Call of the soul

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Almost everyone disapproved of his idea.

“At your age you should not even think of climbing any mountain, least of all K2.”

“Well, if you want to enter history you may very well succeed; but you won’t succeed in your climb, you will enter history as the oldest man who died while climbing K2.”

“Last time you had to abort your climb when you were not even half way through; and that was seven years ago. This time you would not even reach that height.”

“Is something wrong with you?  Why can’t you live like a normal man of your age?”

They all said something like this or other. They all did their best to dissuade him; even his team members. 

But no one understood him; not even those who had been with him on many of his climbing expeditions; those who had tasted success and failure with him; those who had seen him suffer after every failed climb.

No one understood why he desperately wanted to make one more attempt to climb K2; that made him even more miserable.

He was aware of his age. If he succeeded he would be the oldest man to do so. He was aware that his ageing body could not take any more punishment. He knew that the climb could be killing. And, worse, it could be heart-breaking.

But he had to take his chance. Something within him had been, for last so many years, pushing him to make one last attempt to climb K2 or die in the effort. He had resisted this call of his soul for so many years. But now it was almost impossible for him to resist this call.

The team had been anxiously waiting for his signal. Time was running out and they could not wait indefinitely. They had to either leave within next five days or drop the expedition this year. They all wanted to leave without him; they were worried that he might not come back with them.

But they did not leave and kept waiting for him to decide.

He chose to heed the call of his soul. He left with his team. The expedition was a success. All six members of the team reached the summit. At last he was at peace with himself; nothing remained to be achieved in the life.

The team came back; he was not with the team.

A post for Light andShade challenge on picture prompt (given above) and a quotation prompt give below:

                              It’s hard to beat somebody when they don’t give up

                                                                                                    Babe