"Wheeeee! Again, Daddy! Again!"
"One more push then we have to go, Danny. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes."
As the swing slowly came to a stop, Danny's shoulders slumped. "Five more minutes? Please?"
Dad shook his head. "I'm sorry, I have to get back to work. And you have lessons."
A single tear escaped, but Danny quickly brushed it aside. "Today is Saturday. You promised we'd spend the whole day at Wonder World."
Dad looked up at the clear blue sky. "I know, but Wellington moved the meeting up, so he could make a Tokyo meeting with his board of directors. We'll try again in a few weeks, alright?"
Wordlessly Danny hopped off of the swing. He marched slowly towards the limo without looking back.
Dad caught up in a couple of strides. "You have riding lessons scheduled today anyway. And then piano. I forgot to cancel."
"Or you knew you'd be busy, like always," the child whispered to himself.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you, Danny."
"Just thinking out loud."
Fifteen years later, Danny found himself standing atop Everest, looking down at white, fluffy clouds. He sighed.
The man next to him put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "This wasn't it for you either? What's left?"
"I don't know, Gregory. I've jumped out of planes, and visited the far corners of the Earth. I've sampled the finest cuisine, as well as the most exotic. Nothing has compared to the last day of my father's life. Flying through the air on a simple playground swing, I felt on top of the world. Now I'm standing on top of the world, and there's no thrill. No delight at being here."
Gregory rubbed his chin. "Perhaps you still resent not having that time with him? It's only natural that you'd miss him."
"Of course I'll always miss him. But it's not like he chose to have a drunk driver slam his limo on the way to the meeting."
"There has to be something more than missing him, though. You said you haven't felt any delight or wonder since that day. This is something deeper. I do wish that you would see Dr. Terande when we get back home."
Danny turned away from the incredible view. "Maybe. I mean this is nice, but I should be in awe. And I'm not..."
The two men began their descent, soon rejoining their guides.
Once safely back in base camp, Danny quickly found his satellite phone. "Yes Mom, I kept warm, and had a good time. I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Goodbye, love you too."
Walking around the camp, he saw the ancient traditions of the Sherpas living in harmony with modern technology. He heard a young boy sobbing, and followed the noise to its source.
Kneeling down, he looked at the tear-streaked face of a boy of perhaps eight. "What's wrong?"
The child didn't seem to notice him, so he stood. A young woman in a shawl greeted him with a solemn expression.
"My father and his father took a group of climbers up. One of the climbers almost died, but they saved him. My father came back. His didn't. Fell in a crevasse, too deep to recover the body."
Taken aback by her matter of fact words and tone, he was speechless for a moment. Then he regained his composure. "Do you have phone service in your village? I've got a phone, maybe it'll help if he can talk to his mother?"
She shook her head, her expression still unreadable. "He has no more family. Grandparents went before he was born. Mother went trying to deliver his sister, neither survived."
Memories came flooding back. "Oh no, no, no." A second later Danny had joined the child in his grief, sobbing as he held and rocked the little boy.
After about an hour, Danny scooped up the exhausted child, and took him back to his tent. He gently set him on the cot, and covered him with a sleeping bag. "Sleep for a while, buddy. Don't worry, we'll figure something out."
Once he was sure the boy was asleep, he crept out of the tent, and returned to the place he'd found him. "What will happen to him?" Danny asked the young woman.
"He will get food and a place to stay in the village. He won't be shunned," she replied in a slightly warmer tone.
Danny silently studied the snow in front of his boots for several minutes. "I'd like to take him back myself. And maybe stay a while, if you think I would be welcome?"
She smiled for the first time, beaming widely. "I'm sure you would be most welcome."
The next day, Danny and the child, who he had learned was nicknamed Jake, climbed into a small plane. Once in the air, Jake's eyes remained locked on the peak of the mountain.
Danny put his hand on Jake's shoulder. "Would you like to go say goodbye?"
Jake turned towards him, tears soaking his cheeks. He nodded, then turned back to the window.
Danny leaned forward, and spoke to the pilot.
"Matt knows where your dad is. He's going to get as close as he can."
For a second, Jake didn't react. Then he turned, and fiercely embraced Danny.
As they neared the spot, the two looked at Everest in silence. Neither appreciated the spectacular view before them.
The pilot dipped close, and spoke without turning around. "We can't land there, only a helicopter could. Even if we could, you wouldn't be able to see anything. Look for the dark line of a crevasse, that's where he rests."
When they were as close as possible, the pilot slowed even more. The three occupants of the plane gasped.
"That's impossible," the pilot whispered.
Lying next to the crevasse, one hand waving, was a figure dressed in brown.
Jake began to frantically pound on the window, until Danny wrapped his arms around the child, fearful he would harm himself or damage the plane. "Careful there, he saw us. We'll get him home..."
The pilot circled once more, dipping a wing. Then he made a beeline away from the mountain.
Three hours later, Danny and Jake sat huddled by a small airfield. As soon as they heard a distant helicopter, they sprang to their feet.
"Go on," Danny encouraged, walking slowly towards the miraculous reunion.
By the time he was close enough to make out the details, Jake was gently hugging a man on a stretcher. Feelings washed over Danny that he hadn't experienced since he was a child: delight and wonder.
Cover image made in Canva Pro using their gallery