The morning at the shrine began with a rude awakening. Kian and Jay were jolted from their slumber by the priest's booming voice, echoing through the wooden halls.
"Rise and shine, boys! This shrine won't clean itself!"
Kian groaned, pulling the thin blanket over his head. Jay, on the other hand, muttered something unintelligible and rolled over, clearly not ready to face the day. But the priest was having none of it. He yanked the covers off both of them with surprising strength for an old man, leaving them shivering in the chilly morning air.
"Up! The early bird catches the worm-or in your case, avoids the worst of my wrath."
Grumbling, Kian and Jay dragged themselves out of bed. The shrine was ancient, with dust in places that hadn't seen light in years. Their first task: sweeping the courtyard, which was littered with leaves, twigs, and the occasional spiderweb that Jay discovered with a yelp.
"Man, this is not what I signed up for," Jay complained, trying to shake a particularly stubborn cobweb off his broom.
Kian snorted, still half-asleep as he lazily swept a patch of dirt from one spot to another. "At least it's good cardio," he said, then added with a grin, "We could start a new workout trend: Extreme Shrine Cleaning."
Jay rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Yeah, right. Bet that'd go viral faster than your shark video."
The priest watched them with a bemused expression, arms crossed as he leaned against the entrance to the shrine. "Less talking, more sweeping. And don't forget the shrine steps-they haven't been cleaned in ages."
They groaned in unison but trudged toward the steep flight of stone steps leading up to the main shrine. Jay, ever the jokester, made a dramatic show of counting each step as he went, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"One… two… three… This is definitely what I envisioned when I thought of 'adventure in the mountains,'" he muttered, his voice growing more exaggerated with each number. "Four… five… six… I'll have thighs of steel by the time we're done here."
Kian, smirking, threw a handful of leaves at him. "You're already halfway there, man."
After hours of cleaning, the shrine looked somewhat presentable-if you squinted and ignored the spots they'd inevitably missed. The priest seemed satisfied, at least, which was all that mattered.
"You've done well," he said, nodding appreciatively. "Now, there's one more task for you today. I need you to retrieve a letter from a friend of mine who lives further down the mountain."
Jay perked up at this, eager for anything that didn't involve more dusting. "Finally, something that sounds like an adventure!"
But the priest's next words dampened his enthusiasm. "You'll be taking the old mountain path. It's quicker but a bit more… treacherous."
Kian and Jay exchanged glances, excitement and apprehension mingling in their eyes. This was what they had been craving-a real challenge, something that would get their adrenaline pumping.
As they prepared to leave, the priest handed them a skateboard and a parachute. Jay looked at the items, then back at the priest, his eyebrow raised.
"And what exactly are we supposed to do with these?" Jay asked, holding up the parachute like it was an alien artifact.
The priest smiled enigmatically. "You'll figure it out."
With that cryptic advice, they set off down the mountain path. It wasn't long before they realized what the priest had meant by "treacherous." The path was steep, winding down the side of the mountain with sharp drops on either side. But instead of feeling fear, Kian felt a familiar rush of excitement.
"This is gonna be epic," Kian said, a grin spreading across his face as he strapped on the parachute. "You ready, Jay?"
Jay, who had already secured the parachute's harness around his shoulders, nodded, though there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "Ready as I'll ever be. Let's make this count."
They improvised quickly-Kian would take the skateboard, using the slope to gain speed, while Jay would follow close behind, parachute billowing in the wind. As they started down the path, the wind caught in the parachute, lifting Jay off the ground. He let out a whoop of exhilaration as he soared just above Kian, the tension in the rope between them creating a thrilling dance of balance and speed.
Kian crouched low on the skateboard, the wheels humming against the rough path. The adrenaline surged through him as the trees blurred by, the mountain air whipping through his hair. The narrow path and the rocky terrain made it a ride that was as dangerous as it was exhilarating.
"Watch out for that rock!" Jay shouted from above, his voice carried away by the wind.
Kian swerved just in time, narrowly avoiding a jagged boulder that would have sent him flying. They were moving faster now, the slope becoming steeper with every twist and turn. Jay's parachute strained, the wind tugging at him violently, but he held on, steering them both with as much control as he could muster.
"Uh, Kian," Jay called out, panic creeping into his voice. "I think we've got a problem!"
They were nearly at the bottom when disaster struck. The skateboard hit a particularly rough patch of gravel, the wheels screeching in protest. Before Kian could react, one of the wheels shattered, sending him tumbling forward.
At the same time, Jay's parachute caught on a low-hanging branch, tearing several large holes in the fabric. He was dragged down by the sudden loss of lift, hitting the ground with a thud and rolling to a stop beside Kian.
For a moment, they just lay there, dazed and breathless. Then, as the dust settled, Kian turned his head to look at Jay, who was staring at the wreckage of the skateboard.
"Well," Kian finally said, staring up at the sky. "That went… about as well as expected."
Jay groaned, sitting up to inspect the damage. "And by that, you mean a complete disaster."
Before they could say anything else, they heard a slow, exaggerated clap echo through the trees. Both boys turned their heads, still sprawled out on the ground, to see a figure standing nearby. He was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, a wide grin plastered across his face, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
It was priest's friend, the one who was supposed to hand them the letter.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Looks like the shrine and these mountains are going to be lively again with you two around. I mean, I've seen some crazy stuff up here, but this? This takes the cake."
Kian, still lying flat on his back, groaned and raised a hand. "Please tell me you got that on video."
he smirked and held up his phone, wiggling it in the air. "Oh, you bet I did. That's going to make the highlight reel for sure. I've never seen anyone attempt something so stupid… and actually survive."
Jay sat up, rubbing his sore shoulder. "Stupid? That was a perfectly calculated risk! It's not our fault the equipment decided to take a day off."
"Calculated risk?" he snorted, walking over to them. "Looked more like you were calculating how many bones you could break on the way down. But hey, who am I to judge?"
He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Kian. "Here's your letter. Straight from the priest's pen pal or whatever. And maybe, just maybe, consider sticking to safer hobbies, yeah? Like, I don't know, knitting?"
Kian took the letter, chuckling as he struggled to sit up. "Safer hobbies? Where's the thrill in that? Besides, we're just getting started. Imagine what we'll come up with next!"
Jay nodded enthusiastically, despite the dirt smeared across his face. "Yeah, maybe we'll try bungee jumping off the side of the mountain. Or how about zip-lining between the peaks?"
he laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You two are something else. I give you a couple of hours at the shrine, and you're already planning your next death-defying stunt. You're going to be legends around here, that's for sure. The crazy kind."
Kian grinned, finally getting to his feet. "Legends? I like the sound of that. We'll put this place on the map for sure."
"Yeah," Jay added, brushing off his pants. "They'll be talking about us for years. 'Remember those two idiots who tried to fly down the mountain on a skateboard? Absolute legends.'"
he rolled his eyes, though his smile never faded. "Just make sure you're still around to hear those stories, okay? It'd be a shame if I had to tell them without you."