her dorm.

"I hope we are on the same one home," she said, wistfully.

Ah, so close! As Eka repeated her number, Feruza had the bright idea to simply get out her phone and enter in the number, so that she wouldn't have to remember it for so long. She pulled one of her gloves off with her teeth and held it in her jaws as she used one hand to enter it, and name the contact 'Eka.' Perfect. "Now number is saved forever." she said, putting the smartphone back into her pocket and slipping her glove back on.

"Trains are very nice, yes. So very relaxing, with that 'bump-bump' sound, you know? And the trains here are so fast!" Feruza agreed, looking back up at the mountain to see what Eka was looking at. It was true, not much of the peak was visible anymore, which was sad, but a testament to the time they had made. She kept looking back as she walked, as if to squeeze any little bit more of wonder out of the peak. She was snapped back to reality when Eka echoed her sentiments about being on the same train.

"That would be awesome, no?" she said, looking back at the black-haired woman. "We can explore each other even more." she said, smiling warmly.

Eka smiled a bit, and then a furtive look came over her face. The thought of exploring this woman seemed quite fun, but she knew she would reciprocate. And she wasn't exactly sure what that entailed, but she wanted to find out. Then again, the better part of her restrained her passionate desires. She cast one long look up the mountain. They were no longer up on the top anymore, with no one around but the two of them. Soon the duo would be descending into the real world, where there were people who would judge her and talk with her and be around her. Reality was coming up on them, and it was coming fast and hard. She then looked down, to the highway below.

"Yes. There is much exploring to be done." The furtive look effervesced into a quiet smile, but the grin was as quick and ephemeral as the passing wind. "We must still go all the way down, yes?" And with that, Eka kept moving on down the mountain, ready to rest her weary legs once more.

Looking down at the highway before them was almost jarring. It had been 2 days since Feruza had seen civilization, and now here it was, sprawled out for miles before them in a highway, with thousands upon thousands of cars, and each one containing a person or more. So many people at once... nearly overwhelming! But Feruza wasn't that weak. She would just marvel at all of the humanity for a second before turning to Eka.

"I am look forwards to it, but you are correct. We must finish our domination of Mount Fuji, no?" she asked, bumping shoulders with the Georgian playfully before resuming their descent.