The mountain rose before Raz like a wall between dreams and doubt. Its peak was hidden by clouds, its cliffs sheer and endless. Raz had come here many times before—each time turning back, each time certain the summit was too far, too steep, too impossible.
But this morning, something felt different. The air was still, expectant, as though the world itself were waiting. Raz tightened the straps of his pack and took a single step forward.
The ground trembled. The mountain seemed to lean in, listening. Raz took another step, and the clouds parted slightly, revealing a glimmer of sunlight on stone.
Then came the test. Hours later, his legs shook, and his breath came ragged. Raz paused, leaning on a rock, the weight of doubt pressing hard. For a heartbeat, he thought, I can’t do this.
The mountain groaned—and grew. The cliffs stretched higher, the path steepened, the summit disappeared again into the mist. Raz fell to his knees.
“Why does it get harder when I stop trying?” he whispered.
From deep within the stone, a voice rumbled like distant thunder:
“Because I rise to meet your surrender. But I move to meet your courage.”
Raz stared at the ground, heart pounding. Slowly, he stood again, brushed the dust from their palms, and took one step forward.
The mountain shifted. Its face softened. Rocks rearranged into footholds. The air brightened with warmth.
Step by step, Raz climbed. Every time fear whispered, the mountain loomed taller. Every time he tried again, the path drew closer, as though the mountain itself was cheering him on.
By dusk, Raz reached the final ridge. The last stretch was steep, almost vertical. Muscles burning, he pressed his palms against the stone and pushed upward. The world blurred into gold.
At last, Raz stood on the summit. The clouds rolled away, revealing a sea of light below. The mountain pulsed beneath their feet—alive, breathing, grateful. Its slopes shimmered with a quiet glow.
“You’ve taught me persistence,” Raz said, smiling through tears.
And the mountain bowed, its peaks lowering in respect, the glow spreading across the land like dawn.
For courage, it seemed, moves even the tallest mountains.