A Stranger in the Snow

Author’s Note: This is a continuation of Farren’s journey through a limbo world where everyone is trying to reach the peak of a mountain but have a rope tied to their ankle. Start here or with Part 1.

Unsure of what to do with the other person so close on the horizon Farren hid inside the snow tunnel he’d created. Occasionally he’d peak his head up to try and gauge how far away the traveler was.
It was always easy to find the person since they were the only brown thing on the mountain’s snowy peak. Farren knew he had equally poor camouflage and only poked his head out for as little time as needed. He waited and hoped the person would move on traveling to the top of the mountain, but they seemed to refuse to make progress but only continued to search. Farren thought he would be willing to take second place in the trip to the top if it meant he didn’t have to deal with another psychopath attempting to delay his progress.
The person refused to give up, and worse, they were getting closer to Farren. For the whole afternoon, Farren hid in place as the person approached him from the horizon. He checked less often, and each time he did the brown blotch grew in size. Soon Farren could make out that the person had more brown splotches dragging behind them. It took Farren a moment to realize that these were balls of rope. At the end, he could see a blurry grey dot that was likely the person’s rock.
Farren weighed this realization in his mind. Hiding in his small snow burrow, he worked to solve the puzzle of its meaning. Despite his hope that the traveler would be a friend, someone open to the idea of chasing their rope Farren still didn’t want to trust them. He considered continuing to burrow to the top to avoid the person, and it seemed like a reasonable plan. The only problem with burrowing was that the snow was getting more compact and harder to dig in. The sun had likely melted and refrozen so much snow that the tip of the mountain was more ice than snow.
Farren peaked his head out, and the person was close but had their back turned to Farren. The person was pulling their rock behind them, and Farren could clearly count ten rope balls. The person was tall making question if it was Arnold but realized this person was even bigger. As the person began to turn around Farren ducked into his hideout crunching some icy snow in the process.
“Hello,” the person called out, and to Farren, it seemed to be a man’s voice. In the vast silence of the mountain top, it sounded familiar as well. Farren had suspected that it might have been someone he met long ago on his trip because they had rope balls, but he also figured there had to be people who collected their rope despite never meeting Farren.
“Hello, is anyone here?” The man called out into the cold and silent void. It crept closer with every call.
When the voice seemed to be coming from next to him, Farren swallowed hard and took a deep breath. The icy air went down like a hard pill to swallow and didn’t give him the confidence he desired. He stood up, and his head peaked out of the ground and Farren prepared to confront the big stranger.
The man was surprised by Farren’s sudden appearance, and it would have given Farren an advantage if the person wasn’t only feet away from Farren. Startled they both jumped back and fell into opposite snow piles. Farren scrambled to his feet while the other man was slow to get up. Getting his feet on the compacted icy snow, Farren looked ready to pounce as he asked the person, “Who are you?”
The man who had only made it to a sitting position put his hands up in surrender and said, “I don’t want to hurt you, friend.”
Farren still couldn’t place the voice, and the man had covered their face and entire body in rope much as Farren had. He was still poised for an attack the stranger although in the back of his mind he knew if it came to wrestling the large man in front of him, Farren would lose.
“My name is Teekola, friend. Who are you?”
Farren’s body didn’t know what to do when he heard the name. He almost didn’t believe it, but it wasn’t the most far fetched thing to happen to him. “Teek?” Farren asked, relaxing his weak attempt and an offensive position. “It’s Farren. I can’t believe it’s you.” He pulled the rope that was protecting his face away to reveal his identity.
The man removed the rope that was covering his face as well. His dark skin and a bald head were a comforting and familiar sight to Farren. The two men embraced each other, and the warmth Farren felt was soothing.
“What are you doing up here?” Teekola asked.
Farren gestured at the top of the mountain, “The same as you, I suppose.”
“I thought you would have been up here long ago,” Teekola said amazed.
Farren shrugged, “I could say the same about you. It’s been a hell of a trip.”
“For me as well,” Teekola echoed. Farren felt the wind, albeit a light one compared to the blizzard he suffered, against his face. “Let’s find a way out of this cold and talk.”
Teekola nodded in agreement, already wrapping his face back with the rope. Farren hopped into the tunnel he had burrowed in the snow. He packed down the walls making the space inside a little bigger to accommodate the large man. When it was ready, Teekola gave himself some slack and climbed down out of the wind.
He looked back at Farrens ropes which were blocking the tunnel in the other direction and asked, “How many did you wind up with?”
“Over thirty,” Farren said, wondering if Teekola would believe him.
“And your rock. How big was it? How did you figure out to move it?” Teekola asked this as he removed his rope face mask again.
“I never figured out how to move it. We’re actually sitting on it.” He patted the ground slightly as he said this.
“What?” Teekola’s eyes expanded with surprise.
“My rock turned out to be the entire mountain. I guess it was the biggest thing they had.”
Teekola was surprised by this statement, and then Farren saw his face slowly relax as all the puzzle pieces fell into place. “You were moving away from it when we met. Did you travel in a circle?”
“In a way,” Farren said, “I apparently walked all the way around the globe. It will really only make sense if I tell you the whole story.”
Teekola nodded in agreement, and the men talked about Farren’s adventures and Teekola’s travels.

When Farren finished, Teekola explained that he had found his rock less than a year after they split paths. “I wasn’t sure if you had reached the top yet so I decided to waste some time traveling in the forest meeting others and teaching them about chasing their rope. I had the same problem as you. Many weren’t very receptive despite me having my rock behind me. But a few listened, and I’m sure they will be up here shortly.”
Farren nodded his head, wondering why Teekola would have waited.
“I think I even found the water that you said you crossed,” Teekola continued, “Although I just assumed it was the edge of the world. With no need to cross it. I slowly made my way back towards the mountain. I continued to explain things to people, and my fast progress encouraged them more. As I got closer to the mountain, I heard rumors of a rope that was knotted to the side of the mountain, but I never thought it was yours. People are always looking for something to talk about here.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it was mine either,” Farren said with a smile remembering how he had doubted Thessius when he came to Farren making the same claim.
“I guess I came up near the same spot as you since I heard about the knot, but I never saw it for myself. I’m glad you finally made it up here. I can’t believe how long it took you.”
“Me neither,” Farren said recounting the years he had spent traveling. The sun had begun to rise, and early morning light seeped into the dark hole they had built out to talk away from the elements.
“You should probably start heading towards the top once the light is up,” Teekola said.
“Yeah we should,” Farren replied glad he would be summiting with an old friend.
“No, just you, friend. I will wait a day then follow. You are the only reason I made it this far.”
Farren looked at the man puzzled. “You don’t have to wait. We can go at the same time. I’m sure it won’t be an issue. Besides, you did as much work as I did to get up here.”
Teekola laughed a deep laugh at this comment. “You are a funny man Farren. I don’t believe anyone has done as much work as you. I don’t know if anyone has made it to the top of this mountain before. I doubt it from what I’ve seen of other travelers. But you deserve to be the first up since you were the reason I made it up here. It sounds like you will be the reason many more make it up this high.”
Farren blushed with excitement and pride seeing how much he had influenced Teekola, and likely many others, some he hadn’t even met.

When Farren finished, Teekola explained that he had found his rock less than a year after they split paths. “I wasn’t sure if you had reached the top yet so I decided to waste some time traveling in the forest meeting others and teaching them about chasing their rope. I had the same problem as you. Many weren’t very receptive despite me having my rock behind me. But a few listened, and I’m sure they will be up here shortly.”
Farren nodded his head, wondering why Teekola would have waited.
“I think I even found the water that you said you crossed,” Teekola continued, “Although I just assumed it was the edge of the world. With no need to cross it. I slowly made my way back towards the mountain. I continued to explain things to people, and my fast progress encouraged them more. As I got closer to the mountain, I heard rumors of a rope that was knotted to the side of the mountain, but I never thought it was yours. People are always looking for something to talk about here.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it was mine either,” Farren said with a smile remembering how he had doubted Thessius when he came to Farren making the same claim.
“I guess I came up near the same spot as you since I heard about the knot, but I never saw it for myself. I’m glad you finally made it up here. I can’t believe how long it took you.”
“Me neither,” Farren said recounting the years he had spent traveling. The sun had begun to rise, and early morning light seeped into the dark hole they had built out to talk away from the elements.
“You should probably start heading towards the top once the light is up,” Teekola said.
“Yeah we should,” Farren replied glad he would be summiting with an old friend.
“No, just you, friend. I will wait a day then follow. You are the only reason I made it this far.”
Farren looked at the man puzzled. “You don’t have to wait. We can go at the same time. I’m sure it won’t be an issue. Besides, you did as much work as I did to get up here.”
Teekola laughed a deep laugh at this comment. “You are a funny man Farren. I don’t believe anyone has done as much work as you. I don’t know if anyone has made it to the top of this mountain before. I doubt it from what I’ve seen of other travelers. But you deserve to be the first up since you were the reason I made it up here. It sounds like you will be the reason many more make it up this high.”
Farren blushed with excitement and pride seeing how much he had influenced Teekola, and likely many others, some he hadn’t even met.