The mystery of the infamous peak

Cage Peak was impossible to climb and people who made it never returned. What was the danger? Arya Shetty unravels the secret

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Cage Peak is infamous among climbers for being impossible to ascend. The holds are unsteady, and it lacks safe resting spots. People say, not even the corpses of the climbers can be found. Looking at the thin, protruding spike barely within my reach, I cursed myself for undertaking this climb.

As I lunged to grab it, I lost my footing and was left hanging by the spike. Grunting, I tried to pull my body up, but the spike snapped and I plummeted downwards. A glance back revealed a blanket of clouds. I was far too high to survive the fall. Suddenly, there was a swoosh and something sharp gripped me on each of my shoulders. With a jerk, it yanked me upwards.

Upon craning my neck up, I saw a creature resembling a bird, feathers and all. But it was a little humanoid. Without a word, it took me towards a forest near the peak. The bird-man gently dropped me on a patch of dry grass, and introduced himself with his small beak. “Greetings traveller! Myself Guss, welcome to our village,” he beamed.

My head was spinning from the stunt earlier. “What village?” I asked but Guss didn’t need to answer. As if on cue, I felt gazes from the canopy above, and I froze. People with bird-like features were perched above, eyeing me like prey. Guss let out a chortle, “Don’t be alarmed, we won’t eat you.” Looking around, I saw wooden houses built on the branches. The window grills made them look like bird cages.

The Guild, their local hotel, seemed to be the only grounded structure around. Guss spoke to the receptionist inside the guild hall, got me to sign some papers and took me to a room. “I’ll come back once you’ve had a chance to rest,” he said as he closed the door behind him. After a while, Guss came over to invite me to fish. His talons carried me to a nearby lake.

As a shoal of trout surfaced, the flock of brown bird-people dove towards the water. Some nabbed the fish with their beaks, while others used their talons. “They have an easier time blending with the trees in wait for their prey,” Guss told me. He gave me a basket to hold where he’d drop the fish as he caught them. I asked him how much we need, he replied “enough to fatten you up.”

In the evening, we had some trout and pikes for lunch with Bard, an elegant peacock-like bird who sang some songs. I started a conversation to distract him, “Bard, have you ever tried tuna?” “No, is that an instrument you humans play?” he queried. “It’s a fish, found in saltwater. They’re common in the sea not far from here. Once you leave the forest, just go down the mountain westwards and take a turn around…” Bard gave a chagrined look as if I had just asked him to pluck off his wings. Guss quickly interjected, taking me to my room.

“The denizens don’t take kindly to being asked to leave the forest,” he told me. “Staying isolated from the world lets us live the way we want, we get to be free,” he said. I wondered, was this way of life truly “free”? They seemed almost imprisoned by their so-called freedom.

Guss closed the door to my room. Looking at the window grills, I felt like a bird trapped inside a cage. With a sense of foreboding, I packed my belongings. It was past midnight. I had to leave before anyone woke up. I hacked the bolt open with my pocket knife. Treading out the door, I made my way through the forest. I stopped by a cliff and looked down to see if it was safe to descend. To my surprise, I saw a pit full of skeletons, that of humans. Now I understood why people who made it to the peak, never returned!

A hooting noise woke me up from my daze. Looking back, I spotted a Snow-white owl-man looking at me from a tree with his gleaming yellow eyes. I heard rustling noises from the village. The owl had probably alarmed the villagers.

I ran down the forest, the leaves on the ground crunching as I stepped on them. In my rush, I slipped and rolled down the slope. Getting up, I saw a crevice, just large enough for me to enter. I crawled in, hoping the birds wouldn’t find me in the darkness.

I stayed there for a little more than four hours before the ruckus subsided. I made my way out of the crevice and descended the hill. The darkness was broken by dawn making it easier to see. I decided I won’t utter a word to anyone. And just like that I left them, trapped in their little birdcage.