THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRESENT
PART TWO
Lucas quickly finished his breakfast and then excused himself to get dressed for the day. Everybody else had been busy doing exactly the same thing so they barely noticed the teenager disappear out the front door in his heavy jacket and boots.
Once outside, Lucas had carefully, and silently climbed up to the low roof of the cabins. He made sure that he was out of sight from the reception building. He didn't think they would take his idea of revenge very well when they saw him perched up on top of a snow-laden roof.
They all still had over forty minutes before they were due to meet Andrew for the morning's activities. Plenty of time to put his little revenge plan into effect.
"Captain could you come here please?" Lucas now said in a loud enough voice to be heard back inside the cabin.
"Is Lucas outside already?" Bridger asked noting the teenager's absence from the cabin.
Katie and Kristen looked around the room as did the others who were still seated, finishing off their morning beverages of coffee or hot chocolate. They too were all surprised to see Lucas missing.
All of them tried to think back but could not remember Lucas telling them they he was leaving. Nor could any of them actually admit to seeing the teenager going through the front door.
Lucas was still perched on the roof of the cabin. He had patiently waited for what he thought was a reasonable response time before calling out again. He couldn't help but grin to himself at the scene he saw before him if his plan worked like he wanted it too.
"Captain, I need you outside for a moment," Lucas now said, changing the sentence slightly. "I am stuck and can't get down," he added, trying to put a little bit of urgency into his voice, hoping it would prompt all of the crew come outside.
Bridger walked to the front door followed, a little concerned at the words "stuck, can't get down". Where was Lucas stuck and where was he that he couldn't get down?
The crew were now standing just outside the cabin, in full view of Lucas on top of the roof. He smiled to himself as he looked down and saw them all standing in the perfect position, all oblivious to what was about to befall them all.
"I'm up here," he said in a much quieter voice, making everybody turn back towards the cabin and look upwards.
The crew just all stood there for a few seconds, trying to work out why Lucas was on the roof at all. How had he gotten up there in the first place?
Bridger asked the question that was on everybody's lips "What are you doing up there Lucas?"
"Enjoying the scenery," Lucas said innocently, the crew were watching him too carefully to note his feet shuffling around, making bigger and bigger piles of the snow that was underneath him.
"What in the world possessed you to get up on the roof Lucas?" Kristen said a little more out of worry rather than frustration.
"Oh nothing much, just to do this.......," Lucas said calmly before dropping down to his haunches and giving the mounds of snow and sleet he had built up a shove.
The momentum was enough to move the small piles of white powdery snow and enough to gather more as the balls rolled off the roof. There wasn't a great deal of distance for the snow to travel, but the snow was able to gain a little speed due to the sloping gradient of the roof.
"LOOK OUT," Ben shouted as the reality of what the teenager had in store for them hit him. He wasn't quick enough though and ended up tripping over his own two feet in his haste, falling awkwardly into Commander Ford and Miguel who subsequently started a domino effect as they all fell into untidy group on the soft snow.
They all only had a brief second to shout Ben's name in utter contempt before they looked up and could see a white avalanche headed towards them. It hit them with a sodden slush, getting in their mouths, and any other crevices or folds in their clothes.
As they attempted to sit up and brush some of it off, they heard the mistakable sound of laughter and looked up to see Lucas sitting on the edge of the roof now, laughing heartily at their fate.
The more he looked down at them dusting the snow off, the louder and harder he laughed. The gag had worked out much better than he could have ever hoped it would have.
Bridger nodded towards Commander Ford and they both could see that Lucas was revelling too much in his laughter and wasn't looking directly at anybody. Lucas's legs were dangling over the edge of the roof and were at reachable height, just above the doorway.
Without warning, Lucas gave a startled cry as he found himself being physically dragged off the roof by two sets of hands. Before he could stop his descent, he soon found himself dumped on the mounds of snow and the rest of the crew vigorously joining in to immerse him in it.
Bridger and Ford held him down gently to prevent his escape whilst the rest of the crew took great pleasure in making balls and letting Lucas see them in their hands before they rubbed it over his face and anywhere they could.
Bridger and Ford now released Lucas and all of the crew were now laying back on the snow, laughing as though they had never before and trying to catch their breath back again. None of them could think of when they had ever had so much fun together.
"That was great," Lucas finally said, his face broken with a grin that warmed all of their hearts. It had been a long time since any of them had seen such spontaneous good emotions and facial expressions from the teenager.
"If I wake up with a sore back tomorrow Junior, you will have to carry my suitcase all the way home," Bridger joked as he got to his feet and offered a hand up to Lucas. Although a little chilly outside, the snow on their faces certainly revitalised their senses and made them feel alive.
"Come on then old man," Lucas said, breaking away from Bridger's grip as he said the line and making a dash for it through the cabin door with the Captain promising that the comment wouldn't go without a response.
The crew looked at each other briefly before they parted and new that everything was right with the world at the moment with the two most important people on this trip enjoying themselves immensely.
Everybody only had enough time to go inside and get some warmth back into the ends of their fingers before the tour bus pulled up outside.
Andrew, their guide from the day before got off and gave them all a cheery good morning. He found himself smiling back at the group who seemed to have found an extra source of energy that morning. He noted that everybody from the Captain down had a happy expression on their face.
"Well, gauging from you lot, you are ready and raring to go this morning," he now said out loud to everyone.
"We are all a bit new to this skiing thing Andrew," Bridger now said on everybody's behalf.
"Don't worry, there will be lots of beginners like you out on the snow today," Andrew informed them with a laugh. He had heard the story a million times over. People too ashamed to admit that they had never skied before in their lives. But that's what they were at a resort to do.
"If you will all board the bus, we will all go to the main building of the resort and get you all suited up in the right protective clothing against the cold and then get you all kitted out for skiing. You will all need boots, skis, two sets of poles each, gloves, beanies and some hot coffee in a thermos for later when we are up on the mountain," Andrew instructed them.
By the time they reached the main building, Bridger was surprised at the number of other skiers around. The crowd was building in number quite rapidly and he made a mental note to himself as well as the rest of the crew to keep an eye out for each other to prevent getting separated.
Once inside the shop for their gear, Lucas walked along the wall of skis, looking at them, but not really knowing which ones he needed. There was also rows and rows of boots and baskets full of gloves and another for beanies.
Bridger reached in the beanie basket and picked out the most vibrant colour he could find and handed it to the teenager.
"You have got to be kidding," Lucas said as he guessed at what the Captain was suggesting to him.
"No I am not kidding Lucas, I want you to put it on. At least that way I can locate you in the crowd. It wouldn't take much for you to get separated from the rest of the group," Bridger explained.
"Fine," Lucas said in a rather less impressed voice though, hiding the fact that he knew the Captain was right about getting separated. He knew that there was no possible way for him to be missed in this colour hat. Bright yellow was definitely not his colour.
With all of their clothing on now, including the thick layered parkas that they would need to prevent the buffeting winds on the mountains from making it even colder for them.
Lucas had been given his skis and two sets of poles like Andrew had said. He didn't see the point in two sets of poles until Andrew pointed out that it would be rather difficult to get around with one pole if the other broke.
He had his boots on, although he had needed help to get them on in the first place. They felt incredibly heavy and kept his ankle in a vice like grip to prevent any added stress to one of the most vulnerable areas when skiing.
The only other piece of equipment that he had that was distinctive apart from his beanie, was the backpack he now wore loosely over his shoulder. Inside was a spare pair of dry gloves, a thermos full of hot drink and a few energy bars that would keep his stomach happy until they returned for lunch.
The crew all met at the bus as their skis were loaded on top of the vehicle. This was the first chance Ben and Miguel had seen Lucas with his new brightly coloured beanie on. A few snide remarks had been made about standing out, but mostly Lucas ignored them and grumbled his way towards the back of the bus.
Once the bus started moving, Lucas was only interested in the white wonderland that was before them. The journey to the ski fields was only about 20 minutes in actual time, but the teenager had his face pressed against the glass mesmerized by the stark landscape that was incredibly beautiful at the same time. Soon the bus was pulling up to a stop and the driver could be heard over the microphone "Welcome everyone to the snow fields. When you step off the bus, there are four guides out there who will ask your level of skiing confidence and then direct you to the most appropriate area for your skills. If you are a first timer and beginner, there will be instructors waiting about twenty minutes from the bus to take you through your workout routine and then start to teach you the basics of skiing."
"I must stress to you all about the importance of adhering to the instructions of your guides at all times. Make sure you return to the bus before 12.30 to begin the ride back to the resort for the lunch break. After lunch, another driver will bring you back out to the snow fields again if you wish or to one of the other activities listed in the resort brochure," the driver explained.
"Outstanding!!," Lucas said out loud to nobody as he exited the tour bus. Nothing could have prepared him for the scenery in front of him. The stark whiteness of the snow for miles and miles in all directions took his breath away. He had never seen beauty like that on such a large scale before.
For the next ten minutes, as the other passengers unloaded from the bus, Lucas stood out by himself, drinking in the beautiful and pristine landscape. The clean, cold air filled his lungs as he breathed deeply and his senses were invaded with the scene of pine needles.
"Nice to look at isn't it," a voice said behind the teenager. Lucas felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the Captain standing beside him looking out over the white beyond. The openness of the area allowed them to totally shut out the sounds of the other tourists that were fighting to gain places on the chair-lifts.
"Yeah, really nice. I have never seen something so white before," Lucas stated. "Come on, I suppose we had better join the que for the chair lifts or we will be getting to the lesson just as it ends."
Lucas was a little apprehensive as it finally became his turn to ride the chair-lift. Bridger was beside him as they both looked behind and saw the approaching lift. With a bit of an awkward little jump to reach the bench style seat, the teenager found himself sitting crookedly.
There was a steel support between himself and the Captain that was bolted to the actual monorail line. At first it seemed like a strange kind of amusement park ride until they were out over the ski fields.
Lucas held his breath in slightly at the height they were at. Although there was no real risk of falling from so high up, he was a little afraid to even inch his way closer to Bridger.
Bridger however must have noticed the slightly worried look on his face or felt the boy's fear through his mind with his special gift. He leaned over and put reassuring hand over Lucas's that was resting on the seat beside him.
The chair-lift ride was shortly over, for which Lucas was slightly grateful. He secretly hoped that they didn't have to do that too many times today.
The rest of the crew had ridden the chair lifts in pairs behind Lucas and Bridger. Ben had sat beside Kristen, and Katie beside Commander Ford, leaving Tim O'Neill and Miguel to share a lift together.
Yes its true - I actually moved to Mars for a while and that's what stopped me from finishing this story and then real life got in the way (darn). As can see I am trying to catch up with all of my writing - this chapter will be added to shortly so after you have read this chapter come back in a few more days to see the rest of it (I hope)
Just think - Christmas in July this year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't disappeared forever - just yet......
JULES
PART TWO
Lucas quickly finished his breakfast and then excused himself to get dressed for the day. Everybody else had been busy doing exactly the same thing so they barely noticed the teenager disappear out the front door in his heavy jacket and boots.
Once outside, Lucas had carefully, and silently climbed up to the low roof of the cabins. He made sure that he was out of sight from the reception building. He didn't think they would take his idea of revenge very well when they saw him perched up on top of a snow-laden roof.
They all still had over forty minutes before they were due to meet Andrew for the morning's activities. Plenty of time to put his little revenge plan into effect.
"Captain could you come here please?" Lucas now said in a loud enough voice to be heard back inside the cabin.
"Is Lucas outside already?" Bridger asked noting the teenager's absence from the cabin.
Katie and Kristen looked around the room as did the others who were still seated, finishing off their morning beverages of coffee or hot chocolate. They too were all surprised to see Lucas missing.
All of them tried to think back but could not remember Lucas telling them they he was leaving. Nor could any of them actually admit to seeing the teenager going through the front door.
Lucas was still perched on the roof of the cabin. He had patiently waited for what he thought was a reasonable response time before calling out again. He couldn't help but grin to himself at the scene he saw before him if his plan worked like he wanted it too.
"Captain, I need you outside for a moment," Lucas now said, changing the sentence slightly. "I am stuck and can't get down," he added, trying to put a little bit of urgency into his voice, hoping it would prompt all of the crew come outside.
Bridger walked to the front door followed, a little concerned at the words "stuck, can't get down". Where was Lucas stuck and where was he that he couldn't get down?
The crew were now standing just outside the cabin, in full view of Lucas on top of the roof. He smiled to himself as he looked down and saw them all standing in the perfect position, all oblivious to what was about to befall them all.
"I'm up here," he said in a much quieter voice, making everybody turn back towards the cabin and look upwards.
The crew just all stood there for a few seconds, trying to work out why Lucas was on the roof at all. How had he gotten up there in the first place?
Bridger asked the question that was on everybody's lips "What are you doing up there Lucas?"
"Enjoying the scenery," Lucas said innocently, the crew were watching him too carefully to note his feet shuffling around, making bigger and bigger piles of the snow that was underneath him.
"What in the world possessed you to get up on the roof Lucas?" Kristen said a little more out of worry rather than frustration.
"Oh nothing much, just to do this.......," Lucas said calmly before dropping down to his haunches and giving the mounds of snow and sleet he had built up a shove.
The momentum was enough to move the small piles of white powdery snow and enough to gather more as the balls rolled off the roof. There wasn't a great deal of distance for the snow to travel, but the snow was able to gain a little speed due to the sloping gradient of the roof.
"LOOK OUT," Ben shouted as the reality of what the teenager had in store for them hit him. He wasn't quick enough though and ended up tripping over his own two feet in his haste, falling awkwardly into Commander Ford and Miguel who subsequently started a domino effect as they all fell into untidy group on the soft snow.
They all only had a brief second to shout Ben's name in utter contempt before they looked up and could see a white avalanche headed towards them. It hit them with a sodden slush, getting in their mouths, and any other crevices or folds in their clothes.
As they attempted to sit up and brush some of it off, they heard the mistakable sound of laughter and looked up to see Lucas sitting on the edge of the roof now, laughing heartily at their fate.
The more he looked down at them dusting the snow off, the louder and harder he laughed. The gag had worked out much better than he could have ever hoped it would have.
Bridger nodded towards Commander Ford and they both could see that Lucas was revelling too much in his laughter and wasn't looking directly at anybody. Lucas's legs were dangling over the edge of the roof and were at reachable height, just above the doorway.
Without warning, Lucas gave a startled cry as he found himself being physically dragged off the roof by two sets of hands. Before he could stop his descent, he soon found himself dumped on the mounds of snow and the rest of the crew vigorously joining in to immerse him in it.
Bridger and Ford held him down gently to prevent his escape whilst the rest of the crew took great pleasure in making balls and letting Lucas see them in their hands before they rubbed it over his face and anywhere they could.
Bridger and Ford now released Lucas and all of the crew were now laying back on the snow, laughing as though they had never before and trying to catch their breath back again. None of them could think of when they had ever had so much fun together.
"That was great," Lucas finally said, his face broken with a grin that warmed all of their hearts. It had been a long time since any of them had seen such spontaneous good emotions and facial expressions from the teenager.
"If I wake up with a sore back tomorrow Junior, you will have to carry my suitcase all the way home," Bridger joked as he got to his feet and offered a hand up to Lucas. Although a little chilly outside, the snow on their faces certainly revitalised their senses and made them feel alive.
"Come on then old man," Lucas said, breaking away from Bridger's grip as he said the line and making a dash for it through the cabin door with the Captain promising that the comment wouldn't go without a response.
The crew looked at each other briefly before they parted and new that everything was right with the world at the moment with the two most important people on this trip enjoying themselves immensely.
Everybody only had enough time to go inside and get some warmth back into the ends of their fingers before the tour bus pulled up outside.
Andrew, their guide from the day before got off and gave them all a cheery good morning. He found himself smiling back at the group who seemed to have found an extra source of energy that morning. He noted that everybody from the Captain down had a happy expression on their face.
"Well, gauging from you lot, you are ready and raring to go this morning," he now said out loud to everyone.
"We are all a bit new to this skiing thing Andrew," Bridger now said on everybody's behalf.
"Don't worry, there will be lots of beginners like you out on the snow today," Andrew informed them with a laugh. He had heard the story a million times over. People too ashamed to admit that they had never skied before in their lives. But that's what they were at a resort to do.
"If you will all board the bus, we will all go to the main building of the resort and get you all suited up in the right protective clothing against the cold and then get you all kitted out for skiing. You will all need boots, skis, two sets of poles each, gloves, beanies and some hot coffee in a thermos for later when we are up on the mountain," Andrew instructed them.
By the time they reached the main building, Bridger was surprised at the number of other skiers around. The crowd was building in number quite rapidly and he made a mental note to himself as well as the rest of the crew to keep an eye out for each other to prevent getting separated.
Once inside the shop for their gear, Lucas walked along the wall of skis, looking at them, but not really knowing which ones he needed. There was also rows and rows of boots and baskets full of gloves and another for beanies.
Bridger reached in the beanie basket and picked out the most vibrant colour he could find and handed it to the teenager.
"You have got to be kidding," Lucas said as he guessed at what the Captain was suggesting to him.
"No I am not kidding Lucas, I want you to put it on. At least that way I can locate you in the crowd. It wouldn't take much for you to get separated from the rest of the group," Bridger explained.
"Fine," Lucas said in a rather less impressed voice though, hiding the fact that he knew the Captain was right about getting separated. He knew that there was no possible way for him to be missed in this colour hat. Bright yellow was definitely not his colour.
With all of their clothing on now, including the thick layered parkas that they would need to prevent the buffeting winds on the mountains from making it even colder for them.
Lucas had been given his skis and two sets of poles like Andrew had said. He didn't see the point in two sets of poles until Andrew pointed out that it would be rather difficult to get around with one pole if the other broke.
He had his boots on, although he had needed help to get them on in the first place. They felt incredibly heavy and kept his ankle in a vice like grip to prevent any added stress to one of the most vulnerable areas when skiing.
The only other piece of equipment that he had that was distinctive apart from his beanie, was the backpack he now wore loosely over his shoulder. Inside was a spare pair of dry gloves, a thermos full of hot drink and a few energy bars that would keep his stomach happy until they returned for lunch.
The crew all met at the bus as their skis were loaded on top of the vehicle. This was the first chance Ben and Miguel had seen Lucas with his new brightly coloured beanie on. A few snide remarks had been made about standing out, but mostly Lucas ignored them and grumbled his way towards the back of the bus.
Once the bus started moving, Lucas was only interested in the white wonderland that was before them. The journey to the ski fields was only about 20 minutes in actual time, but the teenager had his face pressed against the glass mesmerized by the stark landscape that was incredibly beautiful at the same time. Soon the bus was pulling up to a stop and the driver could be heard over the microphone "Welcome everyone to the snow fields. When you step off the bus, there are four guides out there who will ask your level of skiing confidence and then direct you to the most appropriate area for your skills. If you are a first timer and beginner, there will be instructors waiting about twenty minutes from the bus to take you through your workout routine and then start to teach you the basics of skiing."
"I must stress to you all about the importance of adhering to the instructions of your guides at all times. Make sure you return to the bus before 12.30 to begin the ride back to the resort for the lunch break. After lunch, another driver will bring you back out to the snow fields again if you wish or to one of the other activities listed in the resort brochure," the driver explained.
"Outstanding!!," Lucas said out loud to nobody as he exited the tour bus. Nothing could have prepared him for the scenery in front of him. The stark whiteness of the snow for miles and miles in all directions took his breath away. He had never seen beauty like that on such a large scale before.
For the next ten minutes, as the other passengers unloaded from the bus, Lucas stood out by himself, drinking in the beautiful and pristine landscape. The clean, cold air filled his lungs as he breathed deeply and his senses were invaded with the scene of pine needles.
"Nice to look at isn't it," a voice said behind the teenager. Lucas felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the Captain standing beside him looking out over the white beyond. The openness of the area allowed them to totally shut out the sounds of the other tourists that were fighting to gain places on the chair-lifts.
"Yeah, really nice. I have never seen something so white before," Lucas stated. "Come on, I suppose we had better join the que for the chair lifts or we will be getting to the lesson just as it ends."
Lucas was a little apprehensive as it finally became his turn to ride the chair-lift. Bridger was beside him as they both looked behind and saw the approaching lift. With a bit of an awkward little jump to reach the bench style seat, the teenager found himself sitting crookedly.
There was a steel support between himself and the Captain that was bolted to the actual monorail line. At first it seemed like a strange kind of amusement park ride until they were out over the ski fields.
Lucas held his breath in slightly at the height they were at. Although there was no real risk of falling from so high up, he was a little afraid to even inch his way closer to Bridger.
Bridger however must have noticed the slightly worried look on his face or felt the boy's fear through his mind with his special gift. He leaned over and put reassuring hand over Lucas's that was resting on the seat beside him.
The chair-lift ride was shortly over, for which Lucas was slightly grateful. He secretly hoped that they didn't have to do that too many times today.
The rest of the crew had ridden the chair lifts in pairs behind Lucas and Bridger. Ben had sat beside Kristen, and Katie beside Commander Ford, leaving Tim O'Neill and Miguel to share a lift together.
Yes its true - I actually moved to Mars for a while and that's what stopped me from finishing this story and then real life got in the way (darn). As can see I am trying to catch up with all of my writing - this chapter will be added to shortly so after you have read this chapter come back in a few more days to see the rest of it (I hope)
Just think - Christmas in July this year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't disappeared forever - just yet......
JULES