Conquistadors

A Short Story

By: Anthony Pond

Narrated by: Brian Pederson

Determined to summit Mexico’s three highest mountains, Ryan Jordan must grapple with a sudden bout of stomach nausea while trying to appear strong for the climbs ahead despite the altitude. Complicating matters, he finds himself with a growing attraction to Colleen, another climber, while dealing with a potential rival. But hesitation has been his weakness. As the snow and ice and altitude challenge him, will Ryan recover his full strength to achieve his goals? And how will the budding romance progress?

©2025 Anthony Pond (P)2025 Anthony Pond

Ryan and Coleen

The narrator did a fabulous job on sharing with us, the climbing excursion of the three volcanoes that the three main characters conquered. The story did a great job of showing Ryan and Elliott trying to win Colleen’s attention. And Ryan with his upset stomach and his injured ankle, he was still able to win over Colleen as expressed in that letter at the end of the story. The story leaves you wondering if Ryan ever contacted Colleen after this adventure. Also, I was just wondering, what kind of Jell-O Ryan got at the hospital. Submitted by John H.