Silent hill.

Left, right, left, right.... Whatever could be easier, whatever could be more difficult. Perseverance is the key. Any mountain walker knows this simple sheer joy brought on by isolated thoughts, combined with heavy physical burden. Left, right, felt right, guides your life through any strife.

As a kid Jim went mountain walking often with his father.The two of them traveled the narrow pathways, Jim never fearing anything, the strong hand of his dad guiding him all the way. And the best had always been sitting side by side, eating his mother's homemade sandwiches, looking over the great landscapes that had unfolded on their journey.Quietly eating, each with his own thoughts. His father, like Jim, wasn't too much of a talker. But in their silence a distinctive bond could be felt, so real it was almost tangible.

After his mom's passing they kept on mountain walking. Procuring their own sandwiches. They tasted nice, nothing like his mother's, but they made due. Nowadays his sandwiches are much better, rich with taste, provided by the love of Cathy, his wife. Maybe that's what had been missing in those made by him and dad, a woman's lovely touch. And when the two of them sat together to eat, the landscapes were as great as ever, the silence ever so silent, but the bond felt fragile. Each on their own. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that at that point there wasn't a combined worry between the two of them anymore.

Left, right, left right. Jim really loved Cathy. He had never told her this in words, but she knew, she didn't need words to understand his feelings. When they first met they were both in college. Both attended the same history class. During a class regarding human sacrifice in Mayan history Cathy asked Jim on his thoughts about the subject. He had never really thought about it but told her 'maybe sacrifice is the hardest thing to do'. He immediately wanted to swallow the words back in, fact is, he had never been a talker and just said the first thing that entered his mind on that moment. But Cathy seemed to like the answer saying: 'I've never thought about it that way, maybe you're right'. By the time the Roman empire was on the rise they went on their first date, on D-Day they had been an official couple for a few weeks.

Jim's dad had been in a retirement home for several years now and he went visiting about once a month. Now his was the strong hand guiding his father's wheelchair. They always went to the cafeteria together. Due to sever dementia they never really talked, so he liked to believe, but then again, they never had any real conversation before. But their bond in silence was again very strong, thick and almost tangible. Sometimes Jim thought about his mother during these short meetings. He never did hear his parents argue. Her had never heard his parents talk for more than five minutes. Most memories of his mom were about the state she would be in when they returned from a mountain walk. Leaving her alone for a couple of hours presented a great risk. Something they both knew all too well during a trip, though they never uttered a word to each other about it.
In progress