Two Men, One Boy and a Mountain (a short fable)

Two men and one boy received strange letters in the mail, telling them that something special lay on top of the breathtaking Mount Gemma, a mysterious message to say the least. 

Albert, a world renowned mathematical genius, on a normal day would have dismissed the letter as nothing more than a gimmick or a letter from a crazy person.  But he happened to have a dream about that particular mountain the night before.  He was standing at the base of the mountain, and a man pointed up, and said “a great reward is at the top.”  Then he woke up.  A little shaken by the letter, he did what any man would do, he googled Mount Gemma.  It would be a 40 mile trek, with 12,000 feet elevation gain.  He calculated that it would take him about 100,000 steps to reach the top.  100,000 steps!  He pictured how difficult it would be to do just 100 steps at that slope and then he thought about doing that 1,000 times and he shuttered.  He laughed, “no way, I’m just going to stay here in my comfy house and do math problems.”

Fabricio had the same dream and got the same letter as Albert.  He knew there was going to be something so amazing at the top.  Without thinking, he hopped on the next flight out of town, toward Mount Gemma.  After a night stay and a long car ride to get to the base, he was ready to tackle the giant mountain.  He knew he could take this mountain on.  He sprinted up as fast as he could go, so excited what might lay at the top.  He grew tired quickly, his muscles tied up, he could no longer breathe.  He wondered how much longer it was to the top.  I mean, he had been sprinting up the thing for one hour now, you’d think he’d be close.  A local strode by, whistling.  Fabricio wheezed back at him: “Sir, how much…longer…to the…top.”  “The top of what?  There’s a good viewpoint of Mount Gemma just a ways further.”  Fabricio struggled to the viewpoint and saw the giant mountain still lay before him, it did not look any closer than when he first started.  Fabricio turned around.  “There is no way any man can get to the top of that,” he thought.

Little David was fourteen, though he looked like he was ten.  He hated being small.  He also had the same dream and got the letter.  His mom, who passed away just a year before, always told him to “follow his dreams.”  He intended to do just that.  He googled Mount Gemma with his curious dad looking over his shoulder.  Some mathematician had posted somewhere that it would take approximately 100,000 steps to reach the top.  David quickly got discouraged.  But his dad asked him “and how many steps does it take to get closer to the top?”  “I suppose just one,” David replied.  “Son, don’t get discouraged about the long journey ahead, for the only step we have control over is the next one.  With that step, we decide which direction to go.”  Two weeks later, father and son, stood on top of the magnificent Mount Gemma.  Through blood, sweat, and tears, he followed his dream to the conclusion.  David did not even bother to look around for the great reward that was supposed to await him there.  He and his dad stood together on top of the world.  What other reward could there be?

God has put dreams in all our hearts, mountains for us to climb.  The journey might be long or seem impossible but we must obey and keep moving forward with faith.  The only step that matters is the next one. Which direction are you going today?