Fia and the Mountain
She entered the world fast and fierce in a two-bedroom cabin perched high on a mountain ridge on a bitter December day. Her bright blue eyes peeked out from the swaddled family quilt, holding a determined look of confidence and readiness as she observed her new surroundings. Her parents had several possible names chosen, some sweet, some historical, but after a few moments of staring into the face of their new daughter, they agreed the only name fitting was Fia, meaning "wild" and "flame".
Fia began walking at nine months, mastered splitting kindling at three and was snaring wild hares for dinner stew by age five. She and her parents spent evening hours reading individually in front of the fire, or sometimes her mother would pull a classic book from the shelf, like The Wind in the Willows and read it out loud to the family. But during the daytime, sun or cold, you would only find Fia outside in the woods.
On her sixth Christmas, a sleek, handmade red oak toboggan sat gleaming under the decorated spruce tree. Her father sat back with pride as he watched his daughter rejoice in delight, his white bone pipe perched in the corner of his smile. After mugs of hot cocoa and egg fritters fed their bellies, Fia and her father wrapped scarves around their necks and tracked through the snow to a clearing not far from the cabin. After a few lessons in safety and maneuvering, Fia locked her mittened hands onto the cotton rope and sped down the hill, sliding safely into a soft berm below.
Hours of play turned into years of practice, and when she was barely seventeen, her parents shed happy tears of pride when they walked her into her new dorm. Fia, never taking a conventional route in life, had been accepted into a small mountain college boasting high academic standards with an equally long roster of Olympic bobsled medals won by their students. She walked into that school that September day, ready for new challenges and higher goals, eager to reach for all her dreams.
[photo by me. story is fictional.]
Love, love this story!
Delightful!!!’