**The Silent Climb**

 

It was dusk when Adam found himself at the base of the mountain, staring up at the jagged cliffs that towered into the sky. The wind howled in his ears, a reminder of how alone he was in this vast wilderness. His heart pounded in his chest, and his breath came in sharp, shallow bursts. He was supposed to be hiking with friends, but they had left him behind—no, he had fallen behind.

He hadn't been paying attention. He lost focus, wandered off the trail, and now they were long gone, unaware that he had strayed far from the path. His calls for help had gone unanswered, swallowed by the winds and distant echoes of nature. Adam was utterly alone, with only the fading light to accompany him.

Panic began to creep in. He scanned the rocky terrain, his heart sinking deeper into despair. There was no sign of life—no distant figures, no flicker of a campfire, no hope of rescue. He fumbled for his phone, but the screen showed no bars of service. No signal. No way to contact anyone.

"What do I do now?" he muttered to himself, as fear settled like a weight in his chest.

In the pit of his mind, a voice whispered: "Nobody can help you."

He tried to shake the thought, but it persisted, gnawing at him. What if no one realized he was missing? What if they didn’t come back for him? He couldn't stay here, waiting for help that might never come. He looked up at the mountain again, its intimidating peak staring down at him as if daring him to try.

The rational part of him wanted to sit down, conserve energy, and hope that someone would notice his absence and come back. But a deeper part of him knew the truth—no one was coming. He was too far off the trail, too far from any help.

With a deep breath, Adam made a decision. If he was going to get out of this, he had to do it himself.

His first steps were cautious. The terrain was unforgiving, each rock and crevice a potential trap for an unwary foot. The climb was steep, and the air grew colder with every upward step. He slipped more than once, scraping his hands on the rough stone, but he refused to stop. His body ached, his legs trembling with the strain, but still, he climbed.

No one is coming to help you, the voice whispered again, but this time, it no longer filled him with dread. Instead, it fueled something else—determination.

Adam's mind began to clear as he focused on each step, each handhold. His breath steadied. He realized that for the first time in his life, he had no one to rely on but himself. And instead of fear, a strange sense of peace settled over him. He was alone, but he was also free. There was no one to save him, but also no one to stop him.

Hours passed, and the world darkened around him. The stars began to appear, pinpricks of light in an endless black sky. Still, Adam pressed on, his focus sharp, his movements deliberate. His body was weary, but his mind was alive with a fierce will to survive.

At one point, he paused on a narrow ledge, his body trembling from exhaustion. Below him, the mountain dropped into a deep ravine, and the sight sent a shiver of fear through his spine. He looked up at the peak, still far away, and then down at the valley below. The immensity of the climb overwhelmed him for a moment, but he didn’t let it consume him.

He realized something at that moment. The fear of no one being there to help had been replaced by the knowledge that he was there. He was his help. His guide. His rescuer.

Adam smiled bitterly at the irony. He had spent so much of his life looking to others for strength, for reassurance. He had relied on the presence of friends, family, and even strangers to lift him when he stumbled. But here, on this mountain, with no one around, he had found a strength within himself he hadn’t known existed.

As he resumed his climb, the exhaustion in his muscles felt less like a burden and more like a badge of honour. He had survived. He was surviving.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Adam reached the summit. He pulled himself up over the last rock and collapsed on the plateau, gasping for breath. The sky above him was a canopy of stars, and the vastness of the universe seemed to stretch out forever. For the first time that day, he let himself truly rest.

He lay there for a long time, staring up at the sky, the cold air filling his lungs. He was alone, still, but now it didn’t feel like a curse. He had made it. He had done it himself.

No one had come to help him, but that was okay. He didn’t need them to.

Adam sat up, wiping the sweat from his brow, and looked out over the valley below. He smiled a small but genuine smile. He had faced the fear of being abandoned, of being without help, and he had found something much more valuable in the process—he had found himself.

In the end, he realized, that sometimes the greatest help we can ever receive is the help we give ourselves.

And with that, Adam rose to his feet and began his descent, knowing that from now on, no matter what came his way, he had the strength to face it.

We dare to face everything all alone.

God Bless Us All...

Jacob M