North Face
Page 18
‘I will keep my side of this bargain,’ he said earnestly. ‘You will see.’
Chen left us. Tashi and I continued staring towards the mountain. The eagle became a dot, seeming to melt into snow as it vanished. With every second the colours shifted and changed, the reds and oranges intensifying as darkness crept closer.
‘Will you go back to Everest one day?’ Tashi whispered.
I took the shrine bell from my pocket, turning the precious artefact in my hands as I thought about her question. The sacred little bell had now been high on Everest on two occasions but still had not reached the top. I thought about my friend Kami, about his girlfriend Shreeya, and felt a longing to see them, to tell them all about the adventure I had just had. They would be so happy to know I had been on Everest. So happy to know the shrine bell had once again been on the mountain.
‘I will,’ I told her. ‘Unfinished business.’
Tashi took the bell from me, holding it reverently in her hands.
‘You’ve been above eight thousand metres,’ she said. ‘So you know you can handle the altitude. All you have to do now is find your way on to a proper expedition with some backup and Sherpa support.’
‘How about you?’ I asked her. ‘Want to come with me?’
Tashi turned to me. Her deeply black eyes were dancing with stars. She slipped her hand into mine.
‘I’ll have a think about that,’ she said. ‘Maybe I will.’
Karma’s voice rang out.
‘Hey! You two! It’s freezing out there when the sun goes down.’
‘Coming!’ Tashi called.
We took one last look at Everest, then turned to the welcoming warmth of the tent.
END OF BOOK TWO
With thanks to …
I would like to register my thanks to all the Tibetan people who helped during my journey to Everest. The trip across the Friendship Bridge was a magical introduction to the world’s highest land, taking me high on to the plateau where I was fortunate to explore Shekar Dzong and Tingri, two of the great historic trading towns of southern Tibet.
Readers keen to read up-to-date and credible reports describing what is happening to the people of Tibet should check out: Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org) and Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org). Tibetan-run web-sites include: Free Tibet (www.freetibet.org) and the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (www.tchrd.org).
The second book in the ‘The Everest Files’ series has been an ‘interesting’ writing experience, not least because it has been scribbled down in trains, planes and automobiles (though not while driving!) over the course of a year and a half in which I have talked in about 150 schools around the UK and overseas.
During that time the Everest Reading Challenge has been running and I want to thank Nicky Hetherington, Katy Fletcher and Amy McKay for their early help and support. Up in Scotland I want to extend a big tartan-flavoured literary hug to Maggie Gray, Yvonne Manning, Mandy Wilson and Duncan Wright.
Heading down further south Matt and Miriam Bartlett have often provided a welcome refuge in London (and scarily incisive literary judgement!). Judy Leden and Chris Dawes have also been wonderfully welcoming in the Peak.
Being out on the road (globally) as a touring author needs plenty of publisher support and in this I am fortunate to have the backup of Jon Barton, John Coefield, Victoria Halliday and Lorna Hargreaves. Thanks team V! Your rapid-response capabilities are second to none. PS Can you get 1,000 copies of The Everest Files out to Khartoum for next Tuesday please? I’m doing some schools out there!
Sarah Darby has once again been brilliant, creating inventive new chapter heading illustrations of great charm and quality. I also want to thank the members of my writers’ group – Sarah Mussi and Caroline Johnston – for feedback given.
Finally, special thanks to Ruth Eastham who helped the story grow in so many important ways.
About the Author
Matt Dickinson is an award-winning writer and filmmaker with a passion for climbing and adventure. During his filmmaking career he has worked as a director/cameraman for National Geographic television, the Discovery Channel, the BBC and Channel 4. His film projects have taken him to Antarctica, Africa and the Himalaya, often in the company of the world’s leading climbers and expeditioners. His most notable film success was Summit Fever in which Matt reached the summit of Everest via the treacherous North Face. His book The Death Zone tells the true story of that ascent and has become a bestseller in many different countries.
Matt is currently Patron of Reading at Lady Manners School in Bakewell and continues to climb and explore. In January 2013 he summitted Mount Aconcagua, which, at 6,965 metres, is the highest peak in the world outside the Himalaya. Currently, he is planning an ascent of Denali in Alaska, one of the ‘Seven Summits’.
Recently Matt has started writing fiction for teenage readers. His debut thriller series Mortal Chaos was well-received by critics and readers alike. Matt followed this up with the first of three The Everest Files books, which has proven to be very popular. North Face is the hotly anticipated second title in the trilogy. When he’s not writing, Matt tours the UK, speaking at schools and colleges and inspiring a new generation of adventurers.
Fascinated by Everest?
Want to know more about the world’s highest peak?
The Everest Files website is packed full of fascinating facts and features.
•Find out about Everest, the Himalaya and the effect global warming is having on the area. Geographical facts with study guides for teachers.
•Watch the summit footage taken by The Everest Files author Matt Dickinson after his epic North Face ascent.
•Discover more about the Sherpa people and their way of life.
•See an interview with Jordan Romero, the 13-year-old boy who became the youngest person ever to summit Everest.
•Learn more about The Everest Files trilogy, including a video message from author Matt Dickinson.
If you would like an author visit from Matt Dickinson for your school or club, contact details can be found on the website.
www.everestfiles.com
North Face
Matt Dickinson
First published in 2016 by Vertebrate Publishing
Vertebrate Publishing
Crescent House, 228 Psalter Lane, Sheffield, S11 8UT, UK
www.v-publishing.co.uk
Copyright © Matt Dickinson 2016
Matt Dickinson has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as author of this work.
Cover illustration copyright © Nathan Ryder 2016
Chapter heading illustrations copyright © Sarah Darby 2016
Author photograph © Matt Dickinson collection
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, events and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-910240-47-2 (eBook)
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanised, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the written permission of the publisher.
Produced by Vertebrate Publishing
www.v-publishing.co.uk
er: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share