4. Hanako Visits A Mountain

Sometime after breakfast, the sun spilled out in golden banks of morning light.

It reminded Hanako of home, eating Yamazaki Chip Star as the tall hills were glittered with sunlight, and the world smelled of freshly mowed grass.

Placing her hand on the rock-face, Hanako looked up. She traced her fingers against the lightning shape slashed across the surface.

“It’s slippery for now,” Isaac said. “But it will have dried out by the time you hit your stride.”

Hanako’s first attempts at climbing the rock were met with multiple failures. Every time she tried to get off the ground, she fell flat onto her back. Hours passed, and she could barely hit five feet before a mishap sent her crashing down. Frustration rose, and she kicked the mountain, something she immediately regretted.

“Problem?” Isaac said.

~It is impossible.~  Hanako signed. 

“Put it this way, you can sit here and dream about being at the top, but guess where you’ll be tomorrow?”

~At the bottom.~

“Exactly. The only way you can achieve what you want is through hard work. Focus and dedication.”

***

After three days, Hanako had mapped a route with most of the handholds. She discovered by using her feet to wedge in the gaps, it was easier to steady herself while feeling around for more grip

Higher and higher Hanako climbed, using her hand to search for new holes or pockets. Every metre she gained was a victory; every patch of mountain she claimed was a triumph. She began to feel more confident in herself, an untapped self-belief, only now she was starting to realise.

Further on up, the mistakes became less of a problem. It was a slow process, but eventually she found the halfway point and managed to pull herself up onto the ledge.

From her vantage point, Hanako could see the campfire, now a yellow dot in the clearing. She looked out toward the endless forest, like a blanket of emeralds flowing all the way to the horizon.

For a moment, the girl felt lucky to have bumped into Isaac, for here she would have been truly lost. It scared her to think what would have become of her without his guidance.

Looking to her right, Hanako patted the huge stack of wood, it was about three feet in height and curved out from the ledge. It soon dawned on her that she was sitting next to a large nest. Suddenly fearful, she decided to make a hasty retreat, in case the owner returned.

Onward and upward. 

***

Hand over hand, Hanako began to sense the end was in sight. Three straight grooves were carved into the rock-face like a giant bird’s claw. On top of this, the cool morning sun had become a blazing death ray that cooked her back.

Everything became more precarious the higher she went. It had got to the point where if she fell, the impact would have eradicated her from existence. Even with a magic body, there would be little chance of recovery.

Hanako blinked and tried to remove all negative thoughts, since they only slowed her down.

Some ten metres from the top, she noticed that the rest of the mountain was composed of packed clay; smooth, flat, and completely inaccessible. Hanako lowered her head in despair, annoyed at being denied after coming this far.

Is this why it was designed for an impossible task? Going back down was not an option, so she had to find a solution and fast.

To her right, she saw how the rock-face continued under a grassy ledge and jutted out to a point. It was not much, but it was something.

***

After a few attempts, Hanako managed to find herself under the overhang. Every second was going to be dangling helplessly over fresh air with nothing but a distant forest below.

Hanako reached out and used to fingers like a spider's legs, seeking out any kind of hand-hold. She managed to find a couple, and then another, all the while, her back was exposed to a straight drop into oblivion.

Things were going good for a time, when suddenly her fingers slipped, leaving her one remaining hand anchored to the rock. Panicking, she could feel herself slide out of the gap and desperately tried to find another hold. There was nothing but a smooth surface.

Then she spotted it: a root, thick as rope and hanging down.. With no other choice, Hanako reached out and grabbed it with her free hand. Luckily it held.

All or nothing, she let the other hand go and dangled freely in the breeze.

Using her rope climbing skills, Hanako, (who had learned them in P.E), managed to pull herself up the root, grab onto the grassy verge, and lie flat on the summit.

Success!

Heaving with exhaustion, she stared up at the darkening sky. Several stars were dusted in a neat curve, like a glittering rainbow. Was it the same Milky Way as home? Who knew? She was glad it was over.

I can’t believe I did that.  She thought.  I just climbed a mountain! 

Hanako got up and brushed herself off. On the edge of the cliff, she spotted an old sword poking out.

Overwhelmed with curiosity, she pulled it out and lifted it high, as a fleet of dragons passed by in single file against a looming storm which coughed flashes of lightning inside thick grey clouds. 

I am the Black Witches!

***

Hanako ventured on toward the mountain summit, but was not happy to see it shrouded in a curtain of mist.

Waving at the wispy veil, she saw several shoots of bamboo managing to thrive in clusters and soon realised there was someone else watching.

A small shape flittered inside the banks of mist. It was small, squat and bounding around at speed. Hanako gripped the dagger.

Here we go. 

***

The shape came out of nowhere and charged at the girl, hurling her against the mountain wall. Dazed slightly, Hanako rose slowly to her feet.

Three times it knocked her down, and three times she watched it burst out of the mist like an oncoming truck. Every time it would run back, no doubt coming around for another pass.

Hanako didn’t want to wait that long and burst into a sprint, taking in lap after lap of the tiny Bamboo garden. She could sense the shape was coming up close, but could not find a way to escape it.

Eventually, something caught her eye: an opening.

It was a cave mouth, just big enough for her to escape into.

Without a second thought, she threw herself into the entrance and tumbled down a steep slope into an unsighted ditch.

Hanako coughed up a mouthful of saliva. It was not a soft landing as she had hoped, but it bought her some time.

After lying low, she sat up and peeked over the edge. The shape was still there, framed in shadow against the background of a curtain of mist. Hanako could see the thing was a squat beast with four legs, something resembling a large pig.

No…a Boar, with patches of dry fur flapping over a skeletal body.

A Zombie Pig?!

Hanako was shocked, not by the size of the thing, but by the fact that its eyes appeared to bulge out of its sockets, as if they did not fit.

Eyes she recognised as her own.

Terrified and confused, Hanako ducked down, not wanting to give herself away. She remained flat against the mossy ravine. Cursing herself for not being able to hear its approach, she remained still and could smell its matted fur becoming more intense the closer it got.

Sure enough, the beast appeared; its large head looming darker than the shadow of the cave. The girl gripped the dagger in a tight fist and waited.

The stolen eyes glinted in the dull light and looked down.

All of a sudden, a large, bear-like woman stalked out of the dark and launched the beast with a single kick.

“GRR!”  The stranger said. “How many times have I said? DO NOT COME IN.”

She struck the Boar again, breaking its neck with a single blow, before hurling it toward the edge of the cliff.

After being helped up, the woman led Hanako to the edge of a passageway and stopped.

A lack of path or bridge halted any further progress, for there was only a dark hole at the end of the tunnel. She looked back at the Bear woman, who nodded, smiled and pushed her off the edge.

Tumbling down and down and down into pitch darkness, Hanako fell long enough to replace the immediate shock with an annoyance at having to climb the mountain again after everything she did.

I am disappointed with everything that has happened so far.

The fall continued, reaching a point where Hanako was convinced it was longer than the length of the mountain, which meant she was now in some pit beneath the Earth. A hunch that did not improve her mood one bit.

Halfway pondering as to whether she should take a nap, a bright flash burst out of nowhere, causing her to crash land into a tiny cell.

Urghh!

Still dazed from the impact, she woke up to find herself in a metal container, where the ground was an orange shag-pile carpet. There were two doors near her feet, with windows painted black and dotted with stars.

By the way her body was thrown about, everything appeared to be moving at speed.

It didn't take her long to recognise the location...it was a Van.