Mountain of the Ancients: Mina and Mo'em's Subconscious Journey

"Mina, I'm scared," Moem said.

"Well, you ain't the only one, Moem." Mina looked out into the darkness. The moon was gone and the sky was cloudy. It was pitch black out there. "I should have brought a flashlight." She turned to look at Moem as she spoke. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid. Fear is a natural part of our lives."

"I know that, Ma." Moem sighed heavily. She hated it when her mother tried to teach her things. She hated it even more when she did it in a hillbilly accent. "But why are we here? Why would anyone want to climb up a mountain just for fun?"

Mina leaned against a large boulder and looked up at the summit. A large stone statue stood in front of them at the top of the incline. It was almost like an idol. "It's not just any mountain, Moem," Mina explained patiently, "it's Mount Giafirion."

"I know that too, Ma," Moem snapped back sarcastically. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"I know you're not," Mina replied softly. "Why are you so angry?"

"Why are you so condescending?" Moem countered through gritted teeth. "Do you always have to be right?"

"Yes!" Mina shouted back challengingly with a smile on her face. For the first time ever, she saw tears forming in her daughter's eyes as she lowered her head in defeat and turned away from her mother with shame in her eyes. Mina readjusted her glasses and took a deep breath before speaking again slowly and carefully this time: "Moem...you're my favorite person in this world...do you understand?"

Moem nodded silently with her back facing Mina before responding in a soft voice: "I love you too, Ma..." A single tear rolled down her cheek as she wiped it away quickly with the back of her hand which led to another tear rolling down her face and another wipe by hand until she felt like crying but instead she said: "Let's hurry up and get to the top before sunrise so we can see the sun rise."

The two women ascended towards the giant statue at full speed until they reached its base where they sat down for a quick break to catch their breaths before continuing upwards towards their goal. After resting for a few moments, Mina jumped up from the ground and pointed towards something off in the distance while shouting excitedly: "Look! You can see it! We made it!"