Melanie's Mountain

{A Christmas Story}

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“Keep hiking!” Jamie hollered back at her.

She made sure his back was turned before giving the most exaggerated eye-roll she could muster. The man was infuriating. She tripped, again, over apparently nothing. But who could know, with the massive layer of snow that crunched beneath and melted into her boots? This wasn’t exactly how she had planned on spending her Christmas.

The other hikers seemed far more capable of taking on the ice-cold, brutal hike. Emily jogged back towards her. (How was this girl jogging?? She was having trouble even walking.)

“You doing okay, Melanie?”

“Yeah, sure, totally.”

“Hey. Just keep going, we’re almost to the top.”

Melanie tried not to think about the fact that they weren’t even half way. Didn’t these crazy people know that “the top” was the half way point? Unless, of course, she fell down the steep mountain thing they were climbing. In that case, her hike would be almost over and her residence in the hospital would be just beginning. She took a deep breath and began the endless mental process of berating herself.

C’mon Melanie, why are you this sarcastic? You constantly make yourself miserable. When did this start?

She started to answer her own silent question with a whispered answer, but stopped right after she started. It was too painful; she couldn’t say it. The crack on the edge of her heart sunk a little deeper.

Jesus, I can’t do this. Please help me.

She knew that God would understand the implication of her plea. She didn’t need help with the climbing, just like she didn’t need help driving to school every day and picking up groceries and working and homework and running. But even the mundane every day things were like solid weights dragging at her heart, ripping it apart and making it bleed in these moments. It wasn’t the little things that killed her; it was the heaviness and aching of her heart that made every action ten thousand times harder. She wasn’t begging for help to finish the hike, she was begging for him to carry her through this season.

Jamie turned, hollered down the mountain slope. “We did it!” 

Melanie stumbled the last few steps and turned. The view made her gasp a little. The city lights were illuminated in every feathery spiral of snow. The sky was clear, even though it was lightly snowing. The stars were blinking their glowing patterns of calm and wild paradoxes into the deep blackness of the December night. The glow of their flashlights flickered into darkness as each person in the group reverently turned them off and gazed at the wonder of the city at night, decorated in scintillating beauty.

“Wow, it makes it all worth it, doesn’t it?”

Emily turned towards her. “I’m glad to hear you say that.”

“Yeah, well, it came out before I could stop it. I don’t want Jamie to have the satisfaction of knowing my change of heart.”

Jason laughed. “Jamie, hear that? Apparently for once in your life you’re right.”

“And Melanie was wrong,” Jamie said smugly.

Melanie gritted her teeth and smiled. “Right.”

Jamie laughed. “Melanie, I should probably tell you something now."

"Now?"

"Well, you were getting on my nerves with all your complaining."

“I was getting on your nerves?”

“Well, I always enjoy this hike, and you were kind of bringing down the Christmas spirit.”

“Right.”

“Anyway, I decided not to tell you to make you suffer a little more.”

“What, Jamie?” It came out exasperated. If he kept skirting the question he might find himself taking this mountain 9.8 meters per second squared – meaning, gravity was going to take him all the way down by means of her shove if he didn’t stop this immediately.

Jamie grinned infuriatingly and walked farther. Melanie threw her hands up, and turned to Emily. But before she could complain, Jamie was back, several sleds in tow. Melanie gaped, too relieved and surprised to remember how much she hated Jamie at the moment. Jamie handed off the other sleds and dragged the last over to Melanie. He sat carefully, his mittened hand holding the ropes as he motioned for her to sit in front of him. Melanie tentatively sat on the front edge of the sled, waiting for the terrifying rush of the downhill descent. But, unlike Jamie’s usually impulsive and reckless self, he paused. “You ready?” If Melanie had heard right, there was actually something like gentleness in the tone he used. She nodded, and then suddenly they were off, flying down the hill ridiculously fast, her hands gripping the edges of the wood, Jamie’s arms securely around her shoulders, steering the sled. She let out a scream, albeit a delighted one, as the cold December air hit her face and rushed past in a wild display of speed and thrill. Jamie let out a whoop and purposely veered the sled to the sides. Melanie let out a yelp. “I’m going to be killed!”

“Oh, you’re fine!” Jamie was no longer sympathetic, apparently.

Melanie shrugged and felt the rush of the snow beneath her, the strength in Jamie’s arms as he guided the sled, the bitterness of the air brushing her cheeks with its frosty temper. They were at the bottom of the hill far too quickly, and they sat at the foot of the slope. Melanie tried to calm her quick breaths, tried to calm her heartbeat, tried to wipe off the ridiculous grin that wouldn’t get off of her face.

She was about to stand when Jamie’s voice stopped her. It was soft, comforting.

“You know Melanie, I don’t know what you’re going through right now. But I hope you realize that sometimes life is like that long climb. It’s cold, it’s heartless, it’s long. But the view at the top is worth it. I hope you know that. And, Melanie…”

Melanie managed to mumble a “hmm?” through her tears.

His voice was a whisper. “There are always the good times that come after the hard ones. I hope you hold on to Jesus for the climb so he can take you on a beautiful ride of your life. You would have never gotten this ride without the climb.”

“I understand,” Melanie whispered.

Jamie’s voice was teasing again. “Guess this means that you’ll climb up again, huh?”

“Nope, you rotten egg head, I want some hot chocolate.”

“Alright kid, hot chocolate it is. But since when was I a rotten egg head? You’re the one with the sour mood all the time. And admit it, this ride cured you.”

“We all know you didn’t plan this trip to cure my mood.”

“Well, at least I don’t have a mood like yours.”

Well, Jamie was back. Strange, he could fluctuate between serious and stupid in less than two seconds. Melanie’s heart was light as they walked back into the city lights.

But Melanie never quite left the mountain. For it was there that she learned that to climb is to journey to the next adventure. It took the climb to see the view, to see the purpose of every scar. It was from that place that she could begin the next step of her life. And no matter the pain, God was working everything for her good. And that was enough.