Paradise

They say that on the other side of the mountains is Paradise.

They say that only someone of pure intention and unshakeable determination can make the trip. They must find the true path up the mountains - not the myriads of sheep trails, run-offs and false starts, but the one that climbs and winds up the steep sides and reaches the peaks that cannot be seen from the valley.

They say that if one makes it to the top of the mountain, the mouth of the sea is just visible, on the other side of the densest forest known to man. There are many routes down the mountain, but some get lost in the canyons, some lead to ravines or sheer rock faces, some double-back on themselves, and others wind endlessly over the other mountains. They say it is impossible to know which paths do make it to the entrance to this forest, since no one has ever returned to say.

They say that the creatures that dwell in that forest are like none seen elsewhere: beasts of tremendous size, birds that sing like the wind or cry like a moonless night, and other things too shy or elusive to be seen at all. They say no man has ever lived there, nor carved a path to the sea. Only those who find the river - the one they say is as cold as snow and clear as crystal - will find the way out.

They say that on the other side of the forest is the lagoon, where the sea comes between the mountains to meet the land. The tide has pounded away at the mountains since the dawn of time, wearing it down into sand as fine and soft as the most expensive flour. There are still rocks, taller than men and thicker than trees, that block the mouth to leading to the sea. There is no food in that land, and no tools with which to make a canoe, except what the traveler brings with them.

If one makes a boat, they say, there is still the sea to contend with - the sea that is deeper than the sky is high, more mysterious than the forest, more deadly than fire. There are terrible storms that could make mountains fall, humongous beasts that could swallow a thousand men in one gulp, and a thousand ailments to weaken the strongest and drive them mad.

They say that the one who finds the mountain paths, discovers the river, builds a boat and masters the sea will come to Paradise; but they never say what awaits such a one in Paradise. They say it is because Paradise is so wonderful that no one would ever return, not even to tell their own kith and kin the way.

I think it is because it would shame anyone who dared such things for Paradise to tell of them to anyone who only dared imagine them.