📖 Story
Adam, Younes and Salma had been friends since first grade. They sat together on the bus, shared their sandwiches and dreamed of adventures. When they turned eleven, they joined the climbing club in their city together. After a whole year of training on the artificial climbing wall and the small heights nearby, Coach Kamal announced the news they had been waiting for: In the spring holiday we will climb to the summit of Eagle Mountain, three thousand meters high, still covered with winter snow.
Each of them was different from the others. Adam was fast and strong, loved to be first at everything and climbed the wall in half the time others needed. Salma was precise and calm; she read maps, watched the weather and packed the bags carefully. Younes was the slowest of them, but the most patient and cheerful, and he always carried extra sweets in his pocket for anyone who got tired. On the day he chose them, Coach Kamal said: The mountain does not need the strongest team, but the best team.
On the night before the trip, the coach sat with them and explained the rules: We climb tied to one rope. We walk at the pace of the slowest, not the fastest. We drink water every half hour even if we are not thirsty. And if the weather changes or one of us gets very tired, we go back. Then he added: The summit is not the goal. The goal is for all of us to come home. The summit is just a beautiful place along the way. Adam laughed to himself and thought: I will reach the summit no matter what.
They set off before dawn under a clear blue sky, with cold air refreshing their faces. They walked for two hours through the pine forest, then came out onto a rocky slope, and then the snow began. The coach tied them to the long rope: himself in front, then Adam, then Salma, with Younes at the back. They put on crampons under their boots, and each held a small ice axe. The snow sparkled so brightly in the sun that they wore dark glasses to protect their eyes.
Adam kept moving ahead quickly, pulling the rope tight between him and Salma, and she would call: Adam, slowly! The rope is tight! He would stop, annoyed, and look back to see Younes walking slowly, breathing hard and carefully placing his feet in their footprints. Adam said impatiently: Younes, hurry up a little, we will be late for the summit! Younes smiled and said: The mountain will not run away, Adam. But Adam did not laugh.
At two thousand five hundred meters they stopped to rest on a big rock. Salma took out the map and pointed to the summit: We have five hundred meters left, about two hours. Then she looked west and said anxiously to the coach: Look at those clouds. They are moving toward us fast. Coach Kamal looked for a long time and then said: Yes, we must watch them. We will go on for another half hour and then decide.
After the rest the climb became harder. The slope was steeper, the air was thinner and every step needed a long breath. Suddenly Younes stopped, sat down on the snow and put his head in his hands. Salma rushed to him and the coach followed, but Adam stayed standing, looking at the distant summit. Younes said weakly: My head hurts and I feel dizzy. Sorry, my friends, I cannot go on. The coach said: These are signs of altitude sickness. It is all right, Younes. You have done nothing wrong.
There was silence. Then Adam said quickly: Younes can stay here with the coach, and Salma and I can climb to the summit and come back! The coach gave him a serious look and said: Adam, we are tied to one rope. Do you know why? Adam was silent. The coach said: Because if one of us slips, the others hold him. The rope means we do not leave anyone behind. And no one climbs alone in changing weather. The clouds are closer now.
Adam looked at the gray clouds that had begun to cover the sun, then at Younes sitting on the snow with a pale face. Suddenly he remembered all the times Younes had given him sweets when he was tired in training, and all the times Younes had made everyone laugh until they forgot their fear. Adam felt deeply ashamed. He sat beside his friend, put his hand on his shoulder and said: Sorry, Younes. The summit is worth nothing without you. We will go back together.
Younes raised his head and gave a weak smile. He took a sweet from his pocket, handed it to Adam and said: This is for saying the nicest sentence of the day. They all laughed despite the cold. Then the coach said: Now for the most important part of the trip: the descent. Most accidents in the mountains happen on the way down, not on the way up. We will change the order: Younes right behind me, then Salma, and Adam at the back, because he is the strongest. He will be the team's anchor.
The descent began, and snow began to fall, lightly at first and then more thickly, with the wind growing stronger. It became hard to see, and their footprints disappeared under the fresh snow. Salma held the compass, read the direction and called out: A little to the left, the big rock should be ahead of us. At the back, Adam gripped the rope firmly, planted his axe in the snow with every step and watched over his two friends.
On a steep slope Younes's foot slipped. He fell on his side and began sliding downward. The coach shouted: Axe! At that very moment Adam drove his axe into the snow and threw his body on top of it, as they had practiced many times, and Salma did the same. The rope pulled tight and Younes stopped after only two meters. Everyone was silent for a moment, then Younes called from below: I am fine! The rope caught me! You caught me!
Three hours later they came out of the clouds into the pine forest, and the snow had turned into light rain. When they reached the wooden hut at the foot of the mountain, they sat by the stove and drank hot soup, and Younes's face turned pink again now that they were at a lower altitude. Coach Kamal said: Today we did not reach the summit, but you did the hardest thing in climbing: you made the right decision and you all came back.
Adam said, looking into the fire: I used to think the hero was the one who gets there first. Now I understand that the hero is the one who leaves no one behind. Salma said: And a good team walks at the pace of its slowest member, not its fastest. Younes laughed and said: And I learned that extra sweets can save a friendship! They all laughed until the hut was full of their voices.
Two months later, when the weather was warmer, the three friends returned to Eagle Mountain with the coach. This time they trained to adjust to the altitude: they slept one night halfway up and climbed slowly. At noon they stood together on the summit, tied to the same single rope, looking at the white mountains around them like a sea of frozen waves. Adam raised Younes's hand high and said: We made it. Together. And that is what really reaching the top means.
Each of them was different from the others. Adam was fast and strong, loved to be first at everything and climbed the wall in half the time others needed. Salma was precise and calm; she read maps, watched the weather and packed the bags carefully. Younes was the slowest of them, but the most patient and cheerful, and he always carried extra sweets in his pocket for anyone who got tired. On the day he chose them, Coach Kamal said: The mountain does not need the strongest team, but the best team.
On the night before the trip, the coach sat with them and explained the rules: We climb tied to one rope. We walk at the pace of the slowest, not the fastest. We drink water every half hour even if we are not thirsty. And if the weather changes or one of us gets very tired, we go back. Then he added: The summit is not the goal. The goal is for all of us to come home. The summit is just a beautiful place along the way. Adam laughed to himself and thought: I will reach the summit no matter what.
They set off before dawn under a clear blue sky, with cold air refreshing their faces. They walked for two hours through the pine forest, then came out onto a rocky slope, and then the snow began. The coach tied them to the long rope: himself in front, then Adam, then Salma, with Younes at the back. They put on crampons under their boots, and each held a small ice axe. The snow sparkled so brightly in the sun that they wore dark glasses to protect their eyes.
Adam kept moving ahead quickly, pulling the rope tight between him and Salma, and she would call: Adam, slowly! The rope is tight! He would stop, annoyed, and look back to see Younes walking slowly, breathing hard and carefully placing his feet in their footprints. Adam said impatiently: Younes, hurry up a little, we will be late for the summit! Younes smiled and said: The mountain will not run away, Adam. But Adam did not laugh.
At two thousand five hundred meters they stopped to rest on a big rock. Salma took out the map and pointed to the summit: We have five hundred meters left, about two hours. Then she looked west and said anxiously to the coach: Look at those clouds. They are moving toward us fast. Coach Kamal looked for a long time and then said: Yes, we must watch them. We will go on for another half hour and then decide.
After the rest the climb became harder. The slope was steeper, the air was thinner and every step needed a long breath. Suddenly Younes stopped, sat down on the snow and put his head in his hands. Salma rushed to him and the coach followed, but Adam stayed standing, looking at the distant summit. Younes said weakly: My head hurts and I feel dizzy. Sorry, my friends, I cannot go on. The coach said: These are signs of altitude sickness. It is all right, Younes. You have done nothing wrong.
There was silence. Then Adam said quickly: Younes can stay here with the coach, and Salma and I can climb to the summit and come back! The coach gave him a serious look and said: Adam, we are tied to one rope. Do you know why? Adam was silent. The coach said: Because if one of us slips, the others hold him. The rope means we do not leave anyone behind. And no one climbs alone in changing weather. The clouds are closer now.
Adam looked at the gray clouds that had begun to cover the sun, then at Younes sitting on the snow with a pale face. Suddenly he remembered all the times Younes had given him sweets when he was tired in training, and all the times Younes had made everyone laugh until they forgot their fear. Adam felt deeply ashamed. He sat beside his friend, put his hand on his shoulder and said: Sorry, Younes. The summit is worth nothing without you. We will go back together.
Younes raised his head and gave a weak smile. He took a sweet from his pocket, handed it to Adam and said: This is for saying the nicest sentence of the day. They all laughed despite the cold. Then the coach said: Now for the most important part of the trip: the descent. Most accidents in the mountains happen on the way down, not on the way up. We will change the order: Younes right behind me, then Salma, and Adam at the back, because he is the strongest. He will be the team's anchor.
The descent began, and snow began to fall, lightly at first and then more thickly, with the wind growing stronger. It became hard to see, and their footprints disappeared under the fresh snow. Salma held the compass, read the direction and called out: A little to the left, the big rock should be ahead of us. At the back, Adam gripped the rope firmly, planted his axe in the snow with every step and watched over his two friends.
On a steep slope Younes's foot slipped. He fell on his side and began sliding downward. The coach shouted: Axe! At that very moment Adam drove his axe into the snow and threw his body on top of it, as they had practiced many times, and Salma did the same. The rope pulled tight and Younes stopped after only two meters. Everyone was silent for a moment, then Younes called from below: I am fine! The rope caught me! You caught me!
Three hours later they came out of the clouds into the pine forest, and the snow had turned into light rain. When they reached the wooden hut at the foot of the mountain, they sat by the stove and drank hot soup, and Younes's face turned pink again now that they were at a lower altitude. Coach Kamal said: Today we did not reach the summit, but you did the hardest thing in climbing: you made the right decision and you all came back.
Adam said, looking into the fire: I used to think the hero was the one who gets there first. Now I understand that the hero is the one who leaves no one behind. Salma said: And a good team walks at the pace of its slowest member, not its fastest. Younes laughed and said: And I learned that extra sweets can save a friendship! They all laughed until the hut was full of their voices.
Two months later, when the weather was warmer, the three friends returned to Eagle Mountain with the coach. This time they trained to adjust to the altitude: they slept one night halfway up and climbed slowly. At noon they stood together on the summit, tied to the same single rope, looking at the white mountains around them like a sea of frozen waves. Adam raised Younes's hand high and said: We made it. Together. And that is what really reaching the top means.
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