Saturday, May 02, 2009
The Mountaintop Butterflies
Atlas of Curiosities Part 2:
The climb was longer than we had expected. We picked our ways over ancient stone stairs covered in slick moss and slime, and took paths through the grass cut by wandering elephants. Our legs were bleeding from the leeches that took every opportunity to latch on to us, and shaky from hours of ascent. As night came on, we were high enough to be within the storm clouds of the monsoon, the lightning that surrounded us was sometimes overhead and sometimes below us in the valley. Exhausted, soaking wet, and cold, we sat to rest.
We were found quite improbably by some caretakers of the temple lights, who offered us tea and rice, and a bed for the night. Three hours before sunrise, we rose again to continue the climb. The storms had dissipated, and we walked by starlight, which was indeed enough light by which to see. Arriving at the mountain’s pinnacle at sunrise, we were surprised to see a cascade of white butterflies flowing from the temple, which were beautiful and unafraid of human beings. Indeed, the monk who lived alone at the top of the peak handled them as if they were his companions as they greeted us.