The tall peaks were in front of me, impressive and elegant, all the efforts I had done, now were compensated for the amazing view that I could see.
I couldn’ t believe where I was, and what I managed to do. I know that I was smiling or better I was trying to smile, drunk of happiness but I couldn’ t fell the muscles of my face, maybe contracted in a grimace.
The Alpine guide told me a simple, easy sentence but it filled my heart with pride, “good job”, I knew that he would never congratulate me if he didn’t really think that, and my smile became bigger, or my grimace more scary.
I couldn't believe ...
That was the most peaceful place I had never been, I could just hear the ululatiun of the wind, and my own breath, that was rapid and irregular.
My thougths were so real that I thought that I was really talking but luckily the cold wind would cover them, the Alpine guide was looking, waiting for my answer, but I was too immersed in my daydreaming to hear the question “We have to go, or we won’t be at home before it gets dark”, he repeated loudly. I realized that I had to leave this paradise, the shiny white snow that made that place enchanted like a fairy tail, the extended view that showed kilometres and kilometres far. Away I tried to save everything in my mind to come back to my dreams, or was that a dream too?
“Sure I’ m ready” I answered maybe with more emphasis than required to hide the delusion: I wasn’ t ready at all, but he was right, we had to go back before it got dark.
So we started walking in the thick layer of snow, I collapsed to my knees, descending to the valley wasn’ t so easy as it seemed, because I slid many times.
When I looked at the top for the last time we had come down hundreds of metres, and it appeared so threatening and impressive that I really couldn’ t believe where I was and what I had menaged to do.
Sofia Carpinteri (4E – corrispondente dell’UmberTimes dagli Stati Uniti)