Heaven's Mountain

Treat the land well after I'm gone, Papa said to me, and I an only child, all that upon my shoulders, which he knew, but rested the burden there nonetheless. Nurture it, protect it, respect it. I cannot do it for you after I'm gone. You must do it for me. Honor it. Honor me. Honor the nations. Do not let anyone steal it from your grasp.

That was what I knew. In one way, it was the only thing I knew - the land and the creatures upon the land and the holiness of it all.

Everything else seemed less by comparison.

I promise, Papa. I promise.

I did not know it would be so difficult a promise to keep.