A Story A Day. Story 197 of 365: Summit.

Just a bit more. The summit is just around the corner. That was what Lucy would tell herself on her way up. Pedal a bit more. Making her legs work hard and harder. Some other cyclists passed her swiftly on their way up, working hard themselves, but climbing comfortably. She could feel her legs hurting, complaining because of the ten kilometers of uninterrupted ascent, screaming for some flat kilometers to recover. She was going so slowly, she was on the verge of falling, she would probably go faster if she walked, but she was stubborn, and she would climb that mountain ridding her bike even of that was the last thing she did. 

The sun was strong on her back, making the sweat run under her shirt. She took a sip of water. Looking ahead there was only the dirt path, and no sign of where it ended. Some meters ahead the path would take a turn and continue under the trees. Lucy was relieved, the slope was equally steep, but at least the sun wasn't annoying her. A bit more, she thought, after the next turn you'll be able to see the top. 

Her feet went up and down, and up again, following a circular motion. She couldn't feel her legs anymore, she couldn't feel anything. She and the bike were one, fighting against the hill. Suddenly, the slope became less step. Lucy looked ahead and saw there was nothing else. No more mountain, no more path. She climbed off her bike, her legs shaking. In front of her the reason she had gone there in the first place, the city on her feet, and, further at the horizon, the sea.