The Snowy

by Dave Schneider

  He entered the lower chamber. His eyes were drawn to a tire-sized opening in the long wall to his right. Deep inside, a thin, red stream of molten lava surged from one wall, flowed across and vanished into another. Heat source.

  On the long wall to his left sat a large bed with quilted covers. At the head and foot of the bed, stood shelves with folded clothing and cooking utensils.

  To his immediate right, a table and stool stood against the near wall, on the table a dented laptop computer and a small black box. A tiny green light on the box blinked in sync with a green light on another box near the opening to the lava. A faint green beam pulsed between them.

  “Some kind of power source,” he muttered. Where’d he get this old laptop? He flipped it open. He clicked on its history. “Nothing but environmental stuff and news. Why only that?” he mused, scrolling.

  “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” asked Neff, inspecting the shelves at the ends of the bed.

  Sparky studied the swirling fog. It filled the hollow on the far wall, moving counterclockwise, very slowly.

  Notch clicked on a video of an oil well fire as army tanks clattered past. “War zone.” He scrolled on.

  Neff turned and looked over his shoulder. “Looks like he’s been watching us humans,” she said.

  “Watching us?” mused Notch. “Hm. Makes sense.”

  Sparky stepped toward the swirl. “Check it out,” he said. “It’s speeding up.”

  Notch came over. Then Neff and Sandy. The swirl spun even faster.

  “We’re making it nervous,” said Neff.

  Suddenly, it turned bright white and shimmered. Then it morphed into red, then yellow, blue, then back to white.

  “Spectrum colors,” said Notch. “Like it’s showing off.”

  “Whatever it’s doing, I don’t like it,” said Sandy.

  Sparky crept closer. It spiraled towards him, then backed away. It was hypnotic. “Like a mini tornado,” he said. He held up his hand, “but there’s no wind. How can it spin without wind?”

  “It almost seems alive,” said Neff, behind Notch.

  “And not friendly,” said Sandy, behind Neff.

  “A scientific phenomenon,” said Notch.

  The cave floor sloped down in front of the swirl. Sparky edged his foot closer.

  “Is there something inside it?” asked Sandy.

  “Hard to tell,” replied Notch. “Maybe the whole thing’s some kind of high tech screen.”

  “It’s like a bird of paradise,” said Neff, “showing off, trying to get us to come closer. Be careful.”

  “Careful enough not to go any further,” said Sandy.

  “I don’t know,” said Sparky. “Maybe I can see inside if I get a little closer.” He leaned forward, his hands on his knees, and stared.

  “Maybe this will help,” said Notch, pointing his flashlight beam at the swirl, which abruptly turned opaque.

  “Whoah! Hiding something?” Notch waved his flashlight. “Lemme throw this in and see what happens.”

  “Wait. Gimme a minute,” said Sparky, holding his hand up. He placed his left foot on the slope. The swirl began to spew a fine mist.

  Sandy shook her head, “Sparky, stop.”

  Neff bit her lip, “Not a good idea.”

  “Looks slippery,” said Notch.

  “Still can’t see anything,” said Sparky. “Maybe if I touch it....” He edged his left foot closer, put most of his weight on the slick surface and stretched out his left arm.

  Suddenly, the spiral lunged at him.

  Sparky pulled away. His left foot slid. He sat back on his right to catch his balance. He threw his left hand up to the swirl to stop the slide, then quickly realized his mistake and jerked it away. It was too late. The swirl caught his hand and arm and began to suck him in. Sparky flung his other hand back.

  “Notch!” he yelled.

  Notch put a foot on the slope and reached out his left hand for Sparky. He got hold, but he too began to slide. He dropped the flashlight from his other hand and stretched it back toward Neff, shouting, “Grab me.”

  Neff, trying not to step on the slope, thrust her hand toward Notch. She couldn’t connect. She stepped onto the slope, slipped, spun around, fell to her knees and began to slide backwards towards the swirl.

  Notch grabbed her backpack.

  Neff felt the pull, reached for Sandy and screamed, “Help me.”

  “Get my hand,” cried Sandy. Neff got hold of her fingertips. But the combined weight of Sparky and Notch was too much.

  Neff’s fingers slipped away. “Sandyyy...” she screamed. She vanished into the swirl behind Sparky and Notch.

  Sandy stood stunned, hands to her face. She took a half step toward the swirl. Her toe hit Notch’s flashlight. It slid ever so slowly toward the whirl, then was sucked in with a loud, “Shlupp.” The flashlight beam circled, flashed at Sandy once, then vanished.

  Sandy heard a long, low moan. “Nooooooo!” It had come from deep inside her. Tears welled.

  Desperate, she shouted, “Are you guys in there? Can you hear me? Hey, are you...Oh...No.” Get help. Got to get help. She scrambled up the twisting tunnel and the ladder, then pulled out her smart phone.

  “Dad? Dad? Can you hear me?” She listened. Static. Did he answer? “Please hear me. Something awful happened. Sparky, Notch and Neff went into some spinning thing. Now they’re gone. They just...went away. Ohhh.... I’m in the volcanic out-of-bounds. I’m coming out to Snake. I’ll call back.” She stuffed her phone into her pocket.

  She tore open her backpack, and pulled out her ski boots. “No…no…no...no!” she sobbed. She kicked off her hiking boots, jammed her feet into her ski boots then snapped her buckles shut, saying over and over, “I didn’t want this, I didn’t want this.” She clicked into her skis, grabbed her poles, and pushed over the ledge toward Snake. “I didn’t want to go back alone.”

  The creature, squatting against the cliff wall, rose as Sandy slid away.

  CHAPTER 10

  They’re My Friends

  SANDY LOOKED UP. Mark?

  “Hold on!” he shouted from above the gully.

  “Mark. Oh Mark,” she cried.

  “Wait.” He slipped sideways into the gully, clicked out of his skis, climbed the lower lip, stepped back into his skis and slid down to Sandy.

  “What happened, Sandy?” he asked.

  “Something awful,” she responded, lifting her goggles and wiping tears. “They got pulled in. They’re gone. I didn’t know what to do...I....”

  Mark took her hands and looked in her eyes. “It’s okay, Sandy. It’s okay. Just tell me, slowly, what happened?”

  “We were following these weird tracks. We went into a cave and this, this spinning thing took Sparky, Neff and Notch away.”

  Spinning thing? “Okay. Tell me where!”

  “B...back, there,” she pointed.

  “Can you show me? The ski patrol is waiting for me to guide them in.” He tapped the radio holster on his chest. “But, if you’re not up to it, I understand. I can follow your tracks back. I can have someone meet you on Snake....”

  “No. They’re my friends. I have to go back.”

  “Okay, but let’s tell your dad, first.” Mark released her hands, called her father, and handed the phone to Sandy.

  “Hello. Dad? Yes. Yes, I’m alright.” Her voice trembled. “I’m going to show Mark. Yes. Yes. I will. Love you too. Okay, bye.”

  She handed the phone to Mark who said, “We’re heading in now, Sheriff. Yes, I’ll keep you in the loop.”

  Mark pocketed the phone. He and Sandy began to back track toward the cave. A minute later, the speaker in Mark’s radio crackled. He clicked to answer, “Mark here.”

  “Mark,” said Sparky’s dad, “I’m sending one patrol team down Snake to pi
ck up your tracks, the other across the ridge above you. We’ll have a medevac helicopter on call down here. We’re looking for Sparky, Neff and Notch, all three?” he asked, hoping the answer would be different.

  Sandy heard the question. She nodded.

  “Yes, Fred,” replied Mark.

  “What did Sandy tell you?”

  Mark looked at Sandy. “She said they were in a cave and got pulled into a spinning thing and, well, they vanished.”

  “A spinning thing? What? A snow devil? If they got caught in a snow devil, it’s just wind. They can’t vanish. She’s upset. Maybe she’s not thinking clearly. Talk with her. Let me know. Okay, Mark?”

  “I will.” Mark clicked off. He smiled apologetically, knowing Sandy heard what Sparky’s father had said. “He’s just upset, Sandy. He’s afraid for Sparky...and for Neff and Notch,” said Mark.

  “Yes, but I know what I saw,” said Sandy. “It was spinning. It took them. They’re gone!” she said adamantly, tears welling again.

  Sandy and Mark headed to the cave as fast as they could. The well-packed tracks made sliding easier. The skis, split-board and poles were still leaning on the fallen tree. Sandy’s hiking boots and pack lay next to them.

  Sandy placed her skis with the others, shoved her hiking boots into her backpack and put it on.

  “Were those tracks there before?” Mark asked, pointing to a set of v-like tracks that came from under the ledge to the hole.

  Sandy put her hand to her mouth, “No,” she said, “not when we went in. I didn’t look when I left.”

  “They’re like the tracks you guys were following.”

  Sandy nodded, fear rising.

  “Looks like whoever it was,” said Mark, “took off its sliding gear here. See? Its footprints go over yours. It must have gotten here after you left. Or maybe it already was here when you left, watching from over there.” He pointed under the overhang.

  Sandy shuddered. Watching me?

  “Seems it went down.” He nodded at the hole.

  It’s here? Sandy swallowed.

  “That’s where the spinning thing was, right?” asked Mark.

  Sandy nodded, chewing her lip.

  “Anyone there?” he called. No response. “We have to go in.”

  “Want this?” asked Sandy, pulling the police flashlight from her backpack.

  Mark nodded, and took it.

  “I’m going with you,” said Sandy.

  “We’re coming in,” shouted Mark. Nothing. He descended the ladder in his ski boots, flashlight in hand, peering behind before every step. Sandy, still in her ski boots, climbed down after him. Mark flashed the light around the upper chamber. No one.

  Sandy pointed at the curved tunnel.

  Mark went first, the flashlight beam brightening the colorful walls, the red glow growing, the rising heat warmer. He stopped at the chamber entry, Sandy at his heels. The swirl filled the hollow in the far wall, turning slowly, dark gray and black, with sparks of red. The spinning thing. They went into that? His stomach sank.

  He scanned the chamber…the red lava hole, the black boxes, the laptop, the green lights blinking in sync, the quilt-covered bed and the shelves.

  He looked back at the swirl.

  “I, I told you,” said Sandy over his shoulder.

  “Yes, you did, Sandy,” he said. “Does that thing stay there?” he asked.

  “It moved a little when it grabbed Sparky, but it didn’t come out here.”

  Mark studied the two strange skis with v-shaped bottoms and the telescoping ski poles lying next to them. “Looks like those made the tracks,” he said.

  “Yeah,” said Sandy, arms folded tightly. “Sparky called them skiyaks.”

  Mark lifted one. “Skiyaks?” he repeated. He moved the tip up and down and felt the liner. Robotic. Pretty advanced. He touched the three edges. Sharp. “Whatever left these isn’t here. Unless it’s hiding somewhere.” He looked around again.

  “Maybe it’s in there.” Sandy pointed at the lava hole.

  “That’d be like crawling into a furnace,” said Mark. He gestured toward the swirl. “Could it have gone through that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.” Suddenly, she felt a ray of hope for the first time since Neff, Sparky and Notch vanished. If the creature can go through that on purpose, maybe my friends can come back through.

  Mark had the same thought. “I’ve got to go up and radio our location to the patrol. I’ll have to wait there for them. Come with me?”

  “I’ll stay here. Right here.” She pointed at the floor in the chamber entrance. “My friends are in there.” They might return. “If that thing starts to come over here, I’ll run back up. You go ahead. I’ll be okay.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  Mark handed the flashlight to Sandy and went up. Sandy turned the light off. The red glow was enough.

  She shoved the light into her backpack, along with her gloves and helmet, then sat on the floor, the pack on her lap, feeling the warmth from the red glow.

  She studied the skiyaks, wondering briefly what it would feel like to ski in them. She glanced at the computer and the boxes with the green lights and wondered how they got there. She looked at the bed and wondered what kind of creature would sleep in it.

  But, most of the time, she stared at the spinning thing, wondering if it would bring her friends back.

  It scared her. And it made her angry.

  Is it alive?

  CHAPTER 11

  Abandoned

  SPARKY, NOTCH AND NEFF tumbled out of the swirl into tall grass, Sparky on his back, Notch and Neff on their stomachs.

  “Ow. That hurts!” sputtered Neff. She lay still for a moment, smells like wet hay. She lifted her head. It’s warm! She got to her feet. She was in the middle of a small field bordered by immense trees. The grass swayed softly in the breeze, brushing her face. She rubbed her cheeks. An odd scent, like a mixture of lilacs, jasmine and lilies of the valley filled her nostrils. A strange chorus of chirps, trills, whistles and whoops surrounded her.

  Sparky and Notch stood slowly. The three looked about, wordless.

  Neff pulled off her helmet and gloves. Starting to sweat. Again! She stuffed her gloves into her parka pockets and gazed at the large, lush greenery. A faint pink hue hung in the air.

  “I’ve seen this before,” she said, “the trees, the leaves, even the colors—in a dream I had.” She softened her voice, “It was scary.”

  “Where’s Sandy?” asked Sparky, tucking his gloves away.

  “She tried to hold onto me, but couldn’t,” said Neff. “I think she’s still in the cave.”

  “Good,” said Notch. “She can tell them where we are.” He hesitated, then asked, “Where are we? I’ve never seen trees like these. It’s almost like a different....”

  “...world?” said Neff quietly, “Kind of like Earth, but not quite?”

  “Yeah,” said Notch. He thought for a moment. “If his is a different world, that swirl must be...some kind of a wormhole!”

  “A wormhole?” challenged Sparky.

  “What else could it be? These trees don’t look like any I’ve ever seen. And the sunlight, it’s not like on Earth.” He frowned. “Tracking someone across Jagged Peak is one thing, but getting dumped on another planet?” He stared into the canopy. “This is not good.”

  Suddenly, a hard-shelled bug, three feet long, all yellow, with six legs and pinchers, shot from the tall grass onto the flattened grass by Sparky’s feet. Sparky jumped back. The bug spun and crouched, facing the way it had come, pinchers flexing, with a stinger curling over its head.

  “A scorpion,” burst Notch. Scorpius humongous.

  Suddenly, another bug as big as the first, but red, burst through the grass and braked. It crept toward the other, stinger curl
ed, pinchers opening and closing.

  The first bug snapped its pincher at the second. The second grabbed it. Both bugs rolled, pinchers locked. Then the yellow broke away, and scampered off into the grass. The red sprung after it.

  Sparky watched the grass part over the two animals as they headed toward the trees. There was a loud screech, then silence.

  “Who got who?” asked Notch.

  “I don’t want to know,” replied Neff. “I just know I don’t want to be here.”

  “Me neither,” said Notch. “Where’s the wormhole?”

  “Over there, by that tree,” said Sparky. “See the leaves shaking? Wait. It’s moving away. No. It stopped. Let’s get it.”

  The three pushed through the high grass, backpacks on, helmets in hand. Suddenly, the wormhole headed toward them.

  “It’s coming,” cried Notch. They slipped their helmets on and lowered their goggles.

  “Get ready!” yelled Sparky. He reached out toward the oncoming swirl. Neff tightened her lips and crossed her arms. Notch took a deep breath and pulled his arms to his sides.

  The wormhole slowed, bounced once, then flew over their heads. Something glanced off Notch’s helmet and fell on his foot. “Ouch. Hey!” He looked down. “My flashlight.” He picked it up. “Must have thought I’d need this.”

  The wormhole spun off into the trees, leaves fluttering in its wake. Notch turned the light off. “Or, maybe it thought I should save the battery.”

  “We have to catch it,” cried Neff.

  “I don’t think it wants us to. I think it’s playing us,” said Notch.

  “We need to try,” said Sparky. “Maybe I can see where it’s heading, from up there.”

  Sparky pushed through the grass to the nearest tree and climbed to an opening in the mass of leaves. The wormhole was skimming away over the treetops. He watched, until it faded from view.

  He looked around. He was encircled by a ring of ragged, snowy peaks, all equally far away. A gigantic jungle spread across the lowlands inside the mountain ring. We’re in the middle of a jungle.

  He climbed down. “I saw it for a while,” he said. “It was headed toward three pointed spires, up in the mountains. I think that’s where it went.”