D H Dunn [Dunn - Seas of Everest

T he grass on Everest was a lush, verdant green.

Nima lay on her back, hands crossed behind her head, allowing this new world to soak into her. The grass poked through a thin layer of snow, tickling the back of her neck. She laughed at the pure magic of it all, her voice echoing happily down the mountain.

Grass on Everest, even if it was the Everest of another world. Her excitement ran through her like the wind. This was a world made for adventure.

Sunlight fell from a crisp, blue sky, warming the majestic mountain, its slopes alive with the sound of birdsong. The wind carried the scent of flowers to her, while bringing gooseflesh to her arms. Breathing in deep, her lungs filled with strength.

Far from the dead air of the mountain she knew, this was a place abundant with life. It was like something from a story, a fable.

Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it. There would be time for food and shelter. Those were problems, and right now Nima wasnt interested in problems.

In all times of life, Nimas grandfather had told her, you can focus on your troubles, or see whats over the next hill.

She could still see him, her fathers father, arriving at their village in northern Nepal as he always had. Unexpected, and bearing stories and books. As a little girl, Nima would rush to greet him, this amazing, world-travelling Sherpa, letting him scoop her into his arms and fill her mind with tales and adventures.

Nimas mother had never approved. She could still see Ama standing in the corner with her folded frown and folded arms. To Nima, her mothers disapproval had only made her grandfather more special. Unlike Nima or her father, he wasnt afraid of Ama. He would sit right there in the room and read stories to Nima, Amas scowling quickly giving way to worlds of kings and queens, knights and dragons.

Now Nima wished for all her heart that he could see her, see the adventure she was about to take for her own. It was not an adventure without challenges, but Nima was sure her problems would solve themselves over the next hill, just as her grandfather had said.

She pulled herself to her feet, a thin layer of snow sticking wet to her back. Her stomach growled again, a bit more adamant this time.

Fine, fine, she said to no one. Time to get going.

She looked up, trying to see the peak of this Everest, but there was a steady bank of clouds that seemed to cluster around the top of the mountain, staying there despite the blue skies and the steady wind.

She guessed she was still at the same altitude she had reached on the Everest of her world, a snowy and chilling height of just under eight thousand meters. There, she had encountered harsh winds and a biting cold that had eaten through her clothing like paper, snow as deep as her waist at times. It had been beautiful in its own way, but deadly.

This Everest was nothing like that.

Low bushes peeked out from cracks in the rock, yellow flowers bloomed abundantly, clinging to ivy that twisted and turned through the stones of the mountain. Here and there was an odd patch of snow, perhaps a holdover from a receding winter.

The air itself was completely different. Rich in smells and life, each breath filled Nimas lungs with oxygen and strength. As she paced around the small clearing the magical portal had deposited her on, her limbs rejoiced in new strength and energy. She felt as if she could run down the mountain. As she cast her eyes around her, the land features looked the same. Lhoste, Nupste and all the familiar peaks were here, their sides each painted with emerald grasses, just as in bloom as Everest.

Down the mountain was another matter. When she had first arrived in this strange green world, she could see clearly down this new Everest. No Khumbu Icefall awaited her at the bottom, but rather a wide river, blue and moving with a strength and power that was evident even at this distance. The land around the river was rockier, less greens and more browns, leading to a deep forest, its dark interior resistant to light. Beyond the forest, she witnessed a sight so surreal that she struggled to wrap her mind around it.

An ocean, a great sea with Everest not far from its shore. A plain of rolling water, sparkling in the sunlight, extending out to the horizon.

It was as magical as anything she had ever laid eyes on, an expanse of blue and green that was so beautiful, so filled with possibilities her heart was nearly pained by the sight of it.

Enchanted though she was, Nima was still paying close attention to the changing scene down the mountain. Not long after she had arrived, she spied a storm brewing in the distance, carrying dark clouds and lightning as it appeared over the ocean on the horizon. It seemed to be heading right for her. She couldnt predict if the storm would rise to her altitude, but she was sure if it did, she would find no shelter from it in this pastoral setting.

The mountain and the surrounding lands were breathtaking, yet the constant silence made her uneasy.

There were many sounds of course. Nima could hear the wind foremost. It whipped through her hair as it rushed past to the summit. Not as violent or as bitter cold as the wind of her Everest, but it was ever-present.

Birds flew overhead, squawking and chattering to each other. There were rustles in the leaves of the bushes, made by either small rodents or the breeze pushing through the branches. Every now and then she would hear a growl or a snort. Somewhere there was a larger animal, but she couldnt locate it.

But there was no talking. With a suddenness that shocked her, Nima realized she might be the only person on this world. After months with Drew and Pasang, weeks staying with Gyalzen and Dorjee and the many people she met in the Under, she had become accustomed to companionship. Nima did not mind being alone for short periods of time, but the idea of being alone forever was another matter entirely.

Her mind drifted to Wanda, the Polish womans severe face that occasionally allowed a smile, the shock of red hair, her fierce mind and passionate commitment to her homeland. Nima felt a pang that she had not experienced for Pasang or Drew; she believed they were safe. She could not know for certain, but they were both safe the last time she saw them and she chose to believe they stayed that way,