Stay Frosty

The mountain stood in the distance like an old friend, unapproachable; plastered to the vistas before Giuseppe's eyes as he ever so slightly licked the tip of his thumb and pointed it at Kels and I for the umpteenth time, and told us to move slightly to the left on a count of "wind resistance.". Me and Kels wear two separate colored jumpsuits, mine was a rogue red and hers a canary yellow. Kels was tired of standing there in that spot, that cold dewey spot where the yellow daffodils had just risen by way of spring just about to kick winter to the curb. Her feet may have been colder than mine were, or she could have just been tired of looking at this knock-off Van Gogh. Everywhere is a haughty unknown spaceship to the fellow, but for this rural slice of life in the hills I couldn't blame the joker, nor his princess of chaos beside him. "Paula!" Giuseppe cheered jocularly, " "Can you go snatch a few waters from the counter in the stable?". Without two ruffles of her tail feather she dashed through the clearing to the cabin on his accord. I would have corrected him for being insolent, but I held my tongue; and the cold did not usually get too frigid for me around this time as the sun hadn't begun to set just yet. But, my feet like Kels were getting a little nippy at my big toe. It was Giuseppe's idea to capture this moment, I'm just glad I get to have a moment captured here on today other than the days that haunt this sanctuary just beyond the perimeter of the timber. "Can you make this brisk G before your canvas is a rendition of a scene from a phantom film, we still gotta hike child of Botticelli." I uttered sarcastically. He seemed to hurry a tad and Paula began to return in her new blue puffer coat with white lining along the bottom; the sparkling water added a nice glimmer to her essence. She seemed like she was prepared for what it was worth, she even brought a flare gun onto the trip... that's something to say the least.

Before we left the cabin I went to retrieve two kerosene lamps, one for myself and another for whoever took responsibility... it was Kels. We had gained good ground before the sun actually set and the lamps started to do our bidding. A split had come up where we agreed to take both paths two each, I knew it would converge at the end. Paula and I took the high ground where it ramped up and Kels and Giuseppe the low. Kels mentioned facetiously, "This must be a part of the highs and lows of the journey?". I nodded a little and smiled a glimmer. She asked if I could take at least three sips of water before we parted ways and I did. Walking never felt so weary, never in this way, Parson always made me drink an entire gallon before we even hit the road for the cabins. We took the paths ahead of us. "Did you link up with Parson anytime before this?" Paula unwittingly exclaimed. "Giuseppe wasn't around this time to tell you anytime before "this"?" I asked. Paula looked confused at her inquiry and I asked her to just drop it until we reached the others. I held my breath again; I never do that consecutively, at least not on the same day. I closed my eyes to catch my breath as we kept walking forward and for a brief moment lost stride and slipped. Not a damned slip I thought. I fell not too far down and smacked the bed of the forest.

The trees above my head appeared a little woozy at first but, I raised myself and felt a striking pain in my ankle. I looked to check for anything and saw a strip of red running from the fabric of my jumpsuit , trickling down my leg. A plethora of branches were in reach and I grabbed the one that looked the freshest. Using it as a crutch, as i rose and stood to my feet I shook my leg and thank Artemis it wasn't broken; a little sprain but manageable. I heard a snap of some twigs beyond an ice cold berm in the distance. I shouldn't be too worried, I searched for the kerosene lamp that was a few feet away and I went to fetch it when all of a sudden a fox lept from the bushes. I let out a shriek and stood not all too frightened because Parson always told me to remain motionless at the sight of anything in the wild and watch for any signs of character in the beasts of the wild. I loved foxes so I would think that it would believe even little ole me with a sprained ankle and a walk similar to a swaggering Jack Sparrow would be of any harm to a kindred spirit. And just as I thought it almost didn't hesitate at all as I watched it saunter back into the brush and I picked up my only source of light other than moonlight. I took a deep sigh and began to walk towards the sound I heard previous to the fox encounter toward the icey berm ahead thinking maybe the others heard my cry, and if they didn't maybe I should just cry again, but I wouldn't want to witness a grizzly next time....

I approached the Berm and just before I was going to reach its peak I recognized a tree with initials on it. Wielding the lamp up to the etched letters in a carved box it read "STAY FROSTY DEAN + PARSON ARDENIA."I had forgotten all about this tree, laughing hysterically at the memory it kept of me and my brother. But, right after my brother's signature read, "The Hot-Blooded Ones". I didn't remember seeing that as my memory could recall, but I just took it for some loggers who don't respect family confidentiality. I raised my voice a tad and wagged my fist at the around the ear, " You hear that! Fucking loggers don't' respect family rights! This is our tree, our memories...". Satisfied with my stance I redirected my attention to the berm and knew there was a frozen pond and hopefully and snowman and a hole for ice fishing still lay in residual by chance. I rushed up the berm to find the frosty wonderland just ahead and skidded across the ice like me and Parson used to. I skidded past some timber sprawled out on the floor and held on to my branch for the sake of the farce I was making out. Of course Parson and I didnt have a sprained limb attached to us, but I kept as steady as I could till I reached the edge of an edge of the pond where I flew to a pile of debris from nature and it broke my fall roaring with laughter. I looked around and saw no snowmen. I stood up and immediately nestled up the biggest clump of snow I could find and, "HA!", piled a perfect circle for the base. At least it was a perfect circle to me. I piled the next two circles on top and dug my thumb snug in the frosty's eyes where I buried two pebbles I found just below my sprained ankle. I stood back and licked the tip of my thumb and thrusted it at the face of the snowman along with the lamp and saw Parson's face emerge, I chuckled, "Alright bro a little to the right," I said, " naw your other right snow for brains.". I heard something that sounded like footsteps crunching against the snow and Parsons face began to sweat a little from the heat of the lamp fire. I swung the lamp towards the footsteps and said, "Kels! G! . . Paula?!". I closed my eyes for a second, steadying my breathing to maintain any composure I could muster up. And opened them to find that the coast was clear, there was no one, not even the fox.

I waved the lamp like Paul Revere, until a shadow lunged out from the trees and smothered my mouth with a cold black glove. I bit into the fabric and tried to break flesh. "AAAGH!" said the creep. He let go of his grasp enough for me to loosen his grip further and I clobbered him over the head with the kerosene lamp. A burst of embers, flame, and shards of glass shattered against his mug. I turned a good 180 degrees and dashed into the wild not knowing where I would relocate with my friends. But, gasping for air even though I knew if I wanted to return to the cabin I had to at least retrace my steps. Gaining an incredible distance after making a burn victim out of the goon hopefully, I broke through the trees hobbling and with branches ripping my jumpsuit to pieces. My feet were already cold and knew if i stopped to care for my injuries at all I might not return. And then I saw a flare round whiz into the sky and I made a dash for the light before my eyes squinting at the glinting radiance from its spark of rescue. I said to myself alarmed in the sanctity of my mind, "Paula!... G!.... Kels.... anybody,... Parson?". I never looked back so could never tell if anyone was gaining on me, but I heard multiple footsteps getting closer and closer and..... I began to scream, " Help! Heyy Is anyone out there....?". Running right beside me was a dark brownish blur and a splotch of white wafting behind. No time for discovery, until I eventually saw a more light, and then a clearing. I was getting close to the cabin. "DEAN, DEAN!", the others shouted. Becoming familiar with the surrounding area I came upon the three of them and another standing close behind. I rushed over and made it to the cabin, "Where the hell were you all!? And who is the other guy?". Bewildered they questioned, "What other guy? Are you okay?..," all at once they said, " You're bleeding!". Kels rushed inside the cabin to grab a blanket and shielded me from the cold air. And we began walking inside the cabin.

I turned to look back once that night and embedded in the barrier of the treeline was a dark brownish fox, and a shadowy figure that could've been anyone, but I pray it was my brother.