THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRESENT
Part Three
The chair-lift slowed down significantly and was about to halt when Ben Krieg jumped off the chair he and Kristen were riding. Kristen had seen him wanting to jump off rather than wait for the lift to completely stop, but by the time she moved to pull him back, Ben's feet had already landed firmly on the hardened snow.
Ben took a step to the side to avoid being struck by the chair lifts behind him carrying the rest of the crew, but his footing became a little unsteady and he found himself promptly dumped on his read end in the snow in front of his friends and anybody else on the chair lift.
Commander Ford roared with laughter at Ben's mishap. He always wanted to see the Lieutenant on the other end of his own pranks and although this didn't make up for all the times before, it went a long way towards it. Jonathan laughed even harder at the unhappy look he was getting from Krieg at his mirth.
The rest of the crew, including Bridger and Lucas were also laughing as they now got off the completely stopped lift.
Katie walked over and stood in front of her ex-husband with a smirk on her face. "How many times do you have to be told to look before you leap Ben?" she said jokingly. "Or in this case, look after you leap," she added.
"Very funny Katie," Ben grumbled as he pulled himself up. He lost his footing again though and fell back onto the snow-packed ground, sending the crew into howls of laughter again as his new found clumsiness.
Needless to say, Ben's unintentional comic act had lifted the crew's already excited mood as they headed towards one of the areas signed "Beginner's Area."
Once they reached the snowfields a little higher up in the mountains, they were surprised at just how flat some of the area was. It was these plateau looking areas that the instructors used for teaching beginner lessons and people could use to warm up before heading back down the slopes.
As Lucas walked over to the skiing area with the crew, his eyes were drawn to the snow under his feet. It felt so hard and compact at the moment, but at the same time when he had picked it up and felt it in his hand back at the motel, it had been so cold and almost fragile in his fingers.
"Don't worry Lucas, it will hold your weight," Bridger said playfully as he tried to gauge what the teenager was thinking about all of the white snow they were walking on.
"No it's not that," Lucas replied, "It's just so strange to see so much of it all at once," he explained. He looked up and stopped his scientific examination of the material under his feet as they reached the place where they were supposed to meet the skiing instructor.
Lucas looked about the group of people apart from the crew and noticed that there were a couple of younger teenage girls in a group no too far away. He acted shyly towards them and turned away when they looked at him, but that only made the girls giggle more.
"Need some help there Lucasman?" Ben said as he now came up behind the teenager. He had seen the girls eyeing his blond friend off and although they were way too young for Ben to be interested in, he saw this as an opportunity to display his "matching-making abilities" to their fullest potential.
"Thanks but no thanks," Lucas said in quick reply as he noticed the girls stopped looking his way after Ben arrived on the scene.
"Hello everyone," came a voice from up front of the group. Lucas and the rest of the crew turned to see a very tall, rugged looking man, decked out in all of his ski equipment, standing there.
"Hi," came the reply from some of the people in the group.
"My name is Sven and I will be the instructor for the beginners class today," the man announced. "I will teach you some of the basic techniques today in the sport of skiing, but don't be too alarmed or disappointed if you don't get it right first go. Some people seem to pick up the sport easily; some just need a little more practice. Whatever your skill level here today, I just want you to relax and enjoy yourselves. We are not here for an exceedingly long time this morning, but hopefully a fun time."
"What I would like you all to do first is form a long straight line horizontal line in front of me so that I can check that you have all of your equipment and that you are using it correctly," the man instructed.
Lucas and everyone else complied with the man's request, forming a straight line. He found himself jammed in the middle between Bridger and Ben, but then everybody started to spread out some and give him a little more space of his own.
For the next five minutes or so, Sven walked from person to person, showing them how to grip their ski poles correctly and making sure that their skis were securely attached to their boots.
As the instructor bent down to check Lucas's boots were attached to his skis properly, the man looked up and noticed the slightly worried look on the young man's face.
"Don't worry son, I am not your regular drill sergeant," he joked, knowing that his height and size often led people to believe that they were in for a day of basic army training rather than skiing.
"Pity because I know of somebody who could use a lesson in discipline," Jonathan Ford commented, looking directly at Ben Krieg as he said the words.
Sven looked at Ben and the two of them winked at each other secretly, hoping to take the prank for all it was worth. The large skiing instructor now walked up to Commander Ford with a very determined attitude written all over his face.
"Did I hear somebody speak out of line?" Sven said doing his best but poorly executed drill sergeant's voice. "Well you listen to me little miss," he said without so much as cracking a smile. The man stood shoulder to shoulder to Ford and was about two inches taller, making it possible for him to look down at the dark-skinned man.
"You're on my time now and if you think you are here for a holiday of fun filled action, skiing and spending time with your friends then you are absolutely right," he continued.
Commander Ford coped the prank in a good-natured way. He knew that the man was trying to ease Lucas's concerns at first. Looking over towards the teenager, he could see him laughing like he had earlier that morning at the
cabins. He thought a little fun poked at him was okay.
By this time, the rest of the crew and some of the other people in the group were howling with laughter at the man's antics. He seemed a natural at being able to cheer the group up at short notice.
Ben had tears of laughter at the man's address of Commander Ford as "little Miss". He couldn't have thought of a better line himself. He was happy to note that Lucas still seemed to be enjoying himself. It was almost becoming a world record for the teenager how many times he had been seen laughing and smiling over the last few days.
"Okay, now to get started people, I want to get you stretching your arm and leg muscles so that they are a little warmed up before you begin starting to ski. If you don't warm up properly then your muscles may cramp up and that can be painful, believe me," Sven now instructed.
For the next ten minutes, the entire group went through the motions of exercising their arms. Then their legs. Then moving their hips from side to side to warm up various other parts of their bodies.
The crew didn't realise how much living under the water for most of the year took away their fitness level. Although most of them used the gym equipment supplied on the boat, it was obvious from the way they were breathing heavily and beginning to ache all over that the use of the gear wasn't enough.
"At the rate I am going, it's going to be a crawl back to the tour bus rather than walking," Kristen joked as she winced at the soreness of her unused leg muscles as she continued the exercises.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Bridger replied, noting just how old all of this exercise made him feel. He looked over at the other crew members and could see most of them moaning and groaning as well.
The ski instructor then went on to show the group how to bend their knees and use the energy within them to allow subtle changes in direction. They could alter the way they were travelling with a slight twist of the body that would allow them to avoid on coming obstacles when they started actually skiing back down the slopes.
Although the instructor knew the most people took on average three or four lessons to master the basic techniques that would enable them to manoeuvre, most people wanted to be reassured that they would get the hang of things first time.
If they were told that they needed a lot more practice after only a few minutes, then most people lost their self-confidence and didn't return to the lessons after the first one.
Sven found that by just giving them a little self-esteem and encouragement, most people would take the time to try and increase their skill level with a second or third lesson.
"Okay, that's enough of the warm up exercise stuff for the moment. Now although you might feel a little nervous at first. I am now just going to let you all divide into your own little groups or pairs and test out your equipment and the snow. I will be coming over to give each of you some more tips and pointers, but the only way you ready build up your skills is to practice and then practice some more," Sven now stated.
Out of the SeaQuest contingent, Kristen found herself with the most confidence and she moved out on her own a little further away from the other skiers. She was more familiar with the surface than most of them and had worn skis once or twice before.
Ben, Miguel and Tim group together in a threesome but remained fairly close to where they had been exercising. Whilst Miguel and Tim found that they could at least stay upright on their skis, the same couldn't be said for Ben.
No matter how hard he tried to gain his balance, every time he tried to move his feet a fraction of an inch apart, he found himself being dumped onto the compacted snow in a rather unflattering manner.
On a few occasions he didn't even quite manage to get back on his feet again before the poles in his hands fell out from underneath him once more, returning him to the snow. Needless to say that Miguel and Tim got their entertainments worth watching their hapless friend's battle the snow and his equipment.
Bridger had asked Lucas if he wanted to join him and Commander Ford, but the teenager had said that he would only slow them down and would prefer to try and master the skills on his own.
Bridger flatly denied that Lucas would slow them down and he saw hints of the boy's familiar self-doubt beginning to re-emerge. Lucas had finally persuaded the Captain that he truly just wanted to try and work out the technique for himself. He hoped that he could get some more instruction from Sven and promised to join them after a little while.
Although not altogether happy about Lucas preferring to be on his own initially, Bridger reluctantly agreed but secretly reminded himself to keep check of where the teenager was for most of their time on the snowfields. The colourful beanie would give the boy's position away and make him stand out enough against the white background.
For the next hour, Lucas tried and tried his best to master the basic techniques of skiing. He even had a one on one session with Sven for ten minutes to try and correct all of the things he wasn't getting quite right.
Unfortunately though, Sven's time was demanded by many of the other beginners in the group and so the instruction that he gave was brief and of very little real help to Lucas.
The instructor couldn't help but notice the boy's lack of interest in skiing. He didn't voice his opinion out loud to anybody, but it was clear to him that Lucas would rather be doing something else on the snow.
After that hour, Lucas separated his boots from the skis and was happy enough just to enjoy the sunshine and scenery. He rubbed at his boots a number of times as he felt the back heel of the boot chafing his ankle. His legs ached a little from the awkward angle that his foot was forced to remain at inside the boot. It was a normally unnatural angle and would take more than one day to get used to.
As Lucas watched his friends out on the snowfields, he couldn't help but notice how much fun they seemed to be having on the snow. Kristen was now laughing and talking to Bridger and Commander Ford whilst Kate Hitchcock had joined Tim and Miguel's group.
From the looks of things, Ben hadn't mastered the techniques any better than Lucas had, but he was continually trying and setting off his friends of into fits of laughter at his trials and tribulations.
With all of the crew seemingly enjoying themselves, Lucas didn't feel right about telling Bridger that he didn't quite like skiing. The man had gone to considerable expense for all of the crew for this holiday. He would keep his feelings to himself for the time being.
At about 12:20 pm the group began taking all of their equipment back to the bus. The crew were a little surprised to see Lucas already sitting outside the bus with his skis and poles already stowed on top.
"All pack up Lucas?" Bridger asked, a little unsure as to why Lucas was at the bus before anybody else and how long he had been sitting there.
"Yep, already to head back to the cabin and get these boots off and warm up a little," the teenager replied with a grin. Lucas had only been at the bus about five minutes before everybody else, but he saw no reason to announce his reason out loud.
Soon the conversation between Lucas and Bridger was all but over due to the constant chatter that now came from half a dozen different people as they all went about handing their skis and poles up to Sven on top of the bus and then climbing aboard ready to head back to the resort.
The bus driver seemed pleased enough that everybody was on time and then as a routine procedure, checked off passengers names against the manifest he had of all he had driven to the snow fields. They couldn't afford to be complacent and accidentally leave somebody behind.
"So how did you go Lucas?" Bridger asked, genuinely interested in how Lucas had spent the remainder of his time since the lesson ended. Lucas hadn't caught up with the Captain or Commander Ford like he promised and Bridger had only caught glimpses of the teenager out on the snow due to the beanie he wore.
"Oh okay I guess," Lucas said trying not to avoid the topic altogether so that he might disappoint Bridger. Neither Nathan or Lucas were aware that Sven had overheard the question and answer.
"Just okay?" Bridger said in a joking manner. Lucas only nodded his head in reply on this occasion.
Bridger could somehow tell that the teenager was walking around the question. He didn't want to embarrass the young man in front of the rest of the crew or passengers and reminded himself to have a private chat with Lucas once they had gotten back to the cabin.
When the tour bus pulled up outside the resort's reception area, everybody got off in an orderly fashion and then tried to stretch some of the stiffness out of their muscles before heading to their respective rooms.
Kristen promised to make a double batch of hot chocolate as everyone complained about how cold they all felt all of a sudden. Out of the snowfields had been as equally chilly, especially with the breeze blowing. They just must not have felt it as much they all said to themselves as they went to get warm anyway they could.
Katie Hitchcock excused herself from the others in the room telling them that she was talking the first hot shower if nobody had any objections. Nobody said anything to the contrary.
As soon as Lucas sat down on the couch in the room, he was immediately undoing the buckles on his skis boots to get them off as quickly as he could. Bridger was looking over at him and could hear soft winces as Lucas struggled to free his feet.
"Need some help there junior?" Bridger asked as he grabbed a hold of one boot and yanked it off.
"Yes please," Lucas answered through clenched teeth. The chilly air temperature seemed to make the chafed area sting even more. He know glanced upon his heel and noticed it to be pinkish in colour where the skin had been literally worn away by the rubbing action of the boot. No wonder it had felt so uncomfortable out on the snowfields.
As Kristen placed a mug of hot chocolate beside the teenager, she couldn't help but notice his feet and the chafing that was present.
"That looks very sore Lucas," Kristen stated and then went back into the bedroom to get some of her first aid supplies from her bag. "I will get a bowl of hot water and put some of this herbal remedy in so you can soak your feet." she added once she returned to the living area.
"I hope Sven has a better idea for your boots once we head back out in the bus this afternoon," Bridger said knowing that putting the same boots back on even after treatment, would only result in further damage to Lucas's heel.
"You mean I have to go back out," Lucas now said, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't going to say anything about not wanting to go.
"You don't want to go back to the snowfields Lucas?" Kristen now asked, a little surprise in her voice. She hadn't suspected anything like that when they had returned on the bus.
Bridger could see the guilt written on Lucas's face about saying anything, "It's okay if you don't want to go skiing again Lucas."
"Are you okay about it?" Lucas said with a downcast look. "I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to ruin your fun." he said trying to explaining his earlier silence.
"Your not mad at me are you?" Lucas asked
"Of course I am not mad at you. Not everybody likes skiing Lucas. If you don't like it, we will talk to Sven about finding something to do on the snowfields that you do like." Bridger said in a reassuring tone.
Lucas looked towards Kristen to confirm what was just said. He didn't want to make them feel bad just because he wasn't enjoying the skiing part. Kristen however read the doubt on his face and answered with a quick hug and a genuine smile that it was okay.
Kristen now turned her attention to fixing up Lucas's chafed feet. She placed the bowl of steaming hot water in front of the teenager on the floor and then point to him to submerge his feet in the water.
"YEEOOWWW," Lucas complained as the hot water stung his feet badly. Kristen now added a few drops of the herbal remedy to the water and an aromatic steam now wafted up to their senses, giving the room a wonderful smell.
"Sorry honey, but you keep those feet in that water. The stinging should subside as soon as your feet are used to the water," she explained.
Just as Lucas did what he was asked and tried to relax against the back of the couch while his feet soaked in the herbal water, Ben and the rest of the crew came through the door. Katie had answered the knock while towelling dry her hair.
"What's up Lucas?" Ben asked immediately as he noticed the teenager's feet sitting in a bowel of water.
"Those boots tore all the skin off my heels," Lucas replied sitting up a little at the appearance of his friends.
"Speaking of stinging doc," Ben said as he gingerly rubbed his backside in a soothing motion. "Fell down so many times out on those snowfields, I think my butt is frozen solid," he added with a grimace as he took up sitting in an arm chair near Lucas.
Bridger and the rest of the crew just laughed heartily at the Lieutenant's admission. "I don't think there is much of a remedy for that Ben." he said, trying to at least sound sympathetic. It was quite a battle to keep a straight face though as he tried not to think of where the injury was.
"Oh yes there is," Kristen said with a devilish laugh. "I could always put a hot pack on the troublesome area Mr Krieg. Katie would you like to assist?" she added, looking at the Commander with mischief written on her face.
"I can help doctor," Katie said as she went to move closer to her ex- husband.
"Ah no thanks ladies," Ben said as he quickly scrambled out of the arm chair before the two vixens could lay a hand on him. "That area is for restricted personnel only," he commented, sending everyone in the room into fits of laughter all over again.
"But, I have seen it all before Ben dear," Katie said smoothly still trying to get a hand on Ben. She made sure that she emphasised the "But" part of the sentence.
Excuse me, but my butt has had enough jokes for today," Ben said, not wanting to be left out of the play on words. The atmosphere in the room was light and happy despite the cold weather outside.
Their attention was diverted from the topic of conversation by a knock at the front door, much to Ben Krieg's relief. Bridger moved to answer whoever it was.
"Hi Sven," he said cheerfully, announcing the man's presence to the rest of the crew. "What can I do for you?"
"It's what I had in mind for you and Lucas actually," the instructor said as he noted the teenager sitting on the couch in the living room. By now, Kristen had just begun to pat dry his feet and put some squares of plaster tape over the chafed area to protect them.
"See you have had a rough time of it," Sven commented as he saw the rawness of Lucas's heels. That sort of discomfort would have only added to him not wanting to be out on the snowfields.
"Can you suggest anything else that might help him this afternoon?" Bridger now enquired.
"I know you didn't particularly have a good time out there this morning Lucas and I am sorry about that," Sven said. "I think I have come up with a solution though that will solve both your dislike of the skiing as well as your sore feet."
Lucas's curiosity was now heightened at what the man had in store for him for the rest of the day. "What idea have you got Sven?" he asked, putting his thoughts into words.
"Well, if your folks there agree as well as you, I would like to send you on the tour bus with the snow-boarders." he began, and quickly got in with the next sentence as he spied the doubtful looks on the faces of the crew. "Don't get me wrong, I wasn't going to suggest you participate, rather just be a spectator, he explained.
"You mean just look," Kristen said now that her initial concern and anxiety had dissipated.
"I am sure that it would be more interesting for you than skiing Lucas and there are some young people your age going on the bus," Sven said.
"Sounds great, but I don't know about putting those boots back on my feet," Lucas commented.
"That's why I suggested just being a spectator Lucas, that way you can wear normal footwear that won't aggravate your sore feet any further," Sven said. "You should be okay just to wear normal enclosed footwear. You just won't be able to walk to far into the deeper snow with them that's all."
"It may become a little boring after you have seen enough of it, but hopefully there will be enough action out there from the boarders to keep your attention for the majority of the time that we are out there this afternoon," Sven added.
"Where do the snowboarders go," Bridger now asked, wanting to know the ins and outs of the whole idea before Lucas went. He didn't want to stop the teenager from having fun, but the protectiveness within him wanted to know that Lucas was safe at all times.
"They go on a different bus to you Captain Bridger, up a little higher into the mountain itself. Some of the boarders who are very experienced like to start on top of the snow ridges and use the entire slope to their advantage," Sven explained.
*************************************
"You have fun out there but be careful Lucas," Kristen now said as she let the teenager board the other tour bus.
The crew were happy for Lucas that there were other people his own age on this bus and that he should fit in fairly easily. But none of them dared voice their secret thoughts that the afternoon would feel pretty strange without him with the group.
"See you this afternoon Lucas," Ben said in a cheerful manner. "By the time you get back, I'll be sipping hot chocolate and soaking in a hot tub," the Lieutenant jibed.
"Yeah, in your dreams Krieg," Lucas replied with a laugh before the automatic doors closed in front of him and the crew watched as the bus drove towards the snowboarding slopes.
On the bus journey to the slopes, after listening to the boisterous group that was made up of mostly teenage boys, Lucas decided that he didn't know if he would fit in to well with this crowd. They might have been near him in age, but other than the fact they were all young, there were very few other similarities in their personalities.
Lucas had joined in where he could with the conversations that were going on and when he was asked a question, but mostly they talked about snowboarding and what they were going to do when they finally got to the slopes. Sounded like they had all done this plenty of time before and Lucas was the only spectator among them.
After a few minutes, the bus pulled up to their intended destination. There was a chair lift there like had been at the skiing fields but not all the boarders chose to use it. Some of those who wanted to go higher into the mountain of snow got on and could be seen riding out over the slopes. The others that were left chose to use the lower slopes and walked on top of the compacted snow to the desired areas.
Lucas found himself watching out of curiosity as he watched the other young people master the boards they carried with ease. Some of them did tricks in the snow while others preferred to warm up a little first.
Looking further up the mountain, Lucas could see the more extreme boarders against the white background. It looked very dangerous even from where he was standing and he was thankful that he was just enjoying watching what was going on.
After about half an hour of being at the site, Lucas overheard a couple of the boarders talking about the snow being very compact, even down on the lower part of the slopes. He didn't quite know what such a comment meant in terms of being able to snowboard but he did notice the concern and worry in their voices about the boarders who were higher in the mountain.
Lucas soon got tired of standing up watching all the time and conveniently found a park like bench sitting underneath a tree near the bottom of the slope. He sat down and took the weight of his tired feet.
The cold snow was still causing the chafing to sting a little he noticed. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself; it seemed to be somewhat colder sitting underneath the tree due to the canopy cover it provided.
Lucas hadn't realised how much the morning exercises had tired him out and he could scarcely keep his eyes open at the moment. After another ten minutes, with nobody else taking much notice of where he was, Lucas drifted off into a light doze on the bench. His head resting back against the trunk of the tree in at an awkward looking angle.
*********************************************
The few boarders that had travelled to the higher parts of the mountain had seen the compacted snow as a challenge to their abilities rather than a hindrance that afternoon.
They found themselves turning their boards over and over in complicated moves enjoying the exhilaration that was coursing through their veins, but unaware of the danger that was only moments away for them all.
One particular boarder had gone right to the top of the ridge, resting the nose of his board over the edge for a few seconds before giving an almighty animalistic call and throwing both board and rider down the snow covered slope as fast as he could.
The boarder to notice the large glaciers of snow that broke away after him and started sliding down the mountain, gaining momentum as it went.
His other two friends did notice and cried in fright as they watched a second glacier break away close to the top of the ridge and begin it's dangerous journey to the bottom of the slope. They immediately got on their boards and started heading down the slope as fast as they could, trying in vain to keep in front of the wall of snow that was billowing down upon them at a fast pace.
Unfortunately for those three boarders, the wall caught up with before they could get anywhere near the bottom of the slope. Now with an uninhibited trail down the mountain, the avalanche of snow continued on and on, taking trees, markers and flags with it in it's wake.
The instructor that had been with the boarders gasped in horror as he saw the three boarders engulfed by the wall of snow. He now jumped on the radio in the bus and started screaming out to the other end to broadcast an avalanche warning to the entire resort and to send a search and rescue squad as soon as possible.
Back at the skiing fields, a siren could be heard blaring out over the snow, signalling to all skiers that they had to get off the snow fields immediately. At first, some of the group where a little alarmed at the sudden noise and didn't quite know what it meant.
"What does that siren mean Sven?" Jonathan Ford asked on behalf of the crew.
"It means we have to get out of here fast. It is an avalanche warning and we all need to head back to the resort quickly," Sven commented, now going through the procedures he had been taught about such an emergency.
As the passengers of the ski fields boarded the bus and Sven began his head count, Bridger couldn't help but notice a foreboding feeling begin to settle in the pit of his stomach.
Sven attempted to talk to the other instructor on the radio as he drove the bus back to the resort, "Where are you at the moment Ethan?" he asked, hoping to pinpoint exactly where in the mountains the avalanche had been seen. He secretly hoped that it was some distance from the resort itself.
The passengers on Bridger's bus could hear the panic in the voice of the other instructor as his voice came over the radio to Sven, "I am up here with the boarders, three riders are presumed missing in the avalanche. It's huge Sven, the whole mountain just gave way with little warning. I have never seen anything like it. I don't know if they are even alive yet. I also don't know what happened to that blond kid that was with the group, no sign of him at the moment either," Ethan yelled.
Bridger was almost on his feet wanting to shout back at the man on the radio himself. Lucas had been with the snow boarders and the mention of a blond kid fitted only one description in his head. He couldn't bear to think that something terrible had happened to Lucas.
"I'll get the rescue crew up there on the double Ethan," Sven said not being able to hide his own fears to the safety of the riders. He looked up and saw Bridger standing there and knew he had heard the entire conversation, including the part about a missing kid: Lucas.
"It might not be him Nathan," Sven said, trying to reassure the man and his crew that he had sent the boy up there only to put him in danger. His own guilt was beginning to mount as he tried to think of what to do next.
*****************************************************
A few minutes before Ethan had screamed the avalanche down the radio, Lucas had still being dozing in the bench underneath the tree.
He had been brought abruptly awake by a loud roaring noise and looked up to see a white mass heading down the mountain only a few meters from him. He couldn't see anything else but the snow and barely had enough time to get off the bench before he felt himself rammed painful back into it with considerable force.
Lucas felt himself been turned over and over, upside down and every which way. His breath was caught in his throat at the panic he was feeling but there was very little he could do to stop his movement with the wall of snow.
The snow was even getting in this mouth and nose, cutting of his breathing even more. His shoulder was throbbing painfully after striking the corner of the park bench.
Desperately he tried moving his legs to alter his course of direction, but the snow was compacted so tightly around his limbs that any sort of movement was almost impossible and he had virtually no control over where he was being taken.
Lucas found himself being able to see a little in front of him, but what he saw scared him to death. The only think apart from the snow he could see was the dark shadow of a pine tree trunk in his path.
TO BE CONTINUED
Please note that I am not able to do as much writing at the moment as I would like and real life is intruding to a large degree. I will update all stories as I can but it will be slower than before.
Please forgive me if I didn't get the avalanche part exactly right. I have only seen them on TV and am going from memory. I am not sure of what type of snow will cause an avalanche again going from documentaries I have seen.
The whole thing about Lucas not liking skiing comes from my sister who went to New Zealand skiing and hated it. She liked playing in the snow but hated the actual skiing part - so I took her experience and used it for Lucas.
You will also just have to believe the idea of the tree and the park bench. I didn't mean it would right in the middle of the skiing slope but off to the side somewhat. I didn't think you could just have Lucas standing out in the open and then have the avalanche mow him down.
Promise more as soon as I can - hope you are liking the story so far - this part explains what I wanted to do right from the beginning - just took me quite a lot of words to get there as I set up the background somewhat.
JULES
Part Three
The chair-lift slowed down significantly and was about to halt when Ben Krieg jumped off the chair he and Kristen were riding. Kristen had seen him wanting to jump off rather than wait for the lift to completely stop, but by the time she moved to pull him back, Ben's feet had already landed firmly on the hardened snow.
Ben took a step to the side to avoid being struck by the chair lifts behind him carrying the rest of the crew, but his footing became a little unsteady and he found himself promptly dumped on his read end in the snow in front of his friends and anybody else on the chair lift.
Commander Ford roared with laughter at Ben's mishap. He always wanted to see the Lieutenant on the other end of his own pranks and although this didn't make up for all the times before, it went a long way towards it. Jonathan laughed even harder at the unhappy look he was getting from Krieg at his mirth.
The rest of the crew, including Bridger and Lucas were also laughing as they now got off the completely stopped lift.
Katie walked over and stood in front of her ex-husband with a smirk on her face. "How many times do you have to be told to look before you leap Ben?" she said jokingly. "Or in this case, look after you leap," she added.
"Very funny Katie," Ben grumbled as he pulled himself up. He lost his footing again though and fell back onto the snow-packed ground, sending the crew into howls of laughter again as his new found clumsiness.
Needless to say, Ben's unintentional comic act had lifted the crew's already excited mood as they headed towards one of the areas signed "Beginner's Area."
Once they reached the snowfields a little higher up in the mountains, they were surprised at just how flat some of the area was. It was these plateau looking areas that the instructors used for teaching beginner lessons and people could use to warm up before heading back down the slopes.
As Lucas walked over to the skiing area with the crew, his eyes were drawn to the snow under his feet. It felt so hard and compact at the moment, but at the same time when he had picked it up and felt it in his hand back at the motel, it had been so cold and almost fragile in his fingers.
"Don't worry Lucas, it will hold your weight," Bridger said playfully as he tried to gauge what the teenager was thinking about all of the white snow they were walking on.
"No it's not that," Lucas replied, "It's just so strange to see so much of it all at once," he explained. He looked up and stopped his scientific examination of the material under his feet as they reached the place where they were supposed to meet the skiing instructor.
Lucas looked about the group of people apart from the crew and noticed that there were a couple of younger teenage girls in a group no too far away. He acted shyly towards them and turned away when they looked at him, but that only made the girls giggle more.
"Need some help there Lucasman?" Ben said as he now came up behind the teenager. He had seen the girls eyeing his blond friend off and although they were way too young for Ben to be interested in, he saw this as an opportunity to display his "matching-making abilities" to their fullest potential.
"Thanks but no thanks," Lucas said in quick reply as he noticed the girls stopped looking his way after Ben arrived on the scene.
"Hello everyone," came a voice from up front of the group. Lucas and the rest of the crew turned to see a very tall, rugged looking man, decked out in all of his ski equipment, standing there.
"Hi," came the reply from some of the people in the group.
"My name is Sven and I will be the instructor for the beginners class today," the man announced. "I will teach you some of the basic techniques today in the sport of skiing, but don't be too alarmed or disappointed if you don't get it right first go. Some people seem to pick up the sport easily; some just need a little more practice. Whatever your skill level here today, I just want you to relax and enjoy yourselves. We are not here for an exceedingly long time this morning, but hopefully a fun time."
"What I would like you all to do first is form a long straight line horizontal line in front of me so that I can check that you have all of your equipment and that you are using it correctly," the man instructed.
Lucas and everyone else complied with the man's request, forming a straight line. He found himself jammed in the middle between Bridger and Ben, but then everybody started to spread out some and give him a little more space of his own.
For the next five minutes or so, Sven walked from person to person, showing them how to grip their ski poles correctly and making sure that their skis were securely attached to their boots.
As the instructor bent down to check Lucas's boots were attached to his skis properly, the man looked up and noticed the slightly worried look on the young man's face.
"Don't worry son, I am not your regular drill sergeant," he joked, knowing that his height and size often led people to believe that they were in for a day of basic army training rather than skiing.
"Pity because I know of somebody who could use a lesson in discipline," Jonathan Ford commented, looking directly at Ben Krieg as he said the words.
Sven looked at Ben and the two of them winked at each other secretly, hoping to take the prank for all it was worth. The large skiing instructor now walked up to Commander Ford with a very determined attitude written all over his face.
"Did I hear somebody speak out of line?" Sven said doing his best but poorly executed drill sergeant's voice. "Well you listen to me little miss," he said without so much as cracking a smile. The man stood shoulder to shoulder to Ford and was about two inches taller, making it possible for him to look down at the dark-skinned man.
"You're on my time now and if you think you are here for a holiday of fun filled action, skiing and spending time with your friends then you are absolutely right," he continued.
Commander Ford coped the prank in a good-natured way. He knew that the man was trying to ease Lucas's concerns at first. Looking over towards the teenager, he could see him laughing like he had earlier that morning at the
cabins. He thought a little fun poked at him was okay.
By this time, the rest of the crew and some of the other people in the group were howling with laughter at the man's antics. He seemed a natural at being able to cheer the group up at short notice.
Ben had tears of laughter at the man's address of Commander Ford as "little Miss". He couldn't have thought of a better line himself. He was happy to note that Lucas still seemed to be enjoying himself. It was almost becoming a world record for the teenager how many times he had been seen laughing and smiling over the last few days.
"Okay, now to get started people, I want to get you stretching your arm and leg muscles so that they are a little warmed up before you begin starting to ski. If you don't warm up properly then your muscles may cramp up and that can be painful, believe me," Sven now instructed.
For the next ten minutes, the entire group went through the motions of exercising their arms. Then their legs. Then moving their hips from side to side to warm up various other parts of their bodies.
The crew didn't realise how much living under the water for most of the year took away their fitness level. Although most of them used the gym equipment supplied on the boat, it was obvious from the way they were breathing heavily and beginning to ache all over that the use of the gear wasn't enough.
"At the rate I am going, it's going to be a crawl back to the tour bus rather than walking," Kristen joked as she winced at the soreness of her unused leg muscles as she continued the exercises.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Bridger replied, noting just how old all of this exercise made him feel. He looked over at the other crew members and could see most of them moaning and groaning as well.
The ski instructor then went on to show the group how to bend their knees and use the energy within them to allow subtle changes in direction. They could alter the way they were travelling with a slight twist of the body that would allow them to avoid on coming obstacles when they started actually skiing back down the slopes.
Although the instructor knew the most people took on average three or four lessons to master the basic techniques that would enable them to manoeuvre, most people wanted to be reassured that they would get the hang of things first time.
If they were told that they needed a lot more practice after only a few minutes, then most people lost their self-confidence and didn't return to the lessons after the first one.
Sven found that by just giving them a little self-esteem and encouragement, most people would take the time to try and increase their skill level with a second or third lesson.
"Okay, that's enough of the warm up exercise stuff for the moment. Now although you might feel a little nervous at first. I am now just going to let you all divide into your own little groups or pairs and test out your equipment and the snow. I will be coming over to give each of you some more tips and pointers, but the only way you ready build up your skills is to practice and then practice some more," Sven now stated.
Out of the SeaQuest contingent, Kristen found herself with the most confidence and she moved out on her own a little further away from the other skiers. She was more familiar with the surface than most of them and had worn skis once or twice before.
Ben, Miguel and Tim group together in a threesome but remained fairly close to where they had been exercising. Whilst Miguel and Tim found that they could at least stay upright on their skis, the same couldn't be said for Ben.
No matter how hard he tried to gain his balance, every time he tried to move his feet a fraction of an inch apart, he found himself being dumped onto the compacted snow in a rather unflattering manner.
On a few occasions he didn't even quite manage to get back on his feet again before the poles in his hands fell out from underneath him once more, returning him to the snow. Needless to say that Miguel and Tim got their entertainments worth watching their hapless friend's battle the snow and his equipment.
Bridger had asked Lucas if he wanted to join him and Commander Ford, but the teenager had said that he would only slow them down and would prefer to try and master the skills on his own.
Bridger flatly denied that Lucas would slow them down and he saw hints of the boy's familiar self-doubt beginning to re-emerge. Lucas had finally persuaded the Captain that he truly just wanted to try and work out the technique for himself. He hoped that he could get some more instruction from Sven and promised to join them after a little while.
Although not altogether happy about Lucas preferring to be on his own initially, Bridger reluctantly agreed but secretly reminded himself to keep check of where the teenager was for most of their time on the snowfields. The colourful beanie would give the boy's position away and make him stand out enough against the white background.
For the next hour, Lucas tried and tried his best to master the basic techniques of skiing. He even had a one on one session with Sven for ten minutes to try and correct all of the things he wasn't getting quite right.
Unfortunately though, Sven's time was demanded by many of the other beginners in the group and so the instruction that he gave was brief and of very little real help to Lucas.
The instructor couldn't help but notice the boy's lack of interest in skiing. He didn't voice his opinion out loud to anybody, but it was clear to him that Lucas would rather be doing something else on the snow.
After that hour, Lucas separated his boots from the skis and was happy enough just to enjoy the sunshine and scenery. He rubbed at his boots a number of times as he felt the back heel of the boot chafing his ankle. His legs ached a little from the awkward angle that his foot was forced to remain at inside the boot. It was a normally unnatural angle and would take more than one day to get used to.
As Lucas watched his friends out on the snowfields, he couldn't help but notice how much fun they seemed to be having on the snow. Kristen was now laughing and talking to Bridger and Commander Ford whilst Kate Hitchcock had joined Tim and Miguel's group.
From the looks of things, Ben hadn't mastered the techniques any better than Lucas had, but he was continually trying and setting off his friends of into fits of laughter at his trials and tribulations.
With all of the crew seemingly enjoying themselves, Lucas didn't feel right about telling Bridger that he didn't quite like skiing. The man had gone to considerable expense for all of the crew for this holiday. He would keep his feelings to himself for the time being.
At about 12:20 pm the group began taking all of their equipment back to the bus. The crew were a little surprised to see Lucas already sitting outside the bus with his skis and poles already stowed on top.
"All pack up Lucas?" Bridger asked, a little unsure as to why Lucas was at the bus before anybody else and how long he had been sitting there.
"Yep, already to head back to the cabin and get these boots off and warm up a little," the teenager replied with a grin. Lucas had only been at the bus about five minutes before everybody else, but he saw no reason to announce his reason out loud.
Soon the conversation between Lucas and Bridger was all but over due to the constant chatter that now came from half a dozen different people as they all went about handing their skis and poles up to Sven on top of the bus and then climbing aboard ready to head back to the resort.
The bus driver seemed pleased enough that everybody was on time and then as a routine procedure, checked off passengers names against the manifest he had of all he had driven to the snow fields. They couldn't afford to be complacent and accidentally leave somebody behind.
"So how did you go Lucas?" Bridger asked, genuinely interested in how Lucas had spent the remainder of his time since the lesson ended. Lucas hadn't caught up with the Captain or Commander Ford like he promised and Bridger had only caught glimpses of the teenager out on the snow due to the beanie he wore.
"Oh okay I guess," Lucas said trying not to avoid the topic altogether so that he might disappoint Bridger. Neither Nathan or Lucas were aware that Sven had overheard the question and answer.
"Just okay?" Bridger said in a joking manner. Lucas only nodded his head in reply on this occasion.
Bridger could somehow tell that the teenager was walking around the question. He didn't want to embarrass the young man in front of the rest of the crew or passengers and reminded himself to have a private chat with Lucas once they had gotten back to the cabin.
When the tour bus pulled up outside the resort's reception area, everybody got off in an orderly fashion and then tried to stretch some of the stiffness out of their muscles before heading to their respective rooms.
Kristen promised to make a double batch of hot chocolate as everyone complained about how cold they all felt all of a sudden. Out of the snowfields had been as equally chilly, especially with the breeze blowing. They just must not have felt it as much they all said to themselves as they went to get warm anyway they could.
Katie Hitchcock excused herself from the others in the room telling them that she was talking the first hot shower if nobody had any objections. Nobody said anything to the contrary.
As soon as Lucas sat down on the couch in the room, he was immediately undoing the buckles on his skis boots to get them off as quickly as he could. Bridger was looking over at him and could hear soft winces as Lucas struggled to free his feet.
"Need some help there junior?" Bridger asked as he grabbed a hold of one boot and yanked it off.
"Yes please," Lucas answered through clenched teeth. The chilly air temperature seemed to make the chafed area sting even more. He know glanced upon his heel and noticed it to be pinkish in colour where the skin had been literally worn away by the rubbing action of the boot. No wonder it had felt so uncomfortable out on the snowfields.
As Kristen placed a mug of hot chocolate beside the teenager, she couldn't help but notice his feet and the chafing that was present.
"That looks very sore Lucas," Kristen stated and then went back into the bedroom to get some of her first aid supplies from her bag. "I will get a bowl of hot water and put some of this herbal remedy in so you can soak your feet." she added once she returned to the living area.
"I hope Sven has a better idea for your boots once we head back out in the bus this afternoon," Bridger said knowing that putting the same boots back on even after treatment, would only result in further damage to Lucas's heel.
"You mean I have to go back out," Lucas now said, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't going to say anything about not wanting to go.
"You don't want to go back to the snowfields Lucas?" Kristen now asked, a little surprise in her voice. She hadn't suspected anything like that when they had returned on the bus.
Bridger could see the guilt written on Lucas's face about saying anything, "It's okay if you don't want to go skiing again Lucas."
"Are you okay about it?" Lucas said with a downcast look. "I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to ruin your fun." he said trying to explaining his earlier silence.
"Your not mad at me are you?" Lucas asked
"Of course I am not mad at you. Not everybody likes skiing Lucas. If you don't like it, we will talk to Sven about finding something to do on the snowfields that you do like." Bridger said in a reassuring tone.
Lucas looked towards Kristen to confirm what was just said. He didn't want to make them feel bad just because he wasn't enjoying the skiing part. Kristen however read the doubt on his face and answered with a quick hug and a genuine smile that it was okay.
Kristen now turned her attention to fixing up Lucas's chafed feet. She placed the bowl of steaming hot water in front of the teenager on the floor and then point to him to submerge his feet in the water.
"YEEOOWWW," Lucas complained as the hot water stung his feet badly. Kristen now added a few drops of the herbal remedy to the water and an aromatic steam now wafted up to their senses, giving the room a wonderful smell.
"Sorry honey, but you keep those feet in that water. The stinging should subside as soon as your feet are used to the water," she explained.
Just as Lucas did what he was asked and tried to relax against the back of the couch while his feet soaked in the herbal water, Ben and the rest of the crew came through the door. Katie had answered the knock while towelling dry her hair.
"What's up Lucas?" Ben asked immediately as he noticed the teenager's feet sitting in a bowel of water.
"Those boots tore all the skin off my heels," Lucas replied sitting up a little at the appearance of his friends.
"Speaking of stinging doc," Ben said as he gingerly rubbed his backside in a soothing motion. "Fell down so many times out on those snowfields, I think my butt is frozen solid," he added with a grimace as he took up sitting in an arm chair near Lucas.
Bridger and the rest of the crew just laughed heartily at the Lieutenant's admission. "I don't think there is much of a remedy for that Ben." he said, trying to at least sound sympathetic. It was quite a battle to keep a straight face though as he tried not to think of where the injury was.
"Oh yes there is," Kristen said with a devilish laugh. "I could always put a hot pack on the troublesome area Mr Krieg. Katie would you like to assist?" she added, looking at the Commander with mischief written on her face.
"I can help doctor," Katie said as she went to move closer to her ex- husband.
"Ah no thanks ladies," Ben said as he quickly scrambled out of the arm chair before the two vixens could lay a hand on him. "That area is for restricted personnel only," he commented, sending everyone in the room into fits of laughter all over again.
"But, I have seen it all before Ben dear," Katie said smoothly still trying to get a hand on Ben. She made sure that she emphasised the "But" part of the sentence.
Excuse me, but my butt has had enough jokes for today," Ben said, not wanting to be left out of the play on words. The atmosphere in the room was light and happy despite the cold weather outside.
Their attention was diverted from the topic of conversation by a knock at the front door, much to Ben Krieg's relief. Bridger moved to answer whoever it was.
"Hi Sven," he said cheerfully, announcing the man's presence to the rest of the crew. "What can I do for you?"
"It's what I had in mind for you and Lucas actually," the instructor said as he noted the teenager sitting on the couch in the living room. By now, Kristen had just begun to pat dry his feet and put some squares of plaster tape over the chafed area to protect them.
"See you have had a rough time of it," Sven commented as he saw the rawness of Lucas's heels. That sort of discomfort would have only added to him not wanting to be out on the snowfields.
"Can you suggest anything else that might help him this afternoon?" Bridger now enquired.
"I know you didn't particularly have a good time out there this morning Lucas and I am sorry about that," Sven said. "I think I have come up with a solution though that will solve both your dislike of the skiing as well as your sore feet."
Lucas's curiosity was now heightened at what the man had in store for him for the rest of the day. "What idea have you got Sven?" he asked, putting his thoughts into words.
"Well, if your folks there agree as well as you, I would like to send you on the tour bus with the snow-boarders." he began, and quickly got in with the next sentence as he spied the doubtful looks on the faces of the crew. "Don't get me wrong, I wasn't going to suggest you participate, rather just be a spectator, he explained.
"You mean just look," Kristen said now that her initial concern and anxiety had dissipated.
"I am sure that it would be more interesting for you than skiing Lucas and there are some young people your age going on the bus," Sven said.
"Sounds great, but I don't know about putting those boots back on my feet," Lucas commented.
"That's why I suggested just being a spectator Lucas, that way you can wear normal footwear that won't aggravate your sore feet any further," Sven said. "You should be okay just to wear normal enclosed footwear. You just won't be able to walk to far into the deeper snow with them that's all."
"It may become a little boring after you have seen enough of it, but hopefully there will be enough action out there from the boarders to keep your attention for the majority of the time that we are out there this afternoon," Sven added.
"Where do the snowboarders go," Bridger now asked, wanting to know the ins and outs of the whole idea before Lucas went. He didn't want to stop the teenager from having fun, but the protectiveness within him wanted to know that Lucas was safe at all times.
"They go on a different bus to you Captain Bridger, up a little higher into the mountain itself. Some of the boarders who are very experienced like to start on top of the snow ridges and use the entire slope to their advantage," Sven explained.
*************************************
"You have fun out there but be careful Lucas," Kristen now said as she let the teenager board the other tour bus.
The crew were happy for Lucas that there were other people his own age on this bus and that he should fit in fairly easily. But none of them dared voice their secret thoughts that the afternoon would feel pretty strange without him with the group.
"See you this afternoon Lucas," Ben said in a cheerful manner. "By the time you get back, I'll be sipping hot chocolate and soaking in a hot tub," the Lieutenant jibed.
"Yeah, in your dreams Krieg," Lucas replied with a laugh before the automatic doors closed in front of him and the crew watched as the bus drove towards the snowboarding slopes.
On the bus journey to the slopes, after listening to the boisterous group that was made up of mostly teenage boys, Lucas decided that he didn't know if he would fit in to well with this crowd. They might have been near him in age, but other than the fact they were all young, there were very few other similarities in their personalities.
Lucas had joined in where he could with the conversations that were going on and when he was asked a question, but mostly they talked about snowboarding and what they were going to do when they finally got to the slopes. Sounded like they had all done this plenty of time before and Lucas was the only spectator among them.
After a few minutes, the bus pulled up to their intended destination. There was a chair lift there like had been at the skiing fields but not all the boarders chose to use it. Some of those who wanted to go higher into the mountain of snow got on and could be seen riding out over the slopes. The others that were left chose to use the lower slopes and walked on top of the compacted snow to the desired areas.
Lucas found himself watching out of curiosity as he watched the other young people master the boards they carried with ease. Some of them did tricks in the snow while others preferred to warm up a little first.
Looking further up the mountain, Lucas could see the more extreme boarders against the white background. It looked very dangerous even from where he was standing and he was thankful that he was just enjoying watching what was going on.
After about half an hour of being at the site, Lucas overheard a couple of the boarders talking about the snow being very compact, even down on the lower part of the slopes. He didn't quite know what such a comment meant in terms of being able to snowboard but he did notice the concern and worry in their voices about the boarders who were higher in the mountain.
Lucas soon got tired of standing up watching all the time and conveniently found a park like bench sitting underneath a tree near the bottom of the slope. He sat down and took the weight of his tired feet.
The cold snow was still causing the chafing to sting a little he noticed. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself; it seemed to be somewhat colder sitting underneath the tree due to the canopy cover it provided.
Lucas hadn't realised how much the morning exercises had tired him out and he could scarcely keep his eyes open at the moment. After another ten minutes, with nobody else taking much notice of where he was, Lucas drifted off into a light doze on the bench. His head resting back against the trunk of the tree in at an awkward looking angle.
*********************************************
The few boarders that had travelled to the higher parts of the mountain had seen the compacted snow as a challenge to their abilities rather than a hindrance that afternoon.
They found themselves turning their boards over and over in complicated moves enjoying the exhilaration that was coursing through their veins, but unaware of the danger that was only moments away for them all.
One particular boarder had gone right to the top of the ridge, resting the nose of his board over the edge for a few seconds before giving an almighty animalistic call and throwing both board and rider down the snow covered slope as fast as he could.
The boarder to notice the large glaciers of snow that broke away after him and started sliding down the mountain, gaining momentum as it went.
His other two friends did notice and cried in fright as they watched a second glacier break away close to the top of the ridge and begin it's dangerous journey to the bottom of the slope. They immediately got on their boards and started heading down the slope as fast as they could, trying in vain to keep in front of the wall of snow that was billowing down upon them at a fast pace.
Unfortunately for those three boarders, the wall caught up with before they could get anywhere near the bottom of the slope. Now with an uninhibited trail down the mountain, the avalanche of snow continued on and on, taking trees, markers and flags with it in it's wake.
The instructor that had been with the boarders gasped in horror as he saw the three boarders engulfed by the wall of snow. He now jumped on the radio in the bus and started screaming out to the other end to broadcast an avalanche warning to the entire resort and to send a search and rescue squad as soon as possible.
Back at the skiing fields, a siren could be heard blaring out over the snow, signalling to all skiers that they had to get off the snow fields immediately. At first, some of the group where a little alarmed at the sudden noise and didn't quite know what it meant.
"What does that siren mean Sven?" Jonathan Ford asked on behalf of the crew.
"It means we have to get out of here fast. It is an avalanche warning and we all need to head back to the resort quickly," Sven commented, now going through the procedures he had been taught about such an emergency.
As the passengers of the ski fields boarded the bus and Sven began his head count, Bridger couldn't help but notice a foreboding feeling begin to settle in the pit of his stomach.
Sven attempted to talk to the other instructor on the radio as he drove the bus back to the resort, "Where are you at the moment Ethan?" he asked, hoping to pinpoint exactly where in the mountains the avalanche had been seen. He secretly hoped that it was some distance from the resort itself.
The passengers on Bridger's bus could hear the panic in the voice of the other instructor as his voice came over the radio to Sven, "I am up here with the boarders, three riders are presumed missing in the avalanche. It's huge Sven, the whole mountain just gave way with little warning. I have never seen anything like it. I don't know if they are even alive yet. I also don't know what happened to that blond kid that was with the group, no sign of him at the moment either," Ethan yelled.
Bridger was almost on his feet wanting to shout back at the man on the radio himself. Lucas had been with the snow boarders and the mention of a blond kid fitted only one description in his head. He couldn't bear to think that something terrible had happened to Lucas.
"I'll get the rescue crew up there on the double Ethan," Sven said not being able to hide his own fears to the safety of the riders. He looked up and saw Bridger standing there and knew he had heard the entire conversation, including the part about a missing kid: Lucas.
"It might not be him Nathan," Sven said, trying to reassure the man and his crew that he had sent the boy up there only to put him in danger. His own guilt was beginning to mount as he tried to think of what to do next.
*****************************************************
A few minutes before Ethan had screamed the avalanche down the radio, Lucas had still being dozing in the bench underneath the tree.
He had been brought abruptly awake by a loud roaring noise and looked up to see a white mass heading down the mountain only a few meters from him. He couldn't see anything else but the snow and barely had enough time to get off the bench before he felt himself rammed painful back into it with considerable force.
Lucas felt himself been turned over and over, upside down and every which way. His breath was caught in his throat at the panic he was feeling but there was very little he could do to stop his movement with the wall of snow.
The snow was even getting in this mouth and nose, cutting of his breathing even more. His shoulder was throbbing painfully after striking the corner of the park bench.
Desperately he tried moving his legs to alter his course of direction, but the snow was compacted so tightly around his limbs that any sort of movement was almost impossible and he had virtually no control over where he was being taken.
Lucas found himself being able to see a little in front of him, but what he saw scared him to death. The only think apart from the snow he could see was the dark shadow of a pine tree trunk in his path.
TO BE CONTINUED
Please note that I am not able to do as much writing at the moment as I would like and real life is intruding to a large degree. I will update all stories as I can but it will be slower than before.
Please forgive me if I didn't get the avalanche part exactly right. I have only seen them on TV and am going from memory. I am not sure of what type of snow will cause an avalanche again going from documentaries I have seen.
The whole thing about Lucas not liking skiing comes from my sister who went to New Zealand skiing and hated it. She liked playing in the snow but hated the actual skiing part - so I took her experience and used it for Lucas.
You will also just have to believe the idea of the tree and the park bench. I didn't mean it would right in the middle of the skiing slope but off to the side somewhat. I didn't think you could just have Lucas standing out in the open and then have the avalanche mow him down.
Promise more as soon as I can - hope you are liking the story so far - this part explains what I wanted to do right from the beginning - just took me quite a lot of words to get there as I set up the background somewhat.
JULES