text: , shouted Antonio who was perched precariously on Manarai peak, the highest peak in Monsanto. He has been shouting these words for a long time now. His vocal chords had turned stiff. By constantly uttering those words, he wanted to erase the blasphemous thoughts of running away from Luchesse. After some time, no matter how loud he shouted, he found his false pride about his birthplace withering away. He paused to gaze at the mountains that has been hugging his city, he calls it a bondage while others perceive it as protection. Antonio longed to fly above these mountains, get rid of his spiritual baggage and experience freedom. Knowing the kind of life he has led, he wasn’t sure if this was possible. But at that moment, he felt a surge so strong that he knew the mountains would crumble to let him do his bidding. Antonio is the only child of a Kaplan traders, who earned their livelihood by selling merchandise and souvenirs to the few tourists who visit Luchesse. Antonio was only three years old when his parents enrolled him into a monastery. Bells and prayer wheels were his toys. When Antonio grew older, he started to assist his parents in their trade. The tourists were eager to talk to this starry-eyed monk who shared their enthusiasm in equal measure. It was from these tourists that Antonio got a glimpse of what the outer world would actually look like, a world starkly different from his own. Unlike his world that stood the test of time with much disdain, the world from where these tourists came from was always changing. He noticed the shifting urban landscapes each time the tourists handed him over the photographs of their homelands. It was as if those places kept changing their masks every now and then. Few years after his parent’s death, Antonio became increasingly restless. He wanted to lose his loneliness among the festive crowds in Fiorina, he longed to climb to the top of Leaning tower of Pizza and his wish list started getting longer. He regretted his life that shunned all forms of materialism, a life that has been tuned to follow a strict code of ethics, a life that has laid a clear demarcation between good and bad. *“Of course, who are these people to decide what’s good for my life. I went to the monastery by design, not by choice”*, Antonio thought. But two decades of a rigid monastic upbringing is not going to be easy to be forgotten. He intently missed the prayers, faulted his morning prayers and skipped his classes. While guilt bore him down for a few days, hope of a new exciting life that lay ahead fogged his conscience. Finally when the pricks of guilt could hurt him no more, he knew he was ready to get away. He started planning his getaway from Linguina. From a tourist, he had learnt of a secret route through the Ortler mountain range. The route was not heavily guarded by border police and Antonio was confident in entering the quaint little town of Fiorina without any hassle. There he planned to start a trade shop which sold souvenirs and merchandise. *“I’ll have to start from there and go a long way to become a wealthy trader”.* With these thoughts firmly etched in his mind, Antonio packed his goods, discarded his robe for a cheap suit and boarded the early bus that will take him to Fiorina. The bus travelled down the friendship highway, which connected Monsanto all the way till Mondelez. At Mondelez, there would be stringent checking of the passenger visas by the border authorities. The secret route that Antonio planned to take started at Barila, which was few kilometers before Mondelez. The rickety journey by bus until Barila would last for two days. Antonio waved his hands impassively to the vast grasslands and the mountain vistas that he was leaving behind. A Ugandan tourist seated next to him quipped, *“What a lovely place! Place of the gods indeed."*. Antonio just smiled back. After an uneventful journey, the bus arrived at Barila two days later. Antonio got down and decided to stay overnight at that place. The place was barren except for a very huge monastery that he spotted few miles ahead. He was afraid that nostalgia would get the better of him if he sought rest there. Having failed to locate an alternative to seek refuge, he trudged towards the monastery through the heavy thickets of the Mondelez valley. He noticed that the monastery rested on the slopes of the trail that he would have to take to reach Fiorina.* “I am going to stay here only for the night. I would leave long before the first ray of sunlight strokes this place”*, he said to himself. It was dark by the time Antonio stepped into the monastery and the earthen lights made its walls reflect a sublime glow. The dome stood there majestically, ornamented by the crested moon. The peace was so filling, and the effect was magical. It hasn’t been even two days and invisible strings were drawing Antonio towards the life of prayer and solitude. But he held on to his mission. If his ascetic life gave him the will power to abstain from a common man’s desires, he could use the same will power to achieve the reverse effect. He walked up to a monk and asked him for a place to rest for the night. The monk took him to a huge hall where drifters were allowed to stay. The hall was empty save for a person huddled in a corner. Willing for an acquaintance, Antonio sat next to the small man. *“Where are you from?”* Antonio asked boldly, a trifle too loud, which shook the meek man from his slump. *“I am Rinaldi, a trader from Fiorina, on my way to Monsanto”*, he replied softly. *“Oh, you are a trader. Good. What goods do you sell?”* *“Gems, souvenirs, perfumes and other antiques”* *“Do you have any of these with you now?"*, inquired Antonio, who was more eager to learn about the kind of goods that are in demand. *“No I don’t have anything with me right now”*, Rinaldi retorted to Antonio. *“That’s strange. You don’t look like a tourist and I assumed you were going to Monsanto for business"* *“I am going to Monsanto to become a monk”* *“A monk? You want to become a monk?”* *“Yes”* *“But why?”* asked Antonio, bewildered. “You appear to be a man of means and why do you want to renounce it to lead a life of denial and contemplation?” *“Denial and contemplation. Yes those are the words. Those are the words that will make the rest of my life rich. All this time, I was running behind money, gems and fame. I was like this free bird, always seeking better opportunities far and beyond. I started as a small trader. Over time I set up many trade shops, my business flourished. I thought I knew what I wanted, but it was all a big mistake.”* *“Did you suffer losses in your business? You are broke?” “I am not broke, but I am a broken man. Fame and fortune are a bottomless pit. The way to it is deep, dark and limitless. I have been falling in this pit for years now. Nothing ever stops you.”* Antonio became disturbed. Here he was, determined to bury his caged past and forge a free life. Rinaldi, on the other hand, was getting more determined by the minute, to become a monk. He was swelling up in confidence and resolve as Antonio tried to talk him out of it. *“But what about freedom? Why do you want to spend the rest of your life in a cloister?”* *“Freedom.”* Rinaldi repeated. *“Freedom only creates chaos.”* Rinaldi stretched himself and laid down on the floor. He slept as soon as he hit the floor. Antonio had the premonition that Rinaldi would have left before he woke up the next day. He was very tired and set off to sleep. He was not able to catch any sleep.* “Strange. All these years in the monastery, of all the hardships I faced, I never faced a sleepless night.”* Antonio was awake the whole night, making futile attempts to remember the ideas that he had for the future. The next morning, Antonio saw Rinaldi wake up and heed towards Monsanto. Antonio pretended to be asleep. In one corner of his eye, he saw Rinaldi walk towards the rising sun. Rinaldi turned back and smiled, a smile of realization. As he continued walking, he heard someone shouting from behind. *“Wait. I am coming with you.”*, shouted Antonio running after Rinaldi. Rinaldi said nothing. Antonio and Rinaldi boarded the bus to Monsanto. The beauty of the rugged landscape was compounded by the inner peace that Antonio felt at that moment. They spoke nothing to each other, but it felt as if they knew the other person more than they knew themselves. The bus arrived at Monsanto and the driver woke up Antonio asking him to get down. Antonio searched for Rinaldi, the seat was empty, and he was nowhere to be found. The driver asked,*“What are you looking for?”.* Antonio stopped searching all of a sudden and stood transfixed. After some moments, he replied,* “Nothing. I think I found him.