Srinagar, Dec. 8 -- Time pushes us all the way up to the summit, leaving us with no choice but to stare deep into the abyss. Kashmir travel guide

Our senses are hijacked so that we remain fixed on the gnawing darkness rising from the bottomless pit like fire.

Our bodies and minds feel frozen, control slips away, and rationality disappears. But the sleeping emotional monster within us stirs.

Between the terrified descent and paralyzed self, something sacred cries out in voices that cannot be understood.

A deep habit of leaning toward imbalance has shaped these final moments into a dead end.

Possibilities are unexplored, and no safer path is attempted. Not an inch forward, not an inch back. Either falling completely or stuck up here,...