through the snow, then her right - and resumed her trek.
She buried time – and the wolves - under the concentration she needed to keep pushing her legs through the deep snow. She had no way of knowing how long she had been travelling, but she sensed that time and distance was out of proportion. Too much time; too little distance.
She muttered a few unladylike curses under her breath at the thieves who stole her watch. “On the other hand,” she said, dragging in a reluctant positive thought, “Perhaps it's better not to know. Might depress me.”
She continued her slow progress, stopping frequently to listen for danger - and to catch her breath. Only when she finally struggled into the pass proper, did she feel she could relax.
The pass was a gigantic fissure - giving the appearance that someone had chopped a mountain in half with a giant axe. The walls were mostly vertical and, although Genie made out some snow-blanketed vegetation clinging on precariously here and there, the pass was devoid of trees. There were no hiding places for predators of any species that chose to hunt her.
“Thank God for that,” she said, studying the entrance to the pass behind her. “Okay Mr. Wolf - you've missed your chance. Go find Red Riding Hood instead. She'll help you out.”
The pass did provide a downside, however.
The cold felt even more intense, almost as if the proximity of walls to each other created an elongated refrigerator. Having already nibbled through her layers of clothing, it now forced its way through her skin and muscles, and gnawed at her bones. Even the heat of her body generated by the enervating toil of pushing her way through the snow couldn't keep it at bay.
As for her feet...they were stinging fiercely, snow boots and three pairs of socks notwithstanding. Soon, she knew the cold would turn to moisture and, then...
“Frostbite, gangrene, amputations - my God, I should have stayed in bed.”
Remember the plan, Hamilton.
“Onward!” she said with more bravado than she felt.
Her concentration to force her feet through the snow, for what seemed like hours, was so intense that she almost fell into a mountainous pile of snow. At first glance, it appeared to reach all the way to the sky.
Genie took a deep breath and quietly complained at the latest setback. “How am I going to get past that?” Was the entire world against her?
Her little Devil sprang into action. “That's Lorenzo's avalanche. He was right. You'll never climb that. Go back.”
“No way,” Genie said. “Get lost.”
Genie cast her mind back to her journey weeks before. She couldn't remember scaling a mini-mountain like this. But, then, the blizzard she had to battle through wiped out all senses except the driving passion to seek shelter. At the time, she wouldn't have known if she was walking uphill, downhill, or on air.
On closer inspection, the snow-covered hill didn't quite reach the sky. In fact, it seemed to her to about 15 meters.
“That's only about eight or nine times taller than me.”
And that incline - it looked almost friendly.
“Piece of cake.”
“What if the climb is too tough and you can't make it?” said her little Devil. “What then?”
“Oh shut up,” Genie answered. “If I can't get over it, I'll...I'll...tunnel through it.”
The idea tickled her. “Now that would be something.”
The humour of the idea died as suddenly as it sprang into life. A frown wrinkled her forehead as she stared at the snow on the hill. “Please let there be something solid under that lot.”
Lifting one foot ready to test the snow mountain, she paused. “Look at that,” she said, eyeing her leg held straight out in front of her. “I could have been a ballet dancer; maybe even a Kung Fu fighter.” She thrust out a large cloud of condensation from her mouth with a short laugh and plonked her foot down on the slope. It hit
She buried time – and the wolves - under the concentration she needed to keep pushing her legs through the deep snow. She had no way of knowing how long she had been travelling, but she sensed that time and distance was out of proportion. Too much time; too little distance.
She muttered a few unladylike curses under her breath at the thieves who stole her watch. “On the other hand,” she said, dragging in a reluctant positive thought, “Perhaps it's better not to know. Might depress me.”
She continued her slow progress, stopping frequently to listen for danger - and to catch her breath. Only when she finally struggled into the pass proper, did she feel she could relax.
The pass was a gigantic fissure - giving the appearance that someone had chopped a mountain in half with a giant axe. The walls were mostly vertical and, although Genie made out some snow-blanketed vegetation clinging on precariously here and there, the pass was devoid of trees. There were no hiding places for predators of any species that chose to hunt her.
“Thank God for that,” she said, studying the entrance to the pass behind her. “Okay Mr. Wolf - you've missed your chance. Go find Red Riding Hood instead. She'll help you out.”
The pass did provide a downside, however.
The cold felt even more intense, almost as if the proximity of walls to each other created an elongated refrigerator. Having already nibbled through her layers of clothing, it now forced its way through her skin and muscles, and gnawed at her bones. Even the heat of her body generated by the enervating toil of pushing her way through the snow couldn't keep it at bay.
As for her feet...they were stinging fiercely, snow boots and three pairs of socks notwithstanding. Soon, she knew the cold would turn to moisture and, then...
“Frostbite, gangrene, amputations - my God, I should have stayed in bed.”
Remember the plan, Hamilton.
“Onward!” she said with more bravado than she felt.
Her concentration to force her feet through the snow, for what seemed like hours, was so intense that she almost fell into a mountainous pile of snow. At first glance, it appeared to reach all the way to the sky.
Genie took a deep breath and quietly complained at the latest setback. “How am I going to get past that?” Was the entire world against her?
Her little Devil sprang into action. “That's Lorenzo's avalanche. He was right. You'll never climb that. Go back.”
“No way,” Genie said. “Get lost.”
Genie cast her mind back to her journey weeks before. She couldn't remember scaling a mini-mountain like this. But, then, the blizzard she had to battle through wiped out all senses except the driving passion to seek shelter. At the time, she wouldn't have known if she was walking uphill, downhill, or on air.
On closer inspection, the snow-covered hill didn't quite reach the sky. In fact, it seemed to her to about 15 meters.
“That's only about eight or nine times taller than me.”
And that incline - it looked almost friendly.
“Piece of cake.”
“What if the climb is too tough and you can't make it?” said her little Devil. “What then?”
“Oh shut up,” Genie answered. “If I can't get over it, I'll...I'll...tunnel through it.”
The idea tickled her. “Now that would be something.”
The humour of the idea died as suddenly as it sprang into life. A frown wrinkled her forehead as she stared at the snow on the hill. “Please let there be something solid under that lot.”
Lifting one foot ready to test the snow mountain, she paused. “Look at that,” she said, eyeing her leg held straight out in front of her. “I could have been a ballet dancer; maybe even a Kung Fu fighter.” She thrust out a large cloud of condensation from her mouth with a short laugh and plonked her foot down on the slope. It hit
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