She of the Mountains by Vivek Shraya Page A

hands might discover, the ugly they might find, the coarseness of a terrain unclaimed or untravelled, he anticipated it. He desired it.
    After years of hiding and being unseen, her touch was a deep thawing, a memory of heat lost long ago.

GO!
    He waited for the boys to push past him before he picked up his feet and trailed behind with a slow, contented jog. Every so often, when one of the boys passed him on their fourth or fifth round of the track, he would catch a whiff of their sweat and competitive spirit. He recalled what his mother had said about his long legs being destined for greatness as his body picked up speed. For a short distance, with every thrust forward and every leap into the air, he felt boundless, weightless. Looking up at the sky instead of straight ahead, he briefly mirrored its vast possibility. A shortage of air soon deflated his flight back to a jog. Panting, he reminded himself that the exhilaration he had momentarily experienced was what mattered.
    This logic was wrong and was corrected with two words. You’re gay , the other boys said when he finished the race last.
    At first, he was certain that they could have used any two words. The assault was in the repetition:
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