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The Ultimate Thrill (Short Story)

The Ultimate Thrill
By C. J. Strong

          Carvin North was a teen with little to no self-worth. He had lost half of his right leg the year before due to frostbite, and had to have it replaced with a prosthetic. Still, he didn’t see himself as a victim though, after all it was his stupid choice to stay out for too long.
          It was in the middle of winter, and he decided to do it. As a member of the North family, he felt obligated to do so. After all, it was a trek that every male in his family had taken for generations; a passage into manhood if you will. The goal was to leave without any supplies at all, and climb to the top of the Grilda Summit. Now, for any normal healthy adult, this wouldn’t be so bad. For Carvin, it was quite the task.
          He left his house with only a jacket and cane. He failed to mention to his parents that today was going to be the day, though they had a good idea that he would eventually go. Once that front door closed behind him, he was a man on a mission. It was about five miles to the base of the mountain, which wasn’t much trouble for him. Occasionally the snow would be too deep and his artificial would get caught, but other than that he made it there with ease. He had done his research, and he knew how to climb.
          Slow and steady, he thought as he began up the mountain. For the first time since he got it, he was finally able to use his cane for what he wanted to do: to climb. Carvin did just that. He climbed and he climbed, all while maintaining a steady pace. Eventually he reached the ‘Cave of the North’, a term his family coined long ago as a safe haven to rest. Determined to redeem himself, he pressed on without taking a break at the cave. He knew that if he travelled too high too fast his lungs would freeze up, but at the rate he was going he was in no imminent danger.
          The sun was just beginning to set by the time he reached the half way point, and Carvin was getting pretty tired. Maybe I should’ve stopped back there, he thought as fought to keep his heart rate down. Breathing heavily would do him no good at this height, so he decided to ignore his body and press on. There really wasn’t much to this hike, besides a beautiful view of the town down below. Carvin could care less about admiring the sights or enjoying anything until he got to the top. Nearly a hundred people had frequented this peak before, and he was about to be hundred-and-one as he approached the top.
          Carvin climbed higher and higher, eventually dropping his cane in the snow and bear crawling the last few hundred feet. A flag flew majestically from above, and he knew he was almost there. The flag was supposedly placed there by a family member long ago, and was that of an old family crest. In order to prove you had done it, each person had to take a picture at the top holding the flag before they could be considered a true man of the North. Nowadays one could just Photoshop themselves there, but that wouldn’t have given Carvin the satisfaction that he craved.
          His hands at last touched the metal handle of the flag and he looked up to realize that he had accomplished his goal. Carvin North had finally done it. He held on tight to the pole as he rolled from a crawl onto the side of the peak. He just lied there in disbelief as his other hand reached for his fake leg. A sense of confusion came over his face as he felt an emptiness through his pant leg. I’m such a dumbass, he thought. I must have lost it when I rushed to the top.
          Regardless, handicapped or not, Carvin had finally become a man according to family tradition. He let go of the flag and slid down the mountain a bit before coming to a ledge which caught him. In a relaxed manner, Carvin made a snow angel as his lungs filled with cold air.

“I finally did it!” he yelled to the world just before his eyes shut. He was too tired to move and he could feel an oddly familiar sensation taking over. Frostbite, his bitter enemy had come for him at last. This time however, he was ready to accept it as he had completed the thrill of a lifetime.
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