There's No Place Like Home...

''I can't do this!'' Chris cried ''this is way too much than I bargained for''.

He took a step, and then another. One small step, the next bigger. Carla followed suit.

''Please. Please'' Chris was desperate. ''I want to go home now. Home time. No place like home, no place like home, no place like home''.

Silently, Carla agreed with Chris. Obstacles had come, it hadn't been easy.

They had to move downwards to reach up, made some unsolicited maneuvers to reach the next stage.

''This is worth it'' Carla coached Chris. ''This will be worth it''.

They were both sweating. It was hot and humid and the added effort they were putting in was beginning to wear thin on their sustainability.

''Water''. Chris croaked. ''I...need...water''. He stopped and took a long drink of the cool rescue.

It seemed the closer they reached to their destination, the harder it became.

Chris had been bitten by a snake, luckily not poisonous, but the pain was real.

''Devil right up in your face'' Carla had said. ''Don't let it phase you''.

Carla had become delusional. ''I see a rainbow...And a pot of gold...and a butterfly. A Beautiful...gold...butterfly flying over a rainbow in search for the pot of gold''. They both clung to each other, and cried.

But they continued. Sweating, moving forward, a few steps back, bigger ones forward, huge steps backwards, smaller ones forward.

''Are we getting anywhere?'' Chris asked.

Each new step forward was a step closer.

''Enough'' Chris screeched dropping to his knees. ''Enough! I can't go on. It's too much!'' He gasped for breath. ''Lets go back. I can smell fried chicken, I can taste it right now''.

Carla reached out, pulled herself up, then gasped. She stopped and stared.

''Chris'' Carla whispered. ''Look''.

''Nooo, fried chicken is all I want''. He grasped at the stones beneath his hands, sobbing.

''Chris!''. Carla's voice was laced in awe.

Chris stopped, opened one eye. He reached out, and pulled himself up.

He gasped. He stood to his feet then fell back down to his knees. He was overtaken by the sight before him. He stood, enveloped by paradise. The crisp blue sky, the clouds so close enough to almost touch. They were spun like candy floss, smoothly, gently, moving past his face.

Below, hills upon hills, the green of the landscape seemed surreal in contrast to the sky blue perfection of the heavens above. The sunlight glowed and caused a shimmer that only accentuated the beauty of the sight before them, as rays of sunlight danced across the sky and echoed its beauty on the earth below. Nothing could have prepared them for this.

''We made it Chris'' Carla gasped. ''We didn't just move the mountain. Despite the valleys and setbacks, we climbed and conquered it''.