Money? Check. Hot Wife? Check. Fame? Check.
I had all the money in the world. I had an incredibly hot and great wife. I had a great loving and secure family. Millions of people around the world looked up to me. There were charity foundations created in my name. I could buy anything, go anywhere, and live the best life people could only dream of.
I was so incredibly happy, but I think I let it all get to my head.
For all of that was taken away from me in an instant.
Terrorists broke into my house and held my wife and children for ransom. I wired them all the money I had, those greedy people. Those horrible people. When they received the money, I was sent a video of the terrorists killing the people I cared most about.
I watched as my entire world fell apart.
All of those memories of workless days and nights away from family, building my business empire, flashed into my mind. All those time I choose my business over my family, every time I choose greed over being humble, or choosing validation over being selfless, came upon me. For I didn't know what happened to me was karma or simply extreme bad luck.
The media was all over this. Especially because after that incident, I disappeared from the face of the earth. I faked my death. I was just another human in this world, a temporary life, despite it being a rare lifestyle only some could dream of, I was still another cog in the wheel of life, for I lost everything that kept me here on this earth.
All of this is what lead me to be here. On top of this mountain, on the summit.
I'm sharing this summit with a magical penguin who can speak back to me. We are sharing this moment on top of this mountain as the aggressive winter air bites against our skin. My breathing became heavier as I did my best to maintain my breath. My wealth. My fame. My everything meant nothing as I stand upon the summit looking out to the void of the arctic landscape.
It felt nice not being alone. Even if it wasn't a human next to me.
I looked at the penguin next to me. I wonder how he got here, I thought to myself.
Before I reached the summit, I noticed a colony of penguins walk past me. They were walking in the opposite direction of the mountain, so I knew they were going farther away from the summit than closer. So why is this penguin here? I thought to myself.
I attempted to talk to the penguin, but he mostly just sat there in silence. I was surprised when he did speak and I understood it. However, he only said one word. "Why?" And for some reason, it really stood out to me.
Why?
Why was I alive? Why was I here on top of this mountain talking to a magic penguin? Was I just going crazy? Why did I not appreciate everything I have until it was taken away from me? What's the meaning of life? Why are we here?
There are so many questions left unanswered and that will be left unanswered.
My soul. I had yet to truly understand myself, despite having everything in this world. I've been told all that matters in this world is money, fame, and having a hot partner. While all those things did bring me great joy, when I was striped of it all, I didn't know how to feel.
All I could remember was the sound of laughter from my wife. All I could remember was reading my children bedtime stories as they fell asleep. I wish I could've protected them better, I wish I could've lived a more simple life. If I wasn't so rich or high profile, they wouldn't have been in so much danger.
Now I sit here, with the magic penguin, who looked strangely at peace.
The penguin was far away from his colony. He was far away from the feeding grounds. It would take him forever to find them. It was too late, yet, he looked so peaceful, sitting there as he looked beyond the ice, beyond the sea. I envied that, as I looked in the direction he was looking at. As we were surrounded by the cold, I felt a strange sensation inside of me.
Emotions. Logic. Laughter. Screams. Happiness. Coldness. Warmth.
The flip of a coin that is always spinning every second.
Do we choose to keep flipping it or let it land on one side for eternity?
It soon became night, and then night turned into dawn.
Then we both saw the light.
As our souls played our own life's song.