She of the Mountains Read Online Free Page A

description or even by Morty’s any-white-male presentation when he came to visit her. Watching them walk away, hand in hand, he felt a sharp dislike, the kind he reserved for people he didn’t know and therefore had the freedom to impose the worst qualities upon. But this dislike was coupled with a certainty that beneath his oversized, worn out, dried-ketchup-coloured waffle sweater, Morty possessed an exceptional quality, an old magic or skill found in the kind of book that was large, leather-bound, and printed in a Gothic font.
    Eventually, their morning ritual extended to her walking with him to his psych class, after work. This didn’t strike either of them as out of the ordinary because there was still so much more to say. Nor did the pace of the walk itself—the way their feet intuitively slowed down, stretching seconds into minutes, as they approached his class. Getting to know each other better and deeper in short increments led them to discover a shared love of movies.
    Have you heard about the new Baz Luhrmann film?
    He has a new movie? Who’s in it?
    Nicole Kidman! And apparently she sings?
    I love Nicole Kidman. And I loved Romeo + Juliet. It’s one of my top five. And the soundtrack!
    That Garbage song …
    They nodded in unison.
    Do you maybe want to see the new movie together when it’s out?
    I have always wanted a movie friend , she said.
    He imagined playing this role—sitting next to her for two hours in a dark theatre, sharing licorice and popcorn and laughter, and the riveting discussions that would inevitably follow about what he liked and what she didn’t—and wanted nothing more.



Destruction has a reputation for being chaotic and random, but the wisdom of Shiva tells a very different story. I know this better than anyone.
    A long time ago, an uncomfortable alliance was established between demigods and demons. They were in search of the omnipotent nectar that was buried deep in the Ocean of Milk, a nectar that could restore some of the brilliance they had lost after years of battling each other. They understood, without fully grasping its breadth and mystery, that it was a risk to disturb the Ocean, but their thirst was greater than their caution. They churned the stubborn waters for days, and many surprises and secrets emerged, including the Wish-Fulfilling Tree and even Goddess Lakshmi. But no one had anticipated their search would trigger the release of the ancient poison that guarded the nectar, although, when I consider it now, it makes sense that the Ocean wouldn’t surrender its greatest treasure without a fight. The mission halted as everyone panicked, understanding the danger they all faced if the poison wasn’t contained. Then Shiv appeared and, without deliberation, drank the poison, holding it in his throat. Just like that.
    Centuries later, during the Great Drought, the children of the Earth begged for Mother Ganga to descend from the heavens. Knowing that the planet was not strong enough to withstand the force of her passage from sky to land, Shiv agreed to be an intermediary between the two worlds, carrying Ganga’s crushing, crashing weight in his hair.
    Why do you always say yes? Why do you always show up? I once asked him.
    Death must happen in its own time, my love , he responded. Until then, I remain vigilant.
    This is why he spends so much time alone—because he is. No one, including myself, can comprehend the burden he carries, the balance that he holds, gracefully and without complaint. Has he ever thought of letting go? If he were to open his mouth and release the venom, take a break from the burning for just one day, everything would end. My body and all of my creations would ignite.
    Today is the first day I have seen him cry.

Around the time his friends and family began to comment on how often he mentioned her— Her this and She that —she proposed that they meet outside of work, off campus. Hours before