“The 100th Step”

The 100th Step

By [Ali Rehman]

Every morning before the sun had fully stretched its golden fingers across the sky, Marcus tightened the laces on his worn boots, wrapped his scarf snugly around his neck, and stepped out into the quiet chill of dawn. The village beneath his small cottage still slept, blanketed by a soft fog that clung to rooftops and fields like a fragile veil. With a deep breath of crisp morning air, Marcus began his familiar climb.

The hill loomed before him — steep, winding, and carved with exactly one hundred stone steps, worn smooth by the footsteps of countless travelers. Every day for the past two years, Marcus had climbed these steps, believing the view at the summit would somehow change, that the world from up there would look different, signaling a new beginning for him.

Each morning, as he ascended step after step, his heart carried a quiet hope — that something unseen would reveal itself on the horizon, that the landscape would shift enough to reflect the transformation he craved inside himself.

But every dawn, when he finally reached the top and gazed out over the village and the distant mountains, the view was always the same.

The river sparkled like a silver thread winding through the valley. The village’s rooftops were neatly arranged, smoke lazily curling from chimneys. The far mountains stood tall and unchanging against the sky. Nothing new greeted him. Nothing different.

For years, Marcus sat on the cold stone ledge at the summit, staring at the familiar scene, wondering if the change he sought was just a dream.

One morning, as he began his climb, a soft voice called out from below.

“Why do you climb every day?”

Marcus looked down and saw a young boy standing at the base of the hill. The child’s eyes were wide with curiosity, and his cheeks were flushed red from the morning chill.

Marcus paused and smiled. “I’m looking for a different view. A sign that things can change.”

The boy nodded, as if he understood. “I want to climb with you.”

With a gentle laugh, Marcus nodded and waited for the boy to catch up. Together, they began the climb.

Step by step, the boy matched Marcus’s pace, his small feet barely making a sound. When they reached the top, the boy ran ahead to the ledge and gasped, “It looks the same as yesterday!”

Marcus sat beside him and said, “That’s what I’ve been telling myself for years. But maybe it’s not the view that needs to change.”

The boy looked puzzled. “Then what?”

Marcus thought for a moment, watching the boy’s innocent face. “Maybe the change has to come from within.”

Days turned into weeks, and the boy — whose name was Liam — became Marcus’s companion on the climb. Each morning, they walked together up the hundred steps, sharing stories and laughter.

Liam’s presence began to shift something inside Marcus. The boy’s curiosity, his eagerness to see the world, reminded Marcus of a time when he, too, believed in endless possibilities. It was as if Liam’s fresh eyes were waking up a part of Marcus that had long been asleep.

One chilly morning, as the two reached the summit, Marcus stood up and breathed deeply. The sky was painted in soft pinks and oranges, the village below shimmering in the early light.

“This view… it hasn’t changed,” Marcus said quietly.

“But you have,” Liam replied with a smile.

Marcus looked at the boy, realization dawning.

He had been so focused on the world changing around him that he hadn’t noticed the change happening within himself.

Marcus started to see his daily climb not as a search for something external, but as a journey inward — a way to rise above his doubts, his fears, and his regrets. Each step was no longer a struggle, but a small victory, a reminder that progress is made one moment at a time.

He began to notice details he had missed before — the way the morning mist lifted gently from the river, the songs of birds greeting the dawn, the warmth of sunlight brushing his face.

The village below, once just a static scene, now felt alive with stories of people living their lives, dreaming and growing — just like him.

One morning, Marcus arrived at the hill’s base to find a small crowd gathered. The townspeople had heard about his climb and Liam’s companionship, and they were curious.

“Why do you climb every day?” an elder asked him.

Marcus smiled, thinking of all the mornings he’d spent searching for a changed view.

“I climbed to find change,” he said, “but I’ve realized the view didn’t need to change. I needed to change.”

The villagers nodded, some with knowing smiles.

“Sometimes,” Marcus continued, “we wait for the world to shift before we dare to move. But the real transformation starts inside — with each step we choose to take.”

Years passed. Liam grew into a young man, his footsteps steady and sure on the hill. Marcus’s climbs became less about searching and more about gratitude.

The hundred steps were no longer a barrier but a path — a reminder that life’s journey is made of small efforts, daily choices, and moments of courage.

And every morning, as the sun rose and painted the sky with new colors, Marcus understood that the true view he sought was the one reflected in his own heart.

Moral:

Change does not always come from the world around us; often, it begins within. The journey of transformation is made step by step, and by embracing the climb, we become the change we seek.