Too Much Snow

by Wendy Vermonter

This is a story about the guys being stuck in the snow and how they get out; written during the winter of 2018 in Vermont. Its an old story but, oddly enough, it actually happened nearby with a modern train just days before writing this. This is also part of a "Winter Challenge", a teaser scene taken from the middle of a story that will be posted in the summer of 2018. I promise!

Winter Challenge: Too Much Snow

This is a scene from the middle of a story that I hope to post this summer when many of us will be too hot. When you read this again, it will remind you of our February challenge, and the cold and snow. Oddly, this story has been stuck in my head for many years but actually happened a few miles from my house just last week with the local Amtrak train!

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Jim squinted into the brilliant sunshine. The huge sky was the deepest blue he had ever seen, not a cloud within sight. The ground on all sides, as far as he could see, was covered in a blanket of white, which sparkled in the sun when he moved. The snow was everywhere, covering everything. Trees, evergreens mixed with the bare branches of hardwoods, were in the distance, each branch and needle encased in white powder. He looked down, at his feet, to see the wooden planks of the train's roof. The top of the horse car was also seen further ahead. The wood in the tender, being much lower, was a lumpy mound of white. The engine was more clearly seen since the hot boiler was keeping the snow melted away from the sides of the black metal. With a long sigh, Jim turned to his partner, standing next to him, on top of the galley roof.

"Looks like we're shoveling, partner," he said quietly. He shook his head, grinning, as Artie turned to him. "Cold?" The only recognizable part of Artie was his eyes, which were squinting in the bright sunlight. His head was covered in a tight-fitting, knitted cap. A wide, woolen scarf wrapped around his face and ears. He wore a thick wool coat with the collar turned up.

"No," came a muffled response through the scarf, "I'm fine. I'm from New York City. I don't mind snow. Don't you know the old saying about winter?"

Jim scowled back, "No, what?"

"There's no such thing as bad weather," Artie said, his eyes twinkling now, making a point of looking at Jim's bare head and hands, "only being inadequately dressed."

Jim rolled his eyes, "Funny, Artie, very funny." He turned his coat collar up against the cold air as he looked around the wide field surrounded by thick woods, the ice crystals sparkling. "But I have never seen this much snow in my life. This is ridiculous." The train was stopped, stuck in the deep snow, halfway across the opening in the woods on a high mountain plateau.

"I used to play in snow as a kid when we went out to the county," Artie said, "I had cousins that worked a farm in northern New York. We used to make snow forts and have great snowball fights." He took a deep breath, "but this is a lot of snow. It might take a while if we have to shovel the tracks clear all the way out of these mountains."

"We have plenty of time and we have plenty of shovels," Jim said, smacking his cold hands together. He turned, grabbing onto his partner's shoulder to keep from slipping, to look toward the other end of the field behind them where the train had just passed only a few hours earlier. No sign of the tracks could be seen in the field of sparkling white. "But if we don't dig ourselves out, I don't know who will." He turned slightly, looking at Artie while still gripping his friend's thick coat, "Think of it as a challenge. A winter challenge."

"Ya," Artie snorted behind his scarf, "that's probably what ole Donner told the people in the wagon train he was leading."

Tbc…this summer….