Chapter Six - The Mountain's Secret

CHAPTER SIX

The Mountain's Secret

THE MIST PARTED.
Pip and Bumble stood before the biggest mountain they had ever seen.

It wasn’t just big.
It was impossibly big.
It stretched so high, it disappeared into the stars.
The Mountain of Echoes.

“This must be The Valley of Rest,” Pip whispered.
“Nope,” said Bumble, reading an old wooden sign.
The sign said:
“Welcome to The Trial of Truth.”

The wind howled. The ground trembled.
Then… the mountain spoke.
“WHO SEEKS TO CLIMB ME?”

“I, I’m Pip. This is Bumble,” Pip stammered.
“We’ve come to find where the river goes.”

The mountain rumbled, almost laughing.
“FOOLISH LITTLE PEBBLE. THERE IS NO RIVER.”

Pip blinked.
“What?”

The mountain’s voice grew sad.
“THE RIVER NEVER EXISTED. IT WAS A LEGEND. A MYTH. A STORY TO MAKE THE SMALL FEEL BIG.”

Pip’s heart sank.
All this way… for nothing?
Was the journey meaningless?

Bumble put his big paw on Pip’s tiny shoulder.
“Maybe the mountain’s wrong.”

The mountain boomed.
“ONLY ONE WAY TO KNOW. CLIMB.”

Pip squared his tiny pebble shoulders.
“I came this far. I’ll climb.”

As they climbed, Pip noticed something strange.

The wind whispered “You’re not real.”
The rocks mumbled “You’re too small.”
The clouds hissed “Turn back.”

But Pip kept going.
And then… halfway up… they reached a ledge.

On it sat… another pebble.
But this pebble had arms, legs, a tiny face, and big bright eyes.
Pip froze.
“Who are you?”

The pebble smiled.
“I’m Pip.”

Bumble gasped.
Pip gasped.

Two Pips.
What. Was. Happening.