Kate

by Janice Thompson

  Kate gave her a hug and whispered, “I promise not to grow up too fast.” She wondered what it would feel like to be a mom, watching your child do something alone for the first time.

  A few minutes later, Uncle Ollie drove Kate and Sydney to the ski area. As he stopped the car, he gave them a warning. “We’re expecting more snow this afternoon, girls, so finish skiing early. I’ll be here to pick you up at two o’clock. I think that will give you plenty of time. Try to be here waiting so I don’t have to come looking for you.”

  “We’ll be here!” Kate said. She waved good-bye as she and Sydney headed across the parking lot with their skis.

  When they arrived at the ski lift, this time Kate wasn’t as scared to get on it. In fact, she looked forward to it. As they rode up, up, up the hill, she breathed in the fresh morning air and hollered, “I love it here!” to Sydney, who was in the seat below hers. Her voice echoed against the snow-packed mountain. This place doesn’t just look awesome; it sounds awesome! she thought.

  Finally, they reached the top of the slope. Even though Kate wanted to ski, she still felt a little nervous. She and Sydney made their way to the Rat, and Sydney looked at her with a grin. “I’m overcoming my fear of rats by skiing here!”

  “Me too!” Kate giggled. “Funny, huh? Think of all the stories we’ll have to tell the other girls!”

  Kate rubbed her gloved hands together for warmth before reaching for her poles. Then she and Sydney took off soaring down the hill. The crisp, cold wind whipped at her face, making it tingle. In fact, it was so cold that her arms and legs began to ache.

  The first big turn caught Kate off guard, and she almost fell. Thankfully, she got control of herself and made it without tumbling. A short time later, she came to a small drop-off.

  “Woo!” she hollered as she soared into the air, then landed gracefully below. I can’t believe I did that!

  Now for the hard part. The next part of the course was filled with twists and turns, and there were some trees ahead. Better steer clear of those, for sure!

  She bent her knees and leaned into the course, picking up speed as she rounded the first sharp turn. Then the second. As she came to the section of trees, she leaned to the left to avoid them.

  Just as Kate sailed into a clearing, she heard a terrible cry. To her left, Sydney tumbled head over heels into the snow.

  “Oh no!” Kate got so distracted watching her friend that she lost her footing and tipped over sideways. She landed on her bottom in the snow. It didn’t hurt too badly, but then she rolled a couple of times and banged her elbow into a rock. “Ouch!”

  Finally coming to a stop, she pulled off her skis and ran to Sydney’s side. “Are you okay? What’s happened?”

  Sydney sat in the snow, gripping her ankle with tears streaming down her face. “Oh Kate. It’s my ankle! It’s worse! Much worse. I think I’ve really hurt it this time!”

  “What did you do?”

  “I don’t know. It was already hurting this morning when I walked on the treadmill. I guess I should have told someone, but I didn’t. I thought I could make it stronger by walking on it, but I guess I was wrong.”

  “Oh Sydney!”

  “I feel like I’ve twisted it again. But it hurts so bad! Much worse than before.”

  “What should we do?” Kate asked, looking around. Oh, if only someone else would come by and offer to help! What made her think they could come to the slopes alone?

  “I…I think we need to go back,” Sydney stammered. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not!” Kate looked around again, hoping for some help. The mountainside remained empty. The only thing she heard was the sound of her voice echoing against the snow. “Will we have to walk down to the bottom?”

  “I guess.” Sydney looked around. “But I don’t think I’ll make it, to be honest. Maybe there’s a trail closer to the trees. It’s too dangerous to be out in the open like this. Any moment a skier could come flying down the hill and run us over!”

  “Oh, I never thought of that!” Kate held tight to her limping friend’s arm and led her to some trees.

  When they got there, Sydney gripped her ankle and began to cry harder. “I can’t believe I did this! I’m never going to get to go on my mission trip now.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now,” Kate said. “One thing at a time.”

  She looked around, a little confused about where they were. Just then a bit of falling snow caught her attention. “Oh no! It’s snowing again. Uncle Ollie said it wasn’t supposed to snow till this afternoon.”

  “That’s not good, Kate. We can’t get stuck out here in the snow, especially if my ankle is too weak to go to the bottom of the hill!”

  “I know, but what can we do?” Kate started to tremble.

  “We’ve got to get back to the parking lot somehow.” Sydney dabbed at her eyes with gloved hands. “Do you think you can help me?”

  “I’ll try.” Kate looked around. “But which way is the parking lot? I’m confused.”

  “I think it’s east?” Sydney looked up with pain in her eyes. “Do you have a compass?”

  “Yes.” Kate pulled out her digital measuring tape with the built-in compass. “Okay, east is this way.” She pointed to their left. “You’re sure it’s east, right?”

  “I think so.” Sydney shrugged. “But right now I’m in so much pain, I’m not sure about anything.”

  A cold wind blew over them, making an eerie sound against the backdrop of the mountain. Kate shivered.

  “Wow. That was creepy. Sounded like the mountain was crying.”

  “No, I’m the only one crying,” Sydney said, forcing a smile.

  “Would it be better if I went after someone to help carry you back?” Kate offered. She hated to leave Sydney here, but she didn’t know what else to do.

  “No, I think I can hop on my good foot, as long as we go slow. Just help me, Kate. Please.” Sydney rose to her feet, almost falling over. She leaned against Kate.

  “Take slow, steady steps,” Kate said. “And let me do most of the work.”

  She had never seen Sydney like this before. Usually Sydney was the one running races or playing sports. But now—with an injured ankle—would she even be able to ski in the competition? It was only a couple of days away. What would happen if she didn’t win the three hundred dollars? Would she get to go on the mission trip?

  After the girls had been walking a few minutes, the snow began to fall even harder.

  “It–it’s blinding me,” Kate said, shivering. “I can’t see more than a few feet.”

  “And I’m getting colder by the minute,” Sydney added. “It’s making my ankle hurt worse.”

  They followed what looked like a trail. It wound in and out, in and out, and seemed to lead absolutely nowhere. They faced dead ends at every turn!

  “Now I know what a mouse feels like, hunting for cheese in a maze,” Kate said, then groaned. “No wonder they call this slope the Rat. It just like being trapped inside a gigantic trap!”

  Minutes later, Sydney shook her head. “I have to stop for a minute, Kate. It hurts too much to keep going. Stop. Please.”

  “Of course.” Kate stopped, grateful to find a spot under some trees where the snow was packed tight. After watching Sydney rub her ankle, Kate had an idea. “Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner!”

  “What?”

  “I have a GPS tracker on my cell phone. I can type in the name of the lodge next to the parking lot, and the tracker will lead us back…no problem.”

  The wind began to howl louder and louder, and the girls huddled together. Off in the distance, the skies began to look heavy and gray.

  Kate opened her phone and waited for a signal. “Come on.” She shook the phone, frustrated. “Work! Please work!” A few seconds later, she had a faint signal. Kate quickly typed in the name of the lodge.

  “Pray, Sydney,” she said. “This has to work.”

  “Okay. I’m praying.” Syd
ney’s eyes were filled with tears, and Kate knew her ankle must really be hurting. Sydney never complained!

  A couple of minutes later, just as Kate started to get her hopes up, she lost the signal on her phone. She closed it with a sigh. “What’s the point of having GPS tracking if I can’t get a signal?”

  A burst of cold air caught her by surprise, and she began to shake. “Is it getting colder, or am I just imagining it?”

  “I–it’s g–getting c–colder. And the snow is really coming down now. See?” Sydney pointed to the skies, then huddled next to Kate, shaking. She closed her eyes. “I don’t know why, but I’m suddenly getting tired.”

  “It’s the altitude. And the dark skies.”

  Kate looked up. The sky hung heavy over them, a sure sign that a heavy snowfall was on its way.

  “W–what are we going to do?” Sydney broke down in tears.

  Kate had never seen this side of Sydney before. Usually her friend was the strong one…the brave one.

  Now I have to be strong and brave!

  “They’re going to find us,” Kate said, doing her best to sound confident. “We’ve got the transmitters on our snow boots, remember? That’s the very best tracking device.”

  “Yes, but your Uncle Ollie’s not coming back till two o’clock,” Sydney reminded her. “It will be hours before they even realize we’re missing. No one will know to look for a signal till then, and I’ll be frozen stiff by two o’clock!”

  “Don’t say that!” Just the thought of it sent a shiver down Kate’s spine.

  “I’m sorry.” Sydney pulled at the scarf around her neck. “I don’t know why I’m so scared.”

  “It’s normal when things go wrong. Just keep praying, Sydney.”

  “I need to,” her friend said. “My throat is starting to feel funny. And my eyes sting from the ice.”

  “Would you be okay for a minute if I went to look for someone to help?” Kate asked. “I’ll come right back, I promise.”

  Sydney leaned against the tree and nodded. “Just promise you won’t stay gone long. And leave a trail so you know how to get back to me. I don’t want to get stuck out here alone.”

  “Me either. I’ll follow my footprints back.” As soon as Kate spoke the word footprints, she remembered the footprints they’d found behind the creamery. Would they ever figure out who was sabotaging the Hamptons?

  This isn’t the time to worry about that!

  Kate hated to leave her friend, but she wanted to check something. If she was remembering correctly, there was an old red barn just south of here. She’d seen it yesterday when the skies were clear. If they could just make it to that barn, they could warm up. And maybe she could get better reception there too. If so, she could call her father or Uncle Ollie on her cell phone. They would come in a hurry!

  A few minutes later, Kate found a trail. It wound through tangles of brush and snowcapped trees. She turned to the right and then the left, trying to get her bearings. Lord, help me. Please. A tree branch slapped her in the face, and snow flew everywhere.

  “Oh!” The pain shot through her cheek, and she ducked to wedge her way underneath the low snow-covered branches.

  A few seconds later, she heard the strangest sound…like something falling and hitting the earth below. Taking a step, she heard a c-ra-ack! The ground underneath her shifted, and she started to tumble forward!

  Down, down, down she went…praying all the way!

  Along Came a Spider

  Kate tumbled down through several layers of snow and ice until she landed with a thud on an icy patch of ground. She rubbed at her backside and cried out in pain. “Oh, help!” Right away, she began to pray. “Lord, get me out of here. Please!”

  Pushing her weight backward, she landed on sturdy ground. However, the place where she stood just seconds before collapsed. Down, down, down it went, making a crashing sound below.

  She peeked over the edge, realizing she’d almost stepped off the edge of a drop-off. Somehow she had stopped…just in time! Kate’s heart thumped hard against her chest. How close she’d come to falling! Another look convinced her it was a long way to the bottom. I could have died! Something—or Someone—had saved her, just in the nick of time!

  And where was the crackling sound coming from? She still heard it off in the distance. Squinting against the blinding snow, she saw something that looked like a frozen waterfall to her right. Pieces of the ice had broken off and fallen into the spot way down below. The frozen water led down to the place where she might have landed, if she’d taken one more step.

  Whoa! Talk about a long drop! Thank You, Lord! You saved my life.

  Kate scooted backward on her bottom, finally confident enough to try to stand. Only one problem. Her clothes were now damp and so cold. Straightening her legs was tough. And her feet suddenly ached. “Lord, just a few more minutes,” she whispered. “I have to find a safe place.”

  Struggling against the strong wind, she kept her balance. Kate tried her cell phone once more. No signal. Determined to succeed, she turned toward the right. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

  For whatever reason, she thought about Phillip and her science project. Suddenly—with her life in jeopardy—it seemed so silly to hold a grudge against someone else. Really, the only thing that mattered right now was getting help for Sydney!

  After a few treks through the deepening snow, Kate finally caught a glimpse of something red in the distance. “Oh, good!”

  An old, dilapidated barn stood alone against the backdrop of white snow.

  It’s a long way away, but I think we can make it.

  She used her own footprints to run back to Sydney. Kate found her in tears, seated on the ground next to a tree.

  “I’ve found a safer place to wait,” Kate explained. “Do you think you can take a few steps with my help, as long as they’re not downhill?”

  “‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’” Sydney spoke above the rising winds. “That was our Bible verse a couple of weeks ago in Sunday school.”

  “Wow! That’s amazing! I was just quoting that verse!”

  With Kate’s help, Sydney rose and leaned against her. Together they took their first steps through the mounds of snow.

  “‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’” Sydney said.

  “‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’” Kate echoed.

  They continued saying the words until they drew closer, closer, closer to the old red barn. Finally they reached the door.

  “It looks really old, Kate,” Sydney said. “I don’t even think that door will open. The hinges are broken.”

  “It has to open. It just has to.” Kate reached for the door, praying all the time. After a struggle, she managed to get it open. “There! See!”

  “Oh, it’s dark in here.” Sydney took a few hobbling steps inside, and Kate followed her.

  “I wish we had a flashlight. It’s kind of creepy.”

  “You don’t think there are any…” Sydney’s voice trailed off.

  “What?” Kate asked.

  “Rats?” Sydney whispered.

  Kate shuddered. “Oh, I didn’t think of that. How strange would that be? To find rats here.”

  She squinted, her eyes finally getting adjusted to the dark. “Ooo! This place is filled with spiderwebs!”

  She found herself caught in one and began to bat at it, pulling it apart. “Gross!”

  “This is so creepy!” Sydney said. “I don’t like spiders any more than I do rats. But this place is filled with them. Look!” She pointed as a large spider crawled up the wall. “Remember your Aunt Molly said the creamery had spiders too? I wonder if they were this big?”

  “I don’t know. But, look, Sydney. There are some mounds of hay over there.” Kate pointed, getting more excited by the minute. “If we can get down inside the hay, I think we’ll warm up. Then I’ll
try to use my phone again.”

  The girls had just settled down into the soft, cushy straw, when Kate thought she saw the door crack open. “W–who is it?” she called out. She began to shake all over!

  The door slammed shut, making a clacking noise as the wind caught it and pushed it back and forth.

  “Do you think that was a person?” Sydney asked. “Or maybe just the wind?”

  “I’m too scared to look!” Kate pinched her eyes shut and sat in fear for a moment. Then, just as quickly, she felt courageous. “I’m tired of being a scaredy-cat! I’m going to look.” She ran over to the door and inched it open. Staring out onto the open expanse of snow, she thought she caught a glimpse of someone.

  “Come and help us!” she called out.

  The person—who looked like a boy or maybe even a man—disappeared in the distance. He wore a dark jacket and carried a big backpack. But why would he be hanging out at an empty, abandoned barn? And what was in the backpack?

  Or was he even real? Kate turned back to Sydney and sighed.

  “Who was it?” her friend asked.

  “I don’t know.” Kate rubbed at her eyes. “Maybe it was no one! Have you ever heard of a mirage?”

  “A mirage?” Sydney yawned. “Like something you see only in your imagination, but it seems so real you actually think it is real?”

  “Right.” Kate shrugged. “First it looked like someone…then it didn’t. Maybe my overactive imagination is working overtime! My mom accuses me of that sometimes.”

  With the door still cracked, Kate opened the phone and saw a tiny signal. The GPS tracking system opened, but the signal faded almost immediately. Kate prayed a silent prayer: Lord, I’m scared. And I don’t know what to do. But I know You do. Help us, Lord. Please! I’m starting to imagine things—and they’re not good!

  “My ankle hurts even more.” Sydney’s voice sounded weak. “And I’m getting so tired. Feels like it’s nighttime, but it’s barely even noon. Right?”

  “Right. But I’m getting sleepy too,” Kate agreed with a yawn. “Maybe it’s because it’s so dark in here.” She walked back over to the straw and curled up next to Sydney. She wanted to rest, but visions of spiders and spiderwebs kept her awake. What if she dozed off and one of those creepy crawlers crawled into her hair? Or down her arm! Ooo! What a terrible thought!