Secrets in the Snow, Volume 1: Early season stories from the White Cairns Ski School drama series

by Roz Marshall

  BLACK WRAITHS EMERGED out of the whirling snow, and at first Johnny thought he had been found by gigantic yetis who'd come to devour him. He cowered closer to the ground.

  He tried not to move or breathe, but the snowflakes were sticking to his eyelashes, and as he blinked them away, he realised that the snow monsters were wearing uniforms and goggles. He thought his heart would burst, and his voice cracked as he called out to them, "I didn't do anything, she just fell over and I can't get her to answer!"

  One of the patrollers came over to him and wrapped him in a space blanket, saying, "Don't worry, wee man, we'll look after you now."

  Another asked him, more urgently, "Where is she? Where's Fiona?"

  Johnny's felt his chin tremble, and he swallowed hard. "She's still down there, she was alright till a minute ago, Sir, then she just collapsed when she tried to climb up. I couldn't get her to answer, Sir, I'm sorry, I tried really hard."

  His voice faltered, and the patroller who was looking after him squeezed him round the shoulders and said, "I'm sure you did everything you could, son, you've been really brave," as the angry man whirled round and headed for the cliff edge.

  -::-

  Safely back on the Beechfields school bus, Amanda was surrounded by an admiring audience, hanging onto her every word as she described her skiing exploits. "...and then she told me how she's scared of heights, and hates going up the tows, and would I go with her to stop her being scared?” She smoothed her hair back and arched her neck. “So I had to go up the tow with her 'cos she wasn't brave enough on her own. Would you believe it? And she's got the cheek to call herself a ski instructor!"

  -::-

  Geoff fought down the panic which threatened to deprive him of reason as he rushed to the edge of the cliff and slammed to his knees in the snow. The desperate desire to find out if Fiona was okay needed a cool head and his professional training, so he took a deep breath and fought for some detachment as he leaned over the edge.

  He breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted her lying only a short distance below, on a snowy ledge. But she wasn't moving and he couldn't tell from there if she was breathing or not. He hunkered back and blinked rapidly to clear his vision. He needed to get down there as quickly as possible.

  The other two patrollers had sized up the situation too, and were already in the process of setting up an abseil belay. One of them shouted across to him, "Get the stretcher, we'll lower you down."

  He stumbled over to their pile of equipment and set about fixing the rope sling around his body and strapping the stretcher to his back.

  One of his colleagues dug a T-shaped slot in the snow about fifteen feet away from the edge. He set two ice axes at right angles to each other, fixed the belay rope around the intersection, and pushed the shaft of one axe deep into the snow at the join of the T, whilst the other sat in the slot, creating a safe anchor-point to take Geoff's weight while he abseiled down. The second patroller sat, feet-first in the snow below the anchor, running the rope around his waist so he could control Geoff's descent.

  In the background Geoff could hear his third colleague, the one looking after Johnny, speaking into his radio, cupping a hand in an attempt to be heard over the howling wind as he organised for an ambulance to meet them at the base station.

  When they were ready, Geoff clipped himself on to the belay rope below the anchor-man, and walked backwards to the edge, releasing the rope through his hands as he went.

  Getting over the edge was usually the hardest part of an abseil, but the snow was actually a help here, creating some natural steps, allowing him to get himself into the position where he could 'walk' backwards down the cliff.

  He went as quickly as he dared, using his lower hand on the rope to control his speed and turning his upper body slightly sideways so he could check the face for loose rocks as he went. He reached the ledge in what seemed like hours, but was probably only a couple of minutes.

  -::-

  Darkness was fast approaching and only a few lights still glowed in the recesses of the monolithic school building, turrets and spires scraping the bottoms of the heavy grey clouds overhead and heavy oak doors fast shut against the elements. Snow flew almost parallel with the road outside the gates, speckling the head and shoulders of a young girl who stamped her feet and blew on cupped hands as she peered hopefully at every passing vehicle. When an unfamiliar car drew up at the pavement, she stepped back in alarm, until the window wound down and she recognised the man inside.

  "Lucy!" Sandy shouted, "Your mother asked me to come and get you. She's got held up, up the hill."

  Lucy stepped forward, putting a hand on a hip. "You mean, she's forgotten me again?"

  Sandy tried to explain, "No, she had to stay up there. One of the instructors has gone missing. The snowstorm, you know?"

  She frowned, her mouth setting into a sulky line.

  "But she was worried about you, so she sent me," Sandy continued. "Come on, get in, let's get you home out of this cold. You'll catch your death."

  Reluctantly, Lucy swung over and got into the car, closing the door a little more loudly than necessary.

  -::-

  Geoff unclipped the stretcher and propped it against the rock face, then released enough rope so that he could safely reach Fiona. He leaned over to check if she was still breathing, realising as he did so that he was holding his own breath.

  He let out a huge sigh as he realised that she was breathing. But there was no obvious sign of injury and he didn't understand why she was unconscious. He did a quick check of her head and neck, limbs and torso, but found no breaks, bumps or wounds that would explain her condition.

  He gently shook her shoulders, trying to revive her. "Fiona! Fiona! Can you hear me? Wake up. C'mon, wake up." There was no response.

  He squatted beside her; his face screwed up as he ran through possibilities, then shook his head and pulled a neck brace from his pack, sliding it carefully underneath her neck and fixing it on, just in case there was something he’d missed, and then went to get the stretcher. They'd just have to get her down the hill as quickly as possible, and see if they could work out what was wrong once they were out of the storm.

  -::-

  Jude watched through the window of the ski school, trying to distinguish what was happening across the car park, where she could see an ambulance waiting outside the Ski Patrol hut. All the other instructors had gone home, but Mike had stayed and was sitting at the counter, sorting out class allocations for the next day. She suspected he was nearly as worried as she was, as he looked up any time he heard a noise outside.

  She gasped as she spotted grey shadows materialising through the driving snow, sliding down the final short slope to the car park. She recognised Geoff in the lead, holding the long handles of the sledge with its precious burden behind him, his skis in a wide snowplough to control the speed and smooth the ride. A colleague skied behind the sledge, holding tight onto ropes which helped to steady it. One of the other patrollers carried a child on his back, whilst a fourth carried their poles and other equipment.

  She called to Mike, "That's them back!" as she rushed over to collect her jacket from the pegs by the door.

  Paramedics in vivid reflective jackets jumped out of the ambulance as they saw the rescuers approach, opening the back doors to get their trolley out.

  Jude zipped up her jacket as she strode across to them, Mike following closely behind.

  Johnny was set down onto the ground and the paramedics busied themselves at the sledge.

  When Jude reached them, she put a hand on Geoff's arm. "Geoff..."

  He turned. His worried look matched her own.

  "What happened?" she asked.

  "We don't know, we found her unconscious." He paused, glancing across to check what the paramedics were doing. "The wee boy's okay, though — a bit cold and shaken, but he should be fine."

  Johnny was standing behind the ambulance. He was shivering slightly but otherwise seemed fairly bright.<
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  "He just needs to go to Ski Patrol for a check-up," Geoff continued, "then he can go home."

  Mike spoke up. "I'll take him, if you like? Then I can deliver him to the school bus, assuming there's no problems?"

  "Thanks, that'd be a help," nodded Geoff.

  "No worries," said Mike, calling to Jude, "See you back at the ski school," as he went over to Johnny and led him towards the Ski Patrol office.

  Geoff's attention switched back to Fiona, who was now lying prone on the trolley, cocooned in blankets and looking very small and white.

  Jude put a hand on his arm again. "How're you feeling?"

  "Honestly?" His eyes were bright. "I'm worried sick. We haven't a clue what's wrong with her."

  "I'm sure the hospital will sort her out. Don't worry. That's the best place for her."

  He shook his head. "I guess it could've been a lot worse — that wee boy probably owes his life to Fiona. She found him; got him off the cliff."

  Jude's eyes widened at this. "But I thought she was scared of heights?"

  Geoff's head rocked back. "Oh! I'd forgotten that." He gazed back at Fiona, then gave a tiny nod of understanding, and spoke so quietly that Jude only just caught his words. "Maybe she was more scared of losing another one."

  ON THE BACK seat of the Beechfields school bus, Amanda was pretending to be engrossed in the view from the window, oblivious of the condensation that obfuscated the cold surface.

  This time it was Johnny who was the centre of attention. Still wearing the space blanket like a superhero cape, he shyly recounted his adventures as the other children thronged round him.

  "...and then she lifted me up over the edge. She's really strong. And really brave. I was a bit scared. And then she went unconscious, and I was even more scared, until the Ski Patrol men arrived to help us." He looked down at the red scarf in his hands and said quietly, "I hope she's okay."

  -::-

  The tail lights of the ambulance disappeared through the snow like dying embers as Jude made her way back over to the ski school. She heard footsteps and turned to see Mike loping across from the direction of the car park.

  "Alright?" he greeted her.

  "I hope so. They've taken Fiona off to hospital. She's still unconscious."

  He put a hand under her elbow as they walked up the steps into the hut. "C'mon, let’s get locked up and you can take me home."

  Did she hear that right? "What kind of woman do you take me for?" She looked at him sideways.

  He laughed, "You know what I mean!"

  She tilted her head.

  "C'mon, it's late, gimme a break," he opened his hands, "I've missed the last bus and I need a lift."

  She smiled as she unlocked the door. "No worries!"

  He laughed and followed her into the hut.

  -::-

  Lucy sat at the kitchen table, a homework jotter and glass of juice in front of her, see-sawing a pencil between two fingers. She looked up as she heard the front door bang shut. "Mum?"

  The door opened and Jude came in, still shaking the snow out of her hair. "Honey! I'm glad Sandy got you back alright." She planted a quick kiss on the girl's cheek, and squeezed her shoulder. "It's great to see you. I've had a horrid day."

  Lucy shrugged her hand off. "You think my day's been a bed of roses? Left waiting outside school like a lemon, getting frozen in the snow, and then having to put up with that moany Santa all the way home?"

  Her mother sat down heavily. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry, I really am. But we really had an awful day."

  "Yeah, right." Her eyes narrowed. "Dad would never have forgotten me!"

  Jude’s nostrils flared. "Your father..." she started, then shook her head quickly, as a flush rose up her neck. She took a breath. "I'm sorry, Lucy, everything went topsy turvy this afternoon.” She motioned with a hand. “The blizzard came in whilst lessons were still on, and then Fiona went missing.” She shook her head. “After everything she’s been through, I couldn't bear to leave until I knew she was safe."

  Lucy's curiosity thawed her slightly. "What happened?"

  "She went looking for one of her class — he'd fallen off the Ceann Mòr cornice, but Fiona managed to find him and get him back up the top." She sighed. "But she fell unconscious before Ski Patrol got there, and they had to rope her up the cliff and now they've taken her to hospital. Geoff was really worried."

  Lucy dropped her head and chewed her lip, before putting an arm around her mother and giving her a small hug. "I'm sorry, I hope she's alright."

  -::-

  Geoff sat on a plastic chair in the corridor outside a small, two-bedded side ward in the county hospital.

  His fingers tapped against the collar of the ski jacket laid over his lap, eyes tracking first one way, then the other, up and down the corridor, as if he were watching some invisible tennis match.

  A young lady doctor came out of the room and sat down beside him, flicking her long pony tail over her shoulder. "Mr Easton, not to worry, just a little scare. You can see her in a minute."

  Geoff's hands stilled, and he was distracted to notice his distorted reflection in the glass wall opposite. He looked like a scarecrow. "So, what was wrong? Why was she unconscious?"

  The doctor had a bedside manner that could charitably be described as blunt. She looked at him over her wire-rimmed glasses. "She's got Diabetes Mellitus."

  "Diabetes? She can't have diabetes. She's fit as a fiddle."

  The doctor ignored him. "It's often hidden — symptom-less — and only shows up when something like this happens." She pushed the specs up the bridge of her nose. "But the good news is, it's entirely treatable. We'll give her a machine to check her blood glucose levels, and, with a little care and a careful diet, there's no reason she can't live an almost normal life."

  Geoff absorbed this new information.

  The doctor continued. "Now, we've given her some medication, and she's a lot brighter now. Would you like to see her for ten minutes?"

  -::-

  It was early evening in The Rowan, and the instructors were hogging the smouldering log fire, thawing out slowly with the help of a few warming drinks. Zoë had even managed to rouse herself from her sick bed to join them, looking surprisingly perky for someone who'd supposedly been at death's door just a few hours earlier.

  Callum‘s eyes sparkled as he regaled them with stories of today's escapades. "...I tell you, I was lucky to get out of it alive! I think she would've eaten me for breakfast!"

  Debbie raised a hand, "And guess what he was today?" They all waited for the punch line. "A tightrope walker!"

  "At Blackpool Tower, don't forget that bit," added Callum. He stood up and did the mime.

  The others laughed. Then he remembered something else. "She's going to go there for her holidays, she said. Blackpool. To see me, of course. But at least, if she eats me for breakfast," he paused for effect and wobbled, arms still outstretched, "she'll have a well-balanced meal!" He raised an eyebrow and they all fell about laughing. They were starting to warm up.

  Tuesday 10th January

  THE NEXT MORNING, Fiona sat in her hospital bed, listening to music on her iPod and flicking through a skiing magazine. On the locker beside her bed, flowers and ‘Get Well’ cards fought for attention. A half-full water jug and glass sat on the bed tray.

  There was a tentative knock on the door, and she looked up to see little Johnny peeking round the door. “Can I come in, Miss?”

  She nodded, smiling broadly as she removed the earphones. “I’m so glad to see you!”

  As the door opened and Johnny came across to the bed, she spotted Mr Paton lurking in the corridor. She had to hide a smile when she noticed that Johnny's blazer was mis-buttoned and one of his shoelaces was trailing. You'd think the teacher would've sorted him out. The staff at Beechfields obviously didn't do motherly stuff.

  Johnny hovered awkwardly until she motioned him to a chair. He sat down, darting glances around the room, then pulled off his scarf and clasped
it in his lap. ”How are you, Miss? I was really worried about you, and I made them let me come to visit you.”

  “Oh, I’m fine, now. And it’s really nice of you to worry about me. I was worried about you, too. I’m really pleased that you’re okay.”

  He fiddled with his scarf, his cheeks turning pink.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you, you know,” she added softly, “I’d have given up, on my own.”

  He looked up, a flash of understanding in his face. “But I helped you be like Robert the Bruce?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I guess you did.”

  He stood up, and went over to the locker, touching the colourful cards in turn as he examined the pictures. "You've got a lot of cards!"

  She was saved from answering by a rap on the door, as Mr Paton stepped in. He cleared his throat. "Johnny, we need to get back now. Say goodbye, and then meet me by the reception desk."

  As the door closed behind the teacher, Johnny turned back to her. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. She saw him glance across at the flowers, then he stepped to the bed and put his scarf into her hands. He found the words. "Here, Miss, have my scarf, it'll help you remember about being brave. Like Robert…"

  "…the Bruce?" She finished for him, smiling.

  "Yes!" He smiled back.

  "Before you go," she motioned him closer, "let me fix your buttons." He stood patiently whilst she righted his blazer, then patted his chest. "And one of your laces is undone."

  He looked down in surprise, and ducked almost out of sight whilst he re-tied it. "Thanks, Miss," he said when he stood up, then paused awkwardly and wriggled his shoulders.

  She held out her arms. "D'you want a wee hug?"

  He smelled of toothpaste and apples, and hugged more fiercely than she expected, taking her breath away.

  "Goodbye, Miss," he said as he broke away and turned for the door.

  "'Bye, Johnny," she replied. "See you next ski lesson?"

  He turned and grinned at her, his face sparkling, and then he was gone.

  Fiona pursed her lips, and looked down at the scarf in her lap. After a moment, she folded it carefully and placed it on the locker beside her other gifts.