Mountain Thief

High on the mountain I stood before the iron door. A cold wind blew from the between the cracks. Peering in I could see the tunnel stretch far into the darkness, a hollow needle piercing the mountain’s heart, a golden idol stolen by those who had come before me.

Deep in this place where steel tools had scraped at the gold heart of the mountain, the very earth had grown cold and angry. A dark life still seemed to flow through these veins and pressed me onwards to an empty hall. Here, this was where we had selfishly taken the mountain’s treasure, ignorant of the real treasures that lay outside.

While I gaped at my discovery, the mountain saw its chance to exact revenge on the last trespasser to this sacred place. Behind me the first stone fell from the ceiling.

Looking back, my moment of wonder transformed into a sick horror as rocks slid from the walls. If the tunnels collapsed, I would be buried alive, forever entombed in this chamber, a thousand feet beneath warm skies and fresh air. Desperate, I charged through the falling rubble.

From the outside the mountain seemed at peace. There was no sign of the maelstrom I had witnessed beneath the surface. Looking down I examined the stone I had latched onto in my escape. I too had stolen a piece of the wealth in the darkness.

-2012-
sleepwalking
new chapter

-2011-
like sedona?
torn in two
blink
bridge to nowhere
door
hitting the wall
elusive 2
elusive 1
ascenders
voyage
hole
icarus

-2010-
revisited 2
revisited 1
which way?
the pit
treasure
narrow
snowfall
chute
false floor
monolith
crack
freeze
slice
bunker
beckon
treasure
resolution

-2009-
goodbyes
undercurrents
casting the bones
mountain thief
the deer hunter
strange temple
sanctuary
burial pt. 3
burial pt. 2
burial pt. 1
scarlet fever
rebirth from hell
forsaken
the lower depths
underground lake
stretch sewer
crypt
still waters
shadow movements
meager rations
sw pt.8: geothermal + ending
sw pt.7: lost gold mines
sw pt.6: big tube caves
sw pt.5: gold!
sw pt.4: el calderon caves
sw pt.3: redondo
sw pt.2: ghosts
southwest adventure pt.1
the river
dark salvation
reflections
dreams
the underdark
night odyssey
beginnings