The boy with the bent neck and a dog whose tail wouldn’t wag. Part I

(I will continue this story in a series of short blurbs. )

It’s a story best told around the campfire under a star-filled sky accompanied by the distant sound of whip-poor-wills; a tale best told about “the boy with the bent neck and a dog whose tail wouldn’t wag.” Some of the details may have changed, but the meaning remains the same.

There was a middle-aged man who, when viewed according to upper-class standards, lived a successful life. Still, relentless pain dwelled beneath his skin and bones. The pain drove him to roam the countryside in search of happiness. He came upon a woman who he found unfamiliar but alluring. There was a quietness about her. Upon questioning, she told him that true happiness could be found at a Buddhist monastery located in a remote part of Colorado. The monastery was occupied by a group of monks led by Father Ramero, a man wise beyond his years. As an inititial test, anyone seeking Father Ramero’s help had to make the twenty-five mile trip on foot over rugged terrain leading to the monastery on the mountaintop.