MOUNTAIN OF SOULS

At Fairy Meadows National Park, near Nanga Parbat, an impossibly beautiful scene becomes visible as the sun sets and the stars come out to play.

​

There is a presence here in these mountains. Each and every shadow has a story to tell, for they all come from a different time. Each pair of hands has committed a different sin, but they all congregate here under the moonlight. Watch as the invisible birds in the sky dance above a field of dreams never to be. Over a thousand figures have been meticulously etched into this paining, and if one looks closely it is possible to determine the bodies that make up the mountains and clouds themselves. The forest that lies at the base of the camp is silent, for not a single living soul would dear to make the trek up the mountain as night dawns. Those who live nearby shudder in fear at the thought of visiting the Diamer at night.

The extremely brave and foolish do try of course, but they never make it past the forest. Here, kind spirits make up the trees, and they frighten ne'er-do-wells out of the mountains, saving their lives.

​

For if one was truly masochistic, they would trek up the mountain at night, and find themselves at a small shack in an unremarkable meadow. The meadow is covered with snow, the dirty red ground underneath invisible. In this shack there are two rooms, a bedroom and a bathroom. The bed is warm and welcoming, the bathroom clean and hospitable. Yet, if you choose to stay the night, you may find yourself in for a rude awakening. For in the deep of the night, moments before the dawn, the light in the other room will switch on, and a strange shadow will begin walking his way over to you. To him, you are the intruder.