Esprit: A Story About an Avalanche Death

The smoke drifted lazily over the vague tree-lined horizon. It curved into wicked little spindles of nothingness. She rested against the tree, thinking. An almost imperceptible nodding showed her consciousness. Down below, nestled against the snow banks, squatted the cabin. "Their home" he called it. "Their destiny" he called it.

She merely scoffed at the idea. Did he really expect her to stay here? In this God-forsaken whiteness. The monochromatic palate whatever god used to create this place must have been forged to punish and break people like her. Their spirit is too strong, too overpowering, too frightening. But then of course, there's always someone meant to be the Arch-Nemesis. Someone to versus the good. Just like the yin and the yang thing.

Coming out of the cabin, she noticed a slightly broad figure navigating its way through the paths she had dug out. Slowly she rose with the sun as he climbed the hill. At least she had had that last beautiful moment. It began to snow again. The white flakes fell covering the white trees, the white snow, through the white air into his red hair and her black hair. Adding and subtracting nothing. Worthless she considered it.

"How is your father?"

He shrugged. "Same I reckon. Can't do much with broken legs, eh?"

She nodded. "And Mary?"

"Back asleep. Done finished feedin' an' changin' her. Should be out a while yet."

She again nodded, looking distant. "Yes, I guess she will be."

She reached down and picked up the saw beside her. He picked up the other end. Since her old man was out of commission for couple more months yet, she had to take care of them. Yep, she'd take care of 'em best she could.

Carefully she maneuvered with the boy until they were positioned at the tree they had stopped at the day before. She kept him with his back towards the cabin. She had to watch this. They began to lurch back and forth clumsily. Eventually they found that familiar seesawing rhythm.

Over the hard work of the past few months, he had seemed surprised at her strength and fortitude. He never knew how she was beaten into such a resilient woman. But of course she remembered it well. The nightmares still haunted her days. Throughout her broken adolescent days, she always thought her father would never die. At least until the day he finally, thankfully, did.

Shaking herself out of such painful memories, she checked the depth of their progress. Almost. Not quite. Just a little bit more.......a little more...... snap. That's it.

With a sickening crack, the massive trunk they had been working on, tipped forward. Thunder reverbated from the crash and threw them to the ground. They looked at each other in shock and surprise.

The tree fell forward with deadly accuracy onto the logs hidden beneath mounds of carefully piled snow. Timber and snow collected in a rush as it raced for the bottom. Stuck in a petrified silence, she peered through her eyelashes to the shaking boy beside her to take in his reaction. Good thing he was no kin of hers.