Beasts of Burden

By Jeffrey A. Paolano

Tensil squats at the fire, sipping tea, observing the mikaru, all those not Sherpa, waiting patiently to fill his rice bowl by humping goods up the savage mountain.

The cackling radio speaks, “Waxworth here, serac collapse, four climbers down, require Sherpas, over.”

Darnell, company manager, replies, “will execute, roger.”

As Sirdar, Tensil Sherpa proposes, “Eight bearers, twenty hours up, thirty hours down, Eighty Pounds each, paid living or dead.”

The English manager, with his company’s future in the balance agrees, “Alright Tensil, but let’s get started straight away.”

The price of courage shreds in the wind.

Tensil Sherpa commits, “Straight away.”