The Song of Lost Gold

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Hello everyone!

I'm excited to share my entry for the amazing writing contest hosted by @musa-gold which a creative challenge all about stories centered around gold, If storytelling is your thing and you'd like to join in, don’t miss out!

Join the contest here:
Write to Win: The Gold Story Contest – Powered by Musagold.com & Steem

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When I was a child, stormy nights were my favorite. The rain beat against the living room windows like an ancient drum, and my grandfather, sitting in his creaky old leather armchair, told me stories. But not like other stories. Not the ones from fairy tales or caped superheroes. No. His were stranger, deeper. They smelled of the dust of time and the memory of stones.

He often spoke to me of a different gold. An ancient gold. Alive.
“You know, kid, gold isn’t just a metal. It's a memory. A voice. And sometimes… he sings. »
I laughed. I thought he was crazy. But deep down, I loved it.

He described to me a valley hidden in the bowels of the world, somewhere between the Tibetan mountains and the dreams of a solitary old man. A valley where gold was not extracted with a pickaxe but discovered in the heart. “It’s gold that you earn, not buy,” he said, his eyes shining with a light I didn’t yet understand.

Years have passed. My grandfather died one winter morning, peacefully, in his sleep. It was said that he had a good life. I just felt a void. Like a book closing in the middle of a chapter.

A few weeks later, while searching his attic, that poetic jumble of worthless but mysterious objects, I found a map, carefully folded inside an old book by Hermann Hesse. It represented a mountain range, a point marked by a strange symbol: a golden circle split by a vertical line. Below, a sentence scribbled in shaky handwriting:

"It's not gold you're looking for. It's what gold will show you."

I left. Without warning. Without a specific plan. My heart was beating with an excitement I hadn't felt since childhood. The journey took me from India to Nepal, then to remote trails in Tibet, where technology ends and silence begins. I walked, alone, in the snow, in the wind, between prayer flags that flapped like the songs of ancient souls.

It was an old man with clear eyes who found me, on the verge of exhaustion. He hardly spoke. Just a word:
“Follow me.»

He led me to a cave carved into the mountain. Nothing spectacular. A simple black opening between two cold walls. But as soon as I walked in, I felt something change. The air was dense, almost liquid. A soft, golden light emanated from the walls with no visible source. And in the center… there was her.

A stone. Not a nugget. Not an ingot. A golden stone, as if sculpted by time itself. But it wasn't its shape that struck me. That's what I heard.

A song. First dull, then clear. Like a cosmic lullaby. It wasn't an outside sound. It was an inner resonance, a whisper in my chest, a vibration in my bones. And through this song… I saw.

I saw men fight, kill, betray – for her. I have seen women hide a gold jewel under their skirt to feed their children. I saw slaves in chains, digging the earth for a king who didn't even remember their names. But I also saw an old poet melt down his last ring to make a pendant which he gave to an orphan girl. I saw a child pick up a nugget from a river and hand it back, without hesitation, to a tearful man.

And then… I saw my grandfather. I saw him young, alive, smiling. He held that same stone in his hands. And he was crying. No pain. Of peace.

When I came out of the cave, the old man was waiting for me. He handed me a small piece of paper. There was only one word:

“Transmit.”

Since then, I have never looked for gold in the material.
I found it in stories. In memories. In acts of love, courageous choices, true silences. Gold is only worth what it reveals. He doesn't buy anything. He reveals everything.

Today, if I am writing this story to you, it is because the singing continues.
And maybe through my words you will hear it too.

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Thank you very much for reading! I invite my friends @pelon53, @miftahulrizky, and @marito74 to join this exciting fitness challenge.

Best Regards,
@kouba01