The White Clothes Mountain

 

The White Clothes Mountain

It was a cold morning as the three friends walked along the cliff road. The sun was just rising in the distance, bathing the sky a soft pink. It was a narrow path carved from rock that led up to a mountain. There was no rope or any safety equipment as the three friends made their way to the top; it was simply a challenge they had set for themselves, trying to reach the peak. They had only been in the town a few weeks, but they had already heard all manner of interesting and strange things about the "Mountain of the White Clothes."

There had been rumors that at the top of the mountain, you would find riches beyond extraordinary measure. It was claimed that if you reached the top, a reward would be waiting — and you could pick anything you desired.

Three Unlikely Companions

Nate is a handsome young man with dark eyes and a chin full of dark beard. He has a muscular frame and is built like an ox, but in truth, he is one of the most cowardly young men to ever grace that town. He came from a middle-class family that lacked nothing and provided everything for him.

Jack is not handsome. He had a face full of pockmarks from a disease he picked up as a kid that made his skin peel, leaving him looking like someone who had been doused with hot oil. He has a bald patch in the middle of his head, and he also came from a well-to-do family.

The last of the three friends is Abram — a quiet and shy young man who keeps his thoughts to himself and only speaks when the others address him. Above all, he minds his business and never tries to reach beyond what he knows. He came from a poor family and is content with what they can provide; he has prayed that one day he would find a way to lift his family out of poverty. He is an average-looking guy with a soft voice, and yet he always had the ladies wanting to be with him, even though he made no effort to impress them.

A Troubling Dream and an Unexpected Visit

That fateful morning, Abram was lying in thought, turning over a strange dream in his mind. He laughed quietly to himself, wondering why he would dream such a thing — the two people involved had never even met. How could his friend Nate kiss his girlfriend when they had never crossed paths, and he had never told Nate about her? And yet, in the dream, Nate had been kissing her while Abram sat and watched with a furious stare.

He heard his doorbell and called out in his soft voice, "The door is open — come in."

Nate entered with Jack, yawning as he flopped down on Abram's bed with bloodshot eyes. "You will never believe how I spent the night," he said with a sigh.

"I don't want to know," Abram said. "I'm sure it has something to do with something illegal."

"That isn't true," Jack said, rifling through Abram's storage cupboard in search of something to eat. "What are you doing cooped up indoors, man? Your place is as dry as a corpse."

Abram kept silent and just looked at him.

"It is not illegal, man," Nate said, sitting up and glaring at Abram. "How can spending the night at a club be illegal?"

"I don't care. You can keep your business to yourself — it's no concern of mine," Abram said.

"Well, we are here to talk to you about the rumors," Jack said, giving up his hopeless search for food.

"What rumors?" Abram asked.

"About the riches at the top of the White Clothes Mountain."

"I'm not interested," he said. He wondered why they would even think of it — they were both from well-to-do families, yet whenever they caught the scent of easy money, their blood would run hot and they could not resist chasing it.

The Artist's Inspiration

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he missed what Nate was saying to him. "What?" he asked.

"I was just saying we should take a picnic up to the top. We don't have to bother with what the rumors say. All we have to do is reach the summit — and I imagine the view would be breathtaking. Don't forget you're good at painting. Imagine what you could create, eh?"

"Yeah," Jack added. "Imagine painting from the top of the mountain as the sun rises. That view would be incredible. Seeing it and putting it on canvas would be a great start for more excursions."

Abram was silent for a moment, turning his friends' words over in his mind. It was true — it would be a magnificent subject for an artist. He had not come across a single good landmark since they arrived in town. The earth was cracked and dry, and the dust was practically a direct route to the hospital. He still wondered why the contractor had sent them here when the place had virtually nothing — even running water was a mystery no one had solved. He considered it a moment longer, then sighed and gave them a slow nod, which made them both grin.

The Mouth of the Beast

Now they were walking along the path leading to the mountain. They had to crest a cliff before passing through a cave to the other side where the mountain began. As Abram walked and watched the sun climb higher, he shook his head — he still could not find the inspiration he had hoped for. The town was just a wasted, barren stretch of land soaked in gloom. He wondered how his two friends managed to have any fun here at all.

"You need to relax. When we reach the top, you'll find the view you're looking for," Jack said. Abram wondered if Jack could read his mind.

"I hope so," he said, as they continued climbing the cliff, which sloped upward for a few miles before dropping toward the cave.

When the cave finally came into view, Abram stopped and peered inside, half-expecting something to be lurking in the dark. "That looks scary," he said, squinting against the sun as he studied the entrance.

"It's just a cave, man. Don't be timid," Nate said.

"It looks like the mouth of a beast," Abram said.

Jack laughed and turned to him. "Well, think of it like a shy woman in the dark — you know, the kind you have to navigate from memory, not light."

Nate could not hold back. He bent over laughing, tears streaming from his eyes. "Jack, man — I couldn't have put it better!"

"What are you two going on about?" Abram asked, frowning as he looked between them.

"Good grief, man, are you that innocent?" Jack asked, while Nate had practically collapsed with laughter. "We are walking with a certified virgin!"

"Let us go," Abram said quietly, walking past them with a firm look. He had always held himself to a certain standard. He had even told his girlfriend there would be no intimacy until marriage, and she had agreed without argument. He wondered, not for the first time, whether the dream he had that morning was trying to tell him something.