Sunday, March 1, 2009

Make A Wish Point and the Mountain Trolls

Their First Wish Has Been Granted.

The rolling countryside becomes forested hills the further north you travel out of Coverdale on the Capital City Highway. As you continue north for several miles the Highway navigates a steep climb into the Citadel Mountain Range. Towering high in the Citadel Mountains is Wish Mountain, known throughout the Confederacy for its breath taking views. It is a favorite stop by locals and tourists alike wanting a day long adventure of mountain hiking and scenic vistas.

Make a Wish Mountain gets its name for its famous mountain top lookout. A flat slab of granite extends outwards creating a ledge with a perilous drop. This ledge is called Make A Wish Point. For generations, Dunces have traveled to this point to take in the views, breath the crisp mountain air, make one wish and toss a coin. The legend says that when you reach the edge of the cliff the first wish to emerge from your thoughts will be granted by the Mountain Trolls if a coin is tossed to demonstrate an attitude of goodwill.

Hundreds, if not thousands of coins are tossed from this Point every year and if you ask any adult you’ll discover that their first wish really did come true. Ask any child and he will testify that his wish didn’t. Only when children are older do they understand the magic of Make a Wish Point. Only then do they realize that their first wish really did come true.

You see, the first wish from anyone’s mind upon reaching the cliff and seeing the chasm below is one the Mountain Trolls have been granting for hundreds of years.

You wish you won’t fall.

And that is the very essence of Make A Wish Point. A landmark in the Confederacy of Dunces.

And so the sun sets on another day in the Confederacy of Dunces. A cool breeze brings the smell of rain and steaks on a nearby grill. Somewhere a dog is barking. A perfect evening is forming from the day's departing light. Time slows as it passes through our village on the edge of forever.

1 comment:

  1. I'm sure one of these boys said to the other,"Dude, do you remember the scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundunce Kid, where they jumped off the cliff into the river to escape? (pause) That lake below is not that far down..."
    Just like lemmings leaping off a cliff...ick.

    ReplyDelete