The path went uphill all the way. It was barely visible in the near darkness. There was just a hint of gray, a lightening of the sky somewhere ahead of him. He slowly started jogging up the incline.

After a while, sweat started dripping off his brow in spite of the coolness of the hour and the gentle breeze. He didn’t stop. His feet continued pounding the dirt track in a steady rhythm. He was in no hurry at all. There was enough time.

By the time he reached the topmost accessible point, his breath was coming in gasps. He bent down, hands resting on knees and waited for his breath to normalize. Then straightening himself, he walked to the edge of the cliff.

The sky was by now a pearl gray with a hint of pink. The rocks and trees could now be seen for what they were. From where he stood, in the distance was the blue undulating sea. If he held his breath he could almost hear the waves, like a distant murmur. He carefully seated himself on a protruding ledge of rock, feet dangling over a heart-stopping sheer drop and waited.

It didn’t take long. The eastern sky burst into glorious shades of orange within seconds and a bright orb of orange shyly peered above the sea line in the distant horizon. Mesmerized, he watched it leave behind its initial hesitance and confidently stride forward to become a full-fledged circle, ready to conquer the world for the day.

It was morning. Good morning!

Linked to Phrase Phase #8 at A Prompt Each Day

©Shail Mohan 2015