Everest Illuminations

A submission for the weekly short-short story note project

Foreword

Winter on a high mountain is harsh and a little lonely.
But if a small light were to shine there,
it would surely warm the heart—
I wrote this story while thinking of such things.

Main Text

There was a small village near Everest.
It was located in a very high place, and the only residents were an old man, a dog, a goat, and a cow.

The old man had built a rest area for people climbing Everest.

A married couple came there every year.
The couple looked out over the winter mountain and said,

The winter mountain looks a bit lonely, doesn't it?
Why don't we decorate it with illuminations?

Saying this, the couple began to attach decorations to a large tree.

However, the old man tilted his head in confusion.

There is no electricity here, you see.

Then the couple smiled and replied,

It's alright.
The illuminations will shine using solar batteries.

The old man
still could not believe that such a thing would really light up.

Night fell—
The old man found a beautiful, gently glowing light outside his window.

Oh...

Is this what they call cattle illuminations?

The cow, the goat, and the dog were all very excited.
The illuminations shining on Mount Everest
were quietly and gently illuminating the night. (444 characters)

Afterword

Even without electricity,
even in the bitter cold,
the light reaches us just fine.

Perhaps all that is needed is a little ingenuity and
the feeling of thinking of someone.

May a gentle light be lit today, somewhere in the mountains or in town.
This story is a work of fiction.

I wrote this for the weekly short-short note prompt. Thank you for the prompt.