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All Rights Reserved
Published In Springers Abound
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The day started out warm and sunny. We quietly slipped out and strolled side-by-side down the street to the tree lined meadow. We walked and talked for hours, yet it seemed like only moments. Sadly we headed back.
As the time grew closer, we watched the sky turn darker and could feel the wind starting to rise. By the time we were ready to leave, it was drizzling. That slow, sorrowful drizzle, from a slate steel sky, that truly defines a dreary day.
During our drive, he sat in his chair and softly spoke to me of our brief time together and the accomplishments we made. We laughed when we remembered how we met only a few short weeks before.
My partner and I had attempted to climb the mountain a few months earlier. She slipped near the crest and could not recover. I had stood alone on the peak that day. She and I had returned, more determined than ever to climb the mountain together. I was preparing my equipment for the task when I caught him rummaging through the food in my van. I yelled, he ran, and a split-second later he was gone.
We started the climb. She made it to the peak and I could feel her mentally reaching out to assist me those last few feet. I stumbled and started to fall. For a moment I saw the dream fade away. I clutched the line tighter, slowly regaining my momentum. A few minutes later she and I stood hand-in-hand at the peak.
Later, as the adrenaline seeped from my veins, he threw down a gauntlet. Smiling at the thought of the challenge and remembering the feeling of surveying the world from the pinnacle, I clutched the gauntlet to my chest. In the blink of an eye, the next climb was scheduled. But that was ancient history now.
He'd come to my town, in the shadow of the mountain, to train. He sat next to me as I wrote my book on the procedures we would need to master for the climb. As we completed a chapter or sometimes only a thought, we fled to the training area to test the theory. For seventy-four days we had worked night and day perfecting our climbing skills. It was time.
At the base of the mountain a handwritten note scrawled on yellowing paper told us that only the second path would take us to the top. I shoved the paper into a pocket and we started our climb. Negotiating several difficult legs of the climb we came to a chasm. The winds, seemingly at hurricane strength, blew us off course and sent us sliding into the chasm. We held on and foot by foot clawed our way back towards the path.
It was not to be. The Gods blew their horns, spoke their words and we were cast from the mountain. Cast out, but not in shame. For we had accomplished what no other had ever done in such a short period of time. We had proven our theories and now had a much better idea of how we could successfully climb the mountain.
I reached into my pocket for that scrap of paper. On it was written "Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work." I smiled, we would be back to climb again.
That was only a short few days ago. Now he was leaving. Heading back to his home and his family. As we neared the airport the drizzle turned to rain. By the time he was ready, it was almost a flood. Lightning, almost no visibility and sheets of rain kept us from reaching the terminal. We waited, patience was one of the virtues we had learned together. The storm stalled and we rushed into the building before it could regain its intensity.
As we waited on his plane, the storm grew. It was almost as if someone was trying to tell us that he should stay. But the decision had been made and the plane was ready. As I watched him board, the rain washed the tears from my face. The plane pushed back from the jet way and faded into the darkness. I waved goodbye and turned away.
I was deep in thought and had walked almost to the van when I noticed the change. The wind had slowed, the storm had stopped. I looked up as a small rainbow appeared. Near it I could see his plane leaving the runway, gaining altitude and heading home.
I stood watching until the plane disappeared from sight. Wiping a tear from my eye, I knew that together we would climb that mountain ... someday. Be strong my friend. Continue to teach others as much as you have taught me. Be proud but most of all be yourself.
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Perhaps this story is an unusual point of view in looking at VST, however, like any goal, you must be prepared to work hard and attempt the impossible in order to achieve success. This dog was trained for 74 days and almost achieved success in his first VST test. He will be back!
U-CDX Strange Quark UDT,OA,CGC
© 2003-1996 - Ed Presnall - All Rights Reserved