The avalanche was massive.

But that didn't deter Kritanta from coming here. After all, this was the place he gets his food from. No matter with how many problems and happenstances, he have to come from his house a kilometer away, just to get to fill his stomach.

Living in the mountains is tough but the peace and quite is what Kristanta lives for. The white sheets of snow that covers the ground of mountains were still dark from the night sky. But Kritanta knew that the morning light will open up soon; within an hour maybe since he had been coming here for so long that even the mountain spoke his language. Even in the dark cover of the starless sky upon the Mt. Everest, he still knew where how to navigate his route to reach the that amazing place.

"How long more?" The visiter grumbled.

"Just there!" Kristanta's hands shot up to point towards a secluded place in the left direction as his eyes and mouth twinkled. He generally preferred the secluded parts and living his life on his own terms. But he would never mind talking to a visitor who comes to see the beauty of Everest and even sometimes give them a tour earning his live in these parts. One of these parts gives a show to the most beautiful and magical sunrise of the world. And whoever comes this side of the Everest, he swears to show them that exact beauty in exchange for a couple of rupee. And that's exactly where this visitor wanted to go.

It has been almost three month since one visited and even if Kristanta hate to admit it, he did miss the varying audience who he would tell his life story to. However, this visiter was a little uptight. He was a built man of five and a half foot almost at the age of thirty or so. He had told his name to be Manish and then kept his mouth exceptionally shut and instructed Kristanta to take him to this place he so praises about. Kristanta has blabbered about taking him to the destination safe and on time and even that he gets his food from that place. But noticing the lack of enthusiasm from the other person, he shut up eventually.

"How to do you get your food here? It's all snow here" Manish's voice was a bit wavery due to the extreme cold. He was wearing multiple dresses and a jacket which was thick quilted freezer suit. And to be honest, he was quite shocked when he saw this person in front of him. Kristanta has a very lean and thin figure which barely held on to the extreme climate. His skin almost stuck to bones and his clothes were think woollen trousers and shirt. He almost looked ancient. Maybe a fourty year old with nothing to eat at all.

He could almost imagine dying wearing those pieces of clothes. To assume that he is not native in here is beyond belief. The only reason Manish decided to follow him knowing that this person is familiar to the place.

"Oh! You wouldn't believe me if I say!" Kristanta's face looked a bit scary at this hour. The last hour of the moon on the sky and the skinny pale complexion with a smile which splitted his whole face into two. Manish looked at the man in front of him. He looked almost too weak to move but still managed to.

Manish wanted to ask what did he mean by the food but resisted. It's none of his business to go asking about his living. He is paying Kristanta to show him the magistical place and he is doing so. Indulging more is clearly unprofessional and out of the question. He shook his head and followed Kristanta forward.

Soon they reached the place Kristanta had been so excitedly briefing about. However, it didn't look to heavenly at this hour of night. The beauty appears at the sunrise only and then stays for three minutes before dissolving away again. As the villagers a few kilometers downhill had told him and the same words repeated by Kristanta.

In the dark, it looked like any normal cave since the white cave looked dark and made of stone instead of snow. Though, people call it the 'Glory of the Red Cave'. A few spruce scattered all over the place. They sat down at the entrance of the cave overlooking the faint colours of the dark blue and purple sky slowy starting to gain a lighter colour.

To be honest, sitting there all by yourself is quite different and a unique experience. For once, it seems so peaceful and soft as if the whole universe is still and you stare at the wonderful scenery beyond the horizon. And for the other, you sit in the utter darkness trying to grab on to the blossoming light from the lap of the mountains.

It was completely silents, not even the chirping of the words as if everything was standing still. The whole body of Manish was on impulse said even a midget sound or individual and set him off. How would you react to staying in a place like this with a stranger anyway? His nerves were wracking havoc and for once, he wished, he didn't come here at all. Because there was a weird aura to this place. The dead air was like a mirror to the bad energy.

"The sun will be up in fifteen minutes." Kritanta suddenly spoke up, his voice peircing through the utter silence made Manish jolt a little. "Oh!" He replied watching him put up his plan and spreading the fingers and lining them with the sky. Maybe he knew some techniques to know the time left for sunrise or sunset.

After completing whatever he was doing,  he sat down just alongside Manish, a long stick rested on his lap. He, then, smlied a little and silently we waited for the sunrise to see the miraculous effect as everyone has told me. I wanted to ask him if he was going to go and lok for his food. Maybe he eats on of the animals who lives here since eating vegetables throughout the year can be a little daunting but I couldn't even managed to move my eyes from the mountains.

Finally, the golden hue spread out like a dragon immerging from the ice cold lake. The sky changed its colour with a wink of an eye. It made a gradient of blue, purple, yellow and orange mixing with each other radiating out. The yellow hue touched and ignited all the white snow making it sparkle like gold. The scarce trees as if coming alive from the darkness glowed a brilliant shade of sap green. Manish's blue attire finally started looking blue rather than black and he could see the surrounding places clearly now. No matter where his eyes went, everything was white as the snow; some dark die to shadows.

And finally, the red ball of fire, the sun arose. His eyes didn't even shift from the circle. His both glassy eyes reflected the sun's hue as whisper left his lips. The experience was truly exceptional for Manish was almost on the verge of tears for reasons he himself didn't know. He felt that overwhelming sence of satisfaction; a satisfaction of such that made his breath short. And soon, sheer darkness of never ending journey greeted him.

On the morning of a Wednesday, Kristanta, after a month, dug his white teeth of the flesh of a built man staining the white snow, a dark sinister red as it flowed in a stream. The skin that struck to his skeleton finally formed into muscles which now doubled his figure making him look almost a decade younger.

Food, is what the red cave provides, for Kristanta, at least.