[Warning! Mentions suicide]
The sea of white clouds drifted lazily beneath his feet as he basked under the afternoon sun.
Beautiful wildflowers swayed harmoniously in the refreshing summer breeze atop mount Gula.
Mikael held his aching knees. Beads of sweat from hours of hiking slid down his finely sculpted visage as he gasped for breath. He dropped his hiking equipment on a boulder and sat beside it.
The cold wind ruffled his dark hair while the setting sun painted his pale skin orange.
'At last… I'm here.' His eyes slowly opened, revealing melancholic pale green irises.
He drank in the glorious sight before him. Mount Gula's summit is best known for its incredible beauty that would make anyone rejoice at merely living. It was dubbed as "Heaven on Earth" with a tagline "Climb and feel alive!" but Mikael thought otherwise.
'Lies. I went this far and I still feel like shit.' He sighed.
The place did look amazing but somehow, to Mikael, it seemed like the edge of the world… a place perfect for ending his miserable life.
'I wonder how many of us were scammed to climb this?'
Mount Gula's reputation had been a target for excessive capitalism for years. The management charged exorbitant entrance fees in the name of 'environment maintenance fee' and psychiatrists persuade depressed patients to climb the mountain 'to see how insignificant their worries are compared to the rest of the world'. Sure, some of the patients returned with a more positive outlook in life, thus further enhancing the mountain's tourism but some of the more severe ones ended up on the other side of the cliff – voluntarily tumbling down their deaths in hopes of reaching the real heaven from this 'heaven on Earth.'
'I wonder which side I am on…'
Mikael stood up and strode to the cliff. He gazed at the fluffy clouds as he looked back on his miserable life.
Mikael Lee had once been blessed with everything. He had a handsome face, a nice personality, an intelligent mind, a wealthy household, and loving parents. He had no siblings, but he never felt lonely as many people called him their brother. He thought everything would just fall into place as he lived his high school life in contentment but suddenly, it took a 180 degree turn when his parent's company went bankrupt. His father took large loans to rebuild their business but then the recession hit the country – sending his father to despair… until he made the drastic decision of taking his own life.
Mikael's mother, who was mentally stronger, struggled to pay back their debts and keep up with Mikael's college fees. She worked seven days a week, from morning to night until her frail body broke from overwork, leaving Mikael alone with millions-worth of debt.
He sought after his friends for help but the ones who called him brother were the first to abandon him.
He dropped out of school and worked to provide for himself. At first, he was convinced that he can turn his life around, but the years dragged by and at 22, nothing changed except for the debt that ballooned with interest.
Mikael eyed the cliff edge.
The soft clouds blanketing the horizon gave the impression of comfort and warmth.
Mikael, in a daze, took a step closer.
He thought the clouds were inviting him in its embrace.
The voice in his head whispered soothing words, urging him to take one more step forward… toward the bed of orange clouds that would take him to eternal slumber, away from the harsh reality…
Away from the wicked boss that taunted him for being a college drop-out…
Away from his sore muscles that screamed of overwork…
Away from his exhausted mind that wondered when the loan sharks will stop harassing him.
'One step. That's all it takes to free myself from this misery.'
Mikael was very tempted to take that one small step.
'father left us and freed himself. Why can't I do the same?'
'I don't have friends. No one will be sad when I'm gone… ah! I guess the loan sharks will be sad since there's no one left to take over the debt.'
Just as he was about to jump down, a gentle breeze parted the clouds. Mikael saw that underneath those cottony clouds were jagged rocks ready to impale him.
Suddenly, jumping to his death didn't seem so appealing.
'Umm.. that's probably gonna hurt, right?'
He took a step back.
'Maybe I should find a painless way instead? Or rather, what the hell am I thinking? Suicide? Hah! That's no way to solve my problems! Suicide is for cowards! If I hold on for just a bit more, maybe an opportunity to turn my life around will come.'
Mikael suddenly realized that it was not the mountain's enchanting beauty that saved psychiatric patients but the overwhelming fear of death by impalement.
He turned around, feeling relieved that he was still alive.
"Climb and feel alive! – the tagline really suits this place." Mikael chuckled, his mind racing at all the things he wanted to do after so many years of wallowing in self-pity.
Then a strong gust of wind blew him back and sent dust particles in his melancholic eyes that had just regained their shine.
"Aack!" Mikael raised his arms to shield his face.
The gust turned to a gale that sent him tumbling backward.
'Huh?' His eyes widened at the sudden weightlessness.
The next moment, he was falling… down the jagged rocks that returned his will to live.
His life flashed before him, and he felt resentful.
'The heck?! So, in the end, I'm still going to die? What kind of joke are you playing at?!' he glared at the sky 'you won't let me die when I wanted to die, but now that I want to live… haaah… pathetic.'
Mikael thought that his tear ducts had long since dried up. He thought he already cried a lifetime's worth when his mother died but surprisingly, as he was falling to his death, his eyes watered.
He could see his tears floating before him in slow motion.
Regret filled his heart.
'I shouldn't have wasted my life like that… I should've tried more… I should have – '
Crack!
His back hit a jagged rock and sharp pain coursed his body.
'it hurts…like hell…'
His fingers clawed the ground in an attempt to slow his fall, but the rocky slope only broke his fingernails. His blood smeared the ground with horror-inducing hand marks as he continued to slide down the steep slope.
He rolled to a stop at the base of the cliff. Tall trees cast dark shadows that obstructed his vision.
'I… can't move…'
Mikael croaked his death throes. "Help… please help me… anyone…"
Tap…
Pitter… Patter…
Drops of rain fell on his battered body.
The rain fell hard, and it soon drowned his pleas.
The gale had ushered thick grey clouds above him.
Lightning flashed and illuminated the area.
Fear.
Mikael was engulfed in fear when he saw the corpses surrounding him. Their mangled bodies were torn in numerous places, indicating that the mountain animals treated this place as a dining area.
'F*CK! The tourism pamphlet did not say this place is a graveyard! I know this place is a famous suicide spot but at least collect the bodies! where do they use that pricy entrance fee for?! Stupid capitalism!'
KRAKABOOM!!
The booming thunder jolted him out of his thoughts.
His heart thumped furiously and his eyes darted around in fear but no animal came. He realized that he was still lucky as the animals should be taking shelter from the storm.
This way, he could die before they come to eat his flesh.
"Ugh… what a disgusting thought."
Then came the biting cold.
Mikael felt his sticky blood pooling beneath him.
The rain diluted his blood but the metallic stench still assaulted his nostrils.
He wanted to vomit but his body failed to respond so he just stared ahead, waiting for his inevitable death.
' I guess this is it… God. If you are real, please tell me I've met my share of misfortunes in this life and make my next life a happy one.'
Soon, his senses dulled – He could no longer feel the pain.
No longer smell the blood.
No longer hear the rain.
No longer see the clouds.
All that was left was the bitter cold and endless darkness.
Finally, Mikael accepted his fate 'at least I was not alone when I died… all those bodies…those people… we were not alone'
--Chapter End--