The early morning passed quietly. Mr. Tasha was in a deep, genuine sleep. When noon drew near, he finally woke up.
He stared at the clock in disbelief.
He had not slept this long since he was a teenager, back when he used to work at night during the summer.
'Did I really sleep this long?
Work is not a problem, they are all reliable.
Am I tired?'
Mr. Tasha reflected on his state, then rose from his bed and headed to wash his face.
The mirror reflected him, yet every time he looked, he found no life in his eyes.
Only emptiness, and a strange heaviness.
His body felt extremely heavy, each step weighing kilograms. He was not sick, yet he did not understand.
Something was wrong with him. This was not a feeling Mr. Tasha would experience without a reason.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he ate a light meal, then stood up and went to his room, he changed his clothes and prepared to leave.
Before going out, he opened his personal computer and sent a message to his deputy at the company, informing him that he would be away for a while.
As soon as he sent the message, he left and headed to the garage, taking his Aston Martin DB5.
On his way, he stopped by a store that sold all the equipment he would need for a camping trip, he took what he needed calmly and left.
During the drive, Mr. Tasha did not play any music, he preferred focus and silence over empty noise.
'I need to move, staying in the same place and living the same routine will not change my awareness.'
Mr. Tasha contemplated his situation.
…
After more than an hour of driving, Mr. Tasha had left the city behind, his destination was the mountains.
He wanted to rise above the ground and see the world from above, perhaps to see himself, and understand it.
The scenery changed from sea to plains, to farmlands, to valleys, until the distant mountain peaks, covered in clouds, began to appear.
Mr. Tasha opened the car windows. Cold air struck his face, it would have felt refreshing to anyone else, but Mr. Tasha felt only heaviness.
After nearly another hour of driving, the feeling did not fade even slightly, it remained.
Mr. Tasha did not believe that changing locations would bring results, for he knew the problem came from within him.
After about another half hour of driving, he entered a different road leading to the great mountains.
As soon as Mr. Tasha entered the mountain road, the mountain began to grow larger before him, little by little, until he stopped beside a tree and sat down on the ground.
"Haaah… hooo… haaah… hooo…"
Inhale, exhale.
With each breath, it felt as though a few kilograms were leaving his body. The strange sensation lessened, but it did not disappear.
His heavy body.
His faded soul.
His lifeless eyes.
The strange silence of his heart.
All of it felt as though it was easing, just slightly. Perhaps it was a small dose, but Mr. Tasha felt a subtle difference.
Mr. Tasha had moved.
He had taken a step.
Finally, he spoke in a low voice, with a faint and gentle smile.
"One step at a time."
Supporting himself against the tree, Mr. Tasha stood up.
He went to the car and placed the large backpack on his shoulders, then took another smaller bag containing some canned and dried food that could last for a while.
Step by step.
The change was not great, but it was change.
One step today, and another tomorrow.
His intuition told him he was on the right track.
The mountain peak drew closer, and Mr. Tasha exerted himself to reach it.
His strong build and continuous training proved to be of real value.
In his youth, he believed that a strong body was part of the life of an ambitious man, so he never betrayed himself. Yet even that had turned into routine, devoid of true feeling.
Tree after tree, he stumbled on a rock, then stood up and continued. In the end, this was, in his eyes, nothing more than a single step.
How could he give up?
Mr. Tasha did not think about it.
A strong mind.
A strong body.
A strong character.
A faded soul.
A killing emptiness.
These were Mr. Tasha's parts, in brief.
The mountain peak was only a few distorted yet beautiful rocks away, the highest point. Mr. Tasha looked at the world from above, yet he was merely a small part of it.
He needed to keep moving.
…