Danny moaned, pushing against the wind. For three days, he'd followed his hired guide up the side of an ice-cold mountain. His body shivered under his protective gear as he used his thick yellow glove to wipe the sweat from his brow.

 

"Keep chugging forward," his guide yelled back at him. "We're almost there."

 

Growling, Danny, a determined man, charged forward one step at a time. He had searched for this for so long, he told himself. It was all going to be worth it. He was finally going to have what he wanted after all this time. Pulling the lower left corner of his mouth under his upper top teeth, he sucked in the icy blood from his cracked lip.

 

A dull white haze impacted his vision, barely allowing him to see the bright yellow gear of his guide. Coming up on the tale end of his companion, he stopped.

 

"What's wrong?" Danny shouted.

 

The guide looked around for a minute, then motioned for Danny to follow. Turning, the pair rounded a sizeable formation. Danny rocked, releasing the tension in his muscles as the wind died. The dull white haze gave to gray darkness as if passing through some kind of portal.

 

"This is it," the guide said.

 

"We're here?" Danny said, taking off his goggles. "Are you sure?"

 

"These are the coordinates you gave me. You wanted to find a cave, and it looks like you found one."

 

Stripping off his backpack, Danny began to gather his tools.

 

"What is it you are hoping to find anyway?"

 

"It's not what I am trying to find, Mr. Mumford; it's more about what I hope to lose."

 

"Please call me Kurt, and I believe you may have left me with more questions."

 

"I'm sure I did. Are we ready?" Danny turned on his flashlight after throwing his pack back over his shoulders.

 

"Okay," Kurt said, doing the same. "Here we go, and I suggest we go through the one and only door number one."

 

Danny rolled his eyes as he started forward. The cave narrowed back down a dark tunnel. They walked single file as the dim radius of the flashlight revealed glints of the surrounding area. The men's shuffling feet played on a loop, drowning out all other sounds.

 

Stepping out from the tunnel, the pair entered a sizeable cavern. The rock was smooth as if it had been sanded down and sculpted. The arch led the eye to the cave's center and the stone bridge.

 

"What the..." Kurt said, surveying the open cavern.

 

Unrolling a map, Danny eyed the foretold path it said should be taken.

 

"What is that?" Kurt said, looking over Danny's shoulder.

 

"Within this mountain is supposed to be a chamber."

 

"A chamber?"

 

"A chamber that can take your painful memories and make them disappear."

 

"What now?"

 

"Look," Danny turned, looking Kurt in the eye, "I know it sounds like bullshit."

 

"A chamber that can erase memories," Kurt paused. "If something like that existed, don't you think some high-powered organization would already have it under wraps and use it to their advantage?"

 

"Not if they don't know about it."

 

"Would we know if they did? Wouldn't they just wipe our memories?"

 

"Stop," Danny said, rubbing his palm against his forehead. "Myth aside," he paused, "It is also said it's filled with crystals and diamonds the size of your fists."

 

"Well, why didn't you say so? May I take a look at that map?"

 

Danny handed the man to Kurt, who studied the lay of the land and the markers that lead the way.

 

"Alright," Kurt said, "well, everything is on the other side of this bridge here, so off we go."

 

The solid foundation split like a sea opening up, clearing the way for daring adventures. The mountain played games with the men; It guided them and then led them astray. One corridor looked like the next and then the next still. The direction of assimilation only created chaos in the men's minds as they descended deeper into the mountain.

 

"How long have we been at this?" Kurt said, leaning against the rock. "Is it the same day? Is it another?"

 

"Stop asking questions and help me find the next tunnel we need to go down."

 

"I'm leaning toward bullshit again."

 

"What?"

 

"I'm going to have to double my fee."

 

"Fine, whatever, just help me figure this out."

 

Kurt took the map ends in his hands and studied. Holding it up, he compared the markings on the map to the ones above the tunnels in front of them.

 

"Wait here," Kurt said, stepping into the tunnel on the left.

 

"Where are you going?" Danny said, stepping his way, intent on following him.

 

"Nope," Kurt said, returning through the tunnel and disappearing into the next.

 

"What the hell?"

 

"It has to be the last one," Kurt said, reappearing and motioning for Danny to follow."

 

"Is it just me, or is it getting tighter in here?" Danny asked as they proceeded forward.

 

"Yep, but I think we are on the right path. In fact," Kurt scampered forward, "Yup, according to this, the cave you're looking for is right on the other side of this opening."

 

"What opening?"

 

"This one."

 

Kurt pointed his flashlight at a medium size hole in the wall.

 

"Are you sure we don't go left or right I mean, there are two other halls here?"

 

"No, sir, this is it. We have to crawl."

 

Kurt stripped off his bulky attire, instructed Danny on the situation, and crawled into the unknown head first.

 

Taking a deep breath, Danny crawled into the hole. Wedged into the rock as if shoved into the tiny circle of the MRI machine in the hospital, Danny's breath became heavy. Only there was any button to push for release in the case of panic. Wiggling, Danny forced himself to think of nothing but moving forward. His eyes closed he shimmied inch by inch till he tumbled forward.

 

Gaining his barrings, Danny picked himself up and took some deep calming breaths. Opening his eyes, he gasped. His dropping jaw and wide eyes were played back to him in pieces and sections as his face reflected off the transparent minerals.

 

"If I had not seen it with my own eyes," Kurt said, running his hands over the treasure.

 

"I knew it," Danny said, "I knew it."

 

"Well, what do you do now?" Kurt said.

 

"What?

 

"You came here for a reason, right?"

 

"Yes, I did. I wanted to forget."

 

"Forget what?"

 

"The pain."

 

"Yeah, there are a few painful things I'd love to forget myself." Kurt picked up a chunk of a diamond at his feet. "How the hell is it supposed to work? Holy shit!"

 

Danny pulled a revolver from his sack, pointing it at Kurt.

 

"I don't want to remember anymore," Danny shouted as tears escaped down his strong jawline. "I come here and ask you to grant me this wish. Take it all away. Everything to do with her. Her touch, her kiss, the way she smells. The way she sounded when we made love."

 

"Man," Kurt said, "I don't know what's going on here, but let's just put down the gun."

 

"I beg you," Danny shouted, "and now I give you the sacrifice."

 

"The sacrifice!"

 

Kurt gasped as the bullet pierced his chest and went through his heart.

 

A bright light flashed, causing Danny to drop the gun as he raised his arms, shielding his eyes.

 

***

 

"Excuse me," a tall, slender woman said, approaching Danny, "are you okay?"

 

"Sir," her husband took Danny by the shoulder to help steady him as he tipped over. "Do you need help?"

 

"Help?" Danny said.

 

"Yes, do you need help?" the man repeated. "Honey, I think you better call for an ambulance."

 

"Can you tell me your name, where you're from, or what you're doing here?"

 

"My name is..." Danny paused, "I live ..." he pounded his palm against his forehead, "I'm here because... I don't know. I don't know."