by Betsy Haynes
As the girls' chairs approached the lift house at the top of the mountain, she could see skiers coming out the far side and heading off in different directions. Their colorful jackets stood out against the stark whiteness all around them.
Beth's chair moved into the building, and she inched toward the edge of her seat. A lift operator grabbed the chair and raised the safety bar from in front of her and the woman. Then Beth gently skied down the small ramp and out of the building.
"That was a fun ride," said Julie.
"Yeah," agreed Brittany, "what a view!"
"And those trails are pretty incredible," added Sarah. "But don't worry. There are plenty of easier ones."
Beth wanted to tell Brittany that she'd seen Todd skiing on one of those trails, but she was still fuming over what Brittany had said to her earlier. Instead she just gazed silently at the view below her. It was fantastic. If only her friends were here to see it with her. Beth glided down a slight incline away from the girls to a place where she could see better. There were several people nearby, some talking, some preparing to start down the mountain. Beth noticed several paths and wondered which one Julie and Sarah had meant for them to ski down.
She glanced back at Brittany and the others. They were still talking and giggling. When Brittany noticed Beth, she called, "The entrance to the trail we're taking is on your right. Go ahead. We'll catch up with you."
"Down through those trees?" Beth called back, pointing into a wooded area.
Brittany turned back to her friends and didn't bother to answer.
Beth shot a nasty look at Brittany's back. She was sick of her sister's treating her like a pesky tag-along. Who wants to wait for her anyway, thought Beth. I've been alone most of this vacation; I'll just meet up with them on the trail.
She pushed off and headed into the woods along a narrow sloping trail. She found herself on a gentle incline that let her glide along without using her poles. Beth looked up into the trees above her. There were tall pines, mostly, with a scattering of white paper birches. The deep blue sky was visible through the branches overhead. Its brilliance was startling behind the greenish-black of the pine needles.
She heard a chattering off to one side and saw two squirrels chasing each other through the branches. This is so beautiful, she thought. I really wish Jana and Melanie and Katie could see this. And Christie, too. I'll bet there's nothing like this in England.
Beth came to an opening in the trees that overlooked a slope and stopped above it. Turning, she looked back up the empty trail to see if Brittany, Julie, and Sarah were coming. She couldn't see or hear them. Suddenly a suspicion entered her mind. Bad Brittany sent her off in another direction so she wouldn't be following her and her friends?
"I don't know why I'm so surprised," Beth said in disgust.
Well, I can either stand here and be angry, or ski by myself and have a good time, Beth thought.
"Who cares about Brittany! Here goes," she said, sliding over the ledge she was standing on.
Beth carved a trail across the wide slope, turned and headed to the other side, making her way down the slope gradually. She felt good, and she was proud of the way she was handling her skis. If The Fabulous Five could only see me now! she thought jubilantly.
After several minutes of easy skiing, Beth could tell the slope was getting steeper. She had to fight hard to keep control, and she kept glancing ahead to see where it would get easier.
She skied down one slope, found a place to stop to catch her breath, and then took the next. She did this several times before she came to an abrupt halt on a ledge that dropped down sharply. A shiver went through Beth as she looked down a slope only an expert could take.
Oh, no, she thought. This looks like The Jaws of Death. But it couldn't be. How could she have missed the sign warning that it was an expert slope? Why had Brittany let her go this way?
A feeling of panic gripped Beth as she looked down the slope again. What was she going to do?
She looked back at the mountain. It loomed above her. There was no way she could climb all the way back up to the lift house, and there was no one else around.
"There's only one thing I can do," she whispered. "I have to ski down. But how can I without killing myself?"
Then she remembered seeing Marcel standing on a slope watching the class taking turns coming down. Every once in a while he would slide sideways several feet down the hill to get a better position. The move had fascinated her, and she had watched carefully to see how he was doing it. His skis were pointed across the slope and his knees were bent slightly. When he wanted to stop sliding, he dug the edges of his skis into the side of the hill. With that, and the old faithful snowplow, maybe she had a chance.
Taking a deep breath, Beth let herself slide sideways over the ridge. She slid almost twenty feet and was on the verge of panic before she was able to dig the edges of her skis into the hill and stop. All of a sudden she realized she was soaking with perspiration.
"So much for being cold," Beth said out loud.
Then she slipped another ten feet and stopped. Then fifteen more feet.
It was going to take her hours to get to the bottom! Beth was frightened, but there was nothing else she could do. She forced herself not to think of the danger. Instead she told herself the mountain was made of lots of little slopes and she could take them one at a time.
Beth side-slipped several more times, stopping to catch her breath and rest her legs. They were starting to quiver from the exertion.
Finally she came to an area that wasn't quite so steep. She looked above her, hoping to see skiers who could help her coming down the mountain. But no one was there. She had never felt so scared and desperate in her life.
It's all Brittany's fault, Beth thought angrily. She hasn't given me a break since we arrived at Stony Lookout. And this is the absolutely meanest thing that she has ever done. How could she send her own sister to The Jaws of Death?
Beth pushed Brittany out of her thoughts and took a deep breath. Then she snowplowed down the slope and came to another sharp drop-off. She rested for a moment, but knew she had better keep moving. The sun was starting to get low, and it wouldn't be long before it disappeared behind the mountain. She would have to be at the bottom by then. She certainly couldn't ski this slope in the dark, and she'd freeze if she had to stay on the mountain all night.
She pushed herself gently over the edge and side-slipped downward. When she reached a resting place, her legs were aching badly, and steam from her jacket was rising in the cold air.
She allowed herself less than a minute to rest and then moved toward the next incline. Suddenly she stopped. Had she heard something? Someone? It had sounded like a voice.
No, now there was nothing. Maybe it had been the wind in the trees or more squirrels. Maybe she wanted so badly to see someone who might help that she had fooled herself.
But just as she was about to side-slip over the next ledge, she heard it again. Someone was calling.
"Hello!" she yelled back.
"Help," came a faint answer. "Over here."
The voice seemed to be coming from a wooded area to her right.
"Keep calling!" Beth yelled. "So I can find you!"
"Over here," came the voice again.
And that's when she spotted him sitting in the snow, leaning against a tree. It was Todd, and he looked hurt.
CHAPTER 9
"Todd!" Beth struggled to turn her skis in his direction. "Are you okay?"
As she hurried toward her brother, she realized he definitely was not okay. One of his skis was lying broken nearby, and he was gripping his ankle. His face was twisted in pain.
Todd managed a small smile. "Boy, am I glad to see you."
"What happened?" Beth asked as she released her ski bindings and knelt beside her brother.
"The other guys got way ahead of me, and I was trying to catch up. I crashed and hurt my ankle. I think it's broken."
"Let's get your ski off,"
Beth said.
Todd squeezed his eyes shut and moaned softly as she gently removed his remaining ski and stretched his hurt leg.
"Easy, easy," Beth said soothingly. "What made you think you could ski The Jaws of Death? You could have killed yourself."
Todd rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it." then a confused look came over his face. "What're you doing here, Beth?"
"I took a wrong turn," she answered. "I'll tell you about it later. Now we'd better concentrate on getting you warm."
Beth unzipped her jacket and spread it out on the snow next to him. "Can you move over onto my jacket?" she asked. "I don't want you to catch cold."
"What about you?" Todd asked, scooting onto the jacket and carefully dragging his hurt ankle along.
"I'm wearing long underwear, two shirts, and a sweater," Beth answered. "Besides, I can move around to stay warm. You have to stay put."
"Thanks, Beth," he said softly.
She picked up her skis and made her way back onto the slope.
"What are you doing?" called Todd.
"I'll be right back," replied Beth. She jammed one ski in the snow in an upright position and then stuck the other in beside it. Then she forced them to cross the way Marcel had done when Charles had fallen.
"Good idea," commented Todd when Beth had returned. "There's only one problem, though. Not many people come down The Jaws of Death. Most people aren't good enough to tackle it." He paused for a moment. "Including me," he added in a small voice.
"You're a great skier, Todd," Beth said reassuringly. "But maybe you're just not quite ready for this slope."
"Yeah," Todd said. "I sure am glad you came along. I was getting scared."
Beth smiled, but didn't say anything. Todd seemed so convinced that she could help him. But deep down she wasn't sure she could even get down off the slope by herself.
She looked up at the mountain. Todd was right; hardly anyone skied this trail. There was still no one in sight, and the air was totally quiet. Except for the sound of her own breathing in the thin air, all she could hear was the wind rustling lightly through the tall pine trees. Would anyone ever find them way up here?
Beth glanced back at her brother. For the first time in hours she could feel her anger at Brittany subside a little. While Brittany had done an incredibly mean thing, it was lucky that Beth had gotten on The Jaws of Death. Otherwise Todd would have been up here hurt and totally alone. Deep down Beth knew that Brittany loved her and wouldn't hurt her for anything in the world. She couldn't possibly have realized that Beth was going to take The Jaws of Death. It was my fault, too, thought Beth. I was angry and distracted, and I didn't pay any attention to where I was going.
"What will we do if no one finds us?" Todd asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Beth didn't speak for a moment. She had been wondering the same thing.
"Someone will find us," she said, trying to sound confident.
She looked up and saw that the sun was starting to touch the tip of the mountain. It would start getting dark soon. What should she do? Should she leave Todd here and go for help?
But what if she couldn't make it to the bottom by dark? Or what if she got lost? What if she fell and couldn't get help for either of them? The questions rushed in on her.
"Hey, Beth," Todd called. "You know what I'd like right now?"
"A blanket?" she asked.
Her brother laughed. "Yeah, that would be great. But I was thinking about some of that fried chicken the lodge makes. And mashed potatoes and gravy and hot rolls. Yum."
"Mmm," Beth agreed. "You're making my mouth water!"
"And sweet corn, and hot chocolate," he continued, grinning.
Beth covered her ears with her hands. "Stop. I'm not going to listen to you."
"And it would be nice if I could have an aspirin," Todd added, his face sobering.
"I wish I had some to give to you," replied Beth, her heart aching for her little brother. She stared at him thoughtfully.
"Maybe I could at least get us out of the wind." Especially if we have to spend the night on the mountain, she thought. Of course their parents would report them missing when they didn't show up later. And the ski patrol would search for them. But the mountain was huge, and the ski trails wound in and out of deep woods. It might be morning before anyone came near to the area they were in.
She started searching around. "There. That's a good place!" she said, pointing to a small cleared area that was protected by a cluster of trees.
At the clearing Beth dropped down on her hands and knees and began scooping out the snow in the center.
"What are you doing?" Todd called.
"You'll see," Beth called back.
When she had dug a hole in the snow big enough for her and Todd to lie in, she sat down in it. The ground was frozen hard.
She looked around. There were lots of leaves caught in the brush nearby. She began gathering bunches in her arms and tossing them into the hole.
Before long she had lined the bottom and sides of the burrow with leaves. Todd and she could lie in it and pull the rest of the leaves over themselves. It would be better than being out in the open. And they would be able to hear any members of the ski patrol who came close and see their searchlights.
Beth stood up and looked around. Was there anything else she could do to protect them from the night wind? There was one more thing.
She started gathering broken limbs from the pine trees and poking them into the ground all around the nest she had made. This would serve as a fence to block the wind. Next she yanked small clumps of brush out of the ground and packed them all around the makeshift fence. After that she threw the snow she had scooped out of the hole onto the brush.
"What are you doing?" Todd asked.
"Making a windbreak," she panted as she got back to her feet. "I read about it once in a novel about a pioneer family going west in a wagon train. Their wagon broke down in a snowstorm in the mountains. I always thought it sounded like a neat thing to do to keep warm in the snow, but I never dreamed I'd get a chance to try it."
When she was satisfied with what she had done, she went back to Todd. "Now," she said, "we've got to move you. I'm going to drag you on my coat. Push with your good foot, but be careful of the one that's hurt."
"Okay," Todd said.
Beth grabbed the shoulders of the ski jacket Todd was lying on. "Ready?"
"Ready," he answered.
Beth tugged with all her might, and Todd pushed as best he could with his one foot. Gradually, working together, they eased him along the path and into the burrow.
Once Todd was settled on the leaves, Beth took her jacket and put it back on. "It's really getting cold," she said, shivering.
Todd silently agreed. A few minutes later he told her, "I don't think anyone is going to find us tonight."
"Sure someone will," Beth responded firmly. "It's only a matter of time."
But inside she was not at all sure. She hoped that Brittany and her friends would realize what had happened and send someone to look for her right away. Still Beth couldn't help remembering that it would be pitch black in half an hour. And by then they would be nearly impossible to locate.
CHAPTER 10
The forest shadows disappeared as the sun sank behind the mountain, turning the daylight gray. Beth huddled closer to Todd, trying to warm him and stay warm herself.
She couldn't believe she and her brother had gotten themselves into this situation. Beth's breath came out of her nose in a wispy-white vapor. She brushed a few more leaves over her and her brother. What she wouldn't give to be sitting in front of the roaring fire in the lodge's great room at that very moment.
Suddenly she cocked her head. "Did you hear that?"
"Did I hear what?" asked Todd.
"It sounded like someone skiing!" She scrambled to a sitting position.
"I didn't—"
Beth put her hand over his mouth and listened closely. She heard it again!
Jum
ping to her feet, she ran to the opening. There, standing in the middle of the slope next to the crossed skis, was Marcel!
"MARCEL, WE'RE OVER HERE!" she yelled.
"Beth! Are you all right?" he called, gliding toward her.
"My brother's ankle is hurt," she answered. "He's in a lot of pain."
Marcel removed his skis and followed Beth to where Todd was lying. He frowned as he knelt and examined Todd's leg.
"Oui," Marcel said, resting his hand on Todd's shoulder. "You have certainly hurt your ankle, Todd. It has swollen a great deal. Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"My ankle's enough," Todd replied grimly.
Marcel nodded and stood up. He reached into his jacket and unclipped a walkie-talkie from his belt.
"Ski patrol, ski patrol, this is Goujon. Over."
A voice responded. "This is ski patrol, Marcel, we read you. What's up?"
"I have found Beth and Todd. We are on Ze Jaws of Death. Beth is fine. Ze boy has an injured ankle, possibly broken. We're approximately a third of ze way down ze hill. We'll need a stretcher. Over."
"We'll come as quickly as we can," responded the voice. "Out."
"They're on ze way," Marcel said, clipping his walkie-talkie back onto his belt.
"Did you find us by accident?" Beth asked.
"No, mademoiselle, I was looking for you," he answered, removing his backpack and taking out a blanket. He spread it over Todd and tucked it in around him. "I heard your sister talking to her friends. She and ze others couldn't find you at ze bottom. She was worried about where you were."
"Brittany worried about me?" Beth grumbled. "That's a laugh."
"Oui," Marcel said. "I asked her where you had started. She described where you had gone, and it sounded like Ze Jaws of Death. I couldn't believe it. Did you not see ze sign?"
Beth blushed. "No, and by the time I realized where I was, I couldn't get back to the top of the slope. I'm sure glad you found us."
"I wouldn't have, except for ze fact that you stuck your skis in ze snow. That was good thinking."