The Other Side of Lone Mountain

Chapter Seven

Mark had just awakened from unconsciousness when he heard voices. One sounded like a woman’s. He was very weak, but he had to try to call out for help. “Hello? Is anybody there? Help me!” His voice was so feeble he wasn’t sure they heard him. Mark waited and listened but the voices were fading away. They hadn’t heard him. He slipped back into unconsciousness. He was still wet from the rain and feverish.

He’d been on the ledge for two days now or was three, he couldn’t remember. He knew that if he weren’t found soon he would die there. He drifted in and out of consciousness.

When Mark next awakened it was dark. He listened, hoping to hear someone, but all he heard were the sounds of the forest.

He began to think about Vickie and the kids. He knew that Paul would be out there looking for him and that he would avoid upsetting Vickie for as long as possible. How he missed them. He pictured Vickie in his mind, her beautiful face, full of love and tenderness. Suddenly, she was standing there in front of him. “Mark darling, hold on. Don’t you dare give up! I love you. I need you, the kids need you. Hold on. Everything will be alright.” Just as suddenly, she was gone. He continued to stare at the space where she had stood.

“I must be hallucinating.” Just then his mother was kneeling before him. “Marky.” That was what his mother always called him. “I’m here son, you hold on. It’s not your time to go yet. You just keep hangin on.” Then he saw his father. “Son, I’ve always taught you how to be strong, no matter what situation you find yourself in. So, you just hang in there. Don’t give up.” Then they were both gone and Mark slipped back into unconsciousness.

Several hours past and the temperature continued to dip. When Mark woke up again he was shivering from the cold and the fever. During the rain he had caught some of the rain in his hiking canteen so he pulled that out and took several sips from it. He realized he didn’t have much left. He was very dehydrated and hypothermia had set in. He knew he couldn’t last much longer without food and water.

He tried to remember some of his training from the Boy Scouts. They had taught him how to survive in the wilderness by eating roots and plants, also how to find water. But
how do you find water on a ledge on a mountain?

He looked around him and found several limbs shooting out from the side of the wall next to him. It took great effort, but he finally pulled out his camping knife from his pocket and began digging around one of the limbs. Maybe he could get some nourishment from the roots. He had to try.

After several minutes he had to stop because the effort had exhausted him. His hands were numb and his lips were parched and felt like they were cracked. His leg hurt and he couldn’t move it. He was sure that it was broken.

Mark began to pray. “Lord, please help me. I don’t want to leave my wife and children. Please Lord I want to see my children grow up, don’t let me die. There’s so much I still want to do and say. I want to tell my Vickie how much I love her and have appreciated having her in my life. Please don’t let me die just yet. I know that Paul is searching for me, please help him find me. Amen.”

He then slipped back into unconsciousness.