An Expedition for Witches

Kira didn’t know much about the history of Explorers’ Recovery, only that it had been constructed a long time ago to prevent expeditions from being lost to the snowy mountainscape. When her father had first come here on a research grant, it had been barely more than a small cabin. Kira only had a distant memory of this because, soon after her arrival, agencies had begun marketing mountain retreats to the wealthy. A developer had bought Explorers’ Recovery and upgraded it from a small outpost to a lavish resort.

After that, everything changed. Tourists flocked to see the wonders of the wintery world. They held brochures painted in flashy styles and wore fabrics and colours that Kira had never seen before. They talked of the exceptional beauty while huddled around the fireplace.

Mr. Baxter, the manager of the resort, in his sleek black uniform, dealt with them all in the timely and sophisticated manner that they were accompanied to. This way to the hot spring spa, Madame. You’ll find the butternut squash soup with roasted apples at the restaurant on the top floor, Sir. He was a good friend of Kira and often the one that she spent the most time with as her father, when not out in the field, was squirrelled away in his room under piles of books, fingers sticky with ink and smelling of stale tea and biscuits. He was usually so involved in his work that he scarcely seemed to remember Kira most of the time.

This caused Kira to resent the detailed logs and research papers her father filled out religiously. But there was one exception. It was black book, leather bound with a small rune inscribed on the cover. It was handwritten, but not by her father. The script was fine and loopy but not in a language that Kira knew. It had detailed sketches of furry, taloned creatures, snow white birds with wing spans so wide that they darkened the sky and women with long fangs who dressed in pelts and wore ice crowns. These last images were the most captivating. She stared for hours at the individual strokes on the page, the monstrous teeth and especially the dark, pit-like eyes that, even from a small page in a book, made her feel like she was being hunted. In the margins of the page in the section, she recognised her father’s writing--witches.

She’d mentioned something to Baxter about them. He told her that, a long time ago, before the Recovery had been built, men had gotten lost in the snow all the time. The rumour was that they’d be lured into the storm by a woman singing, only to be captured by witches and kept in their castle. Baxter clarified that these rumours were likely just based on the howling winds and bodies being lost in the snow and he would prefer it if she did not mention anything about them to the guests; kidnappings did not boost tourism. Besides, now that the Recovery was there, no one got lost in the snow anymore. Not until one night around the winter solstice when Kira was ten years old.

It was midday and she was in the atrium, just off the resort lobby, sitting by the massive fireplace, petting a small Siamese named Naomi. She watched as a group of travellers came in, all packed together. A tour, she noted. She was about to return to Naomi, whose wet nose was pushing against her hand, when she noticed something unusual. One of the travellers was much shorter than the others. Even bundled up, he was slight and the youthfulness of his face was obvious even through the scarf, hat and a mop of platinum blonde hair. He must have been around Kira’s age or not much younger. She leapt to her feet. It was very rare for a child to come up to the mountains; even though they were quite tame for those familiar with them, the mountains still had a reputation for danger.

Introducing herself, Kira found out that his name was Tim and he was there with his uncle, who had given him this trip as a birthday present. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of the Glacelope, a white elk with crystalised antlers and jewelled cuffs around its ankles. They’d seen some Sweater Dear in the Wera region travelling up the mountain, but he had not found them very exciting. He pulled out a picture of the Glacelope and Kira drank in the rich colours on the page: the purple background, the oranges and pinks around the feet and the aqua eyes.

She remembered that this animal was mentioned in her father’s book so she suggested that they do ask him about it. They raced up the staircase, Tim’s boots stomping so loudly they attracted annoyed glances from onlookers.

Kira’s father poked his head out from behind a stack of books, peering at them over his glasses. ‘Children, the creatures in that book do not exist. They’re folklore.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means some people believe that they’re real, or they used to be real, but they don’t exist anymore or they’re hidden away so they can’t be found. If they could be, humans would have taken them already. Imagine the people the amazing creatures would attract.’

The children waited for more explanation but, when none came, they ventured back downstairs.

‘My uncle and I are going on an expedition tonight,’ Tim explained. ‘We’ll go deep into the woods and I’ll find the Glacelope.’

Kira knew what the expeditions that the resort offered were like. ‘They’re not going to take you deep enough. Almost a hundred people walk on that path every day. The Glacelope wouldn’t be so stupid.’

Tim frowned, seeming annoyed by what she’d said. ‘My uncle paid a lot of money for this trip. I deserve to see it.’

Kira sensed that this was making Tim angry and she had no interest in losing the playmate that she’d been so lucky to come across. They spent the rest of the day playing hide and seek in the hotel and went out to the stable to visit the new puppies being trained to pull sleds. Later, Tim left to meet his uncle as they were going to the five star restaurant in the gondola suspended over the mountain before beginning their expedition in the evening.

Kira woke up early the next morning, eager to spend the day with Tim again and find out whether he had seen the Glacelope or not. But when she arrived at the lobby, it was filled with people. There was a group of men all in the same outfit, bulkier than the workers’ uniform, complete with hats and boots. There was a woman in the long coat patterned with lace who had a string of diamonds around her neck. She sobbed next to a man hunched over the counter talking to Baxter in an urgent tone.

She noticed two of the bellhops talking to one another. They were mentioning something about a child going missing in the mountains last night. Kira felt a shock of surprise go through her. Eventually, Baxter left his spot from behind the desk. Kira ran over to him.

‘Baxter, I can help. I know the mountainside. Maybe I can find him!’

He did not seem interested. ‘Go see your father, Kira.’

Kira pouted. She had not expected her offer to be well received but was disappointed nonetheless. She made her way over to the big armchair in the atrium and, for the rest of the day, watched people come inside and outside, covered in puffy flakes, and discuss the ongoing search. But, even by nightfall, they had not located him.

Kira was worried and bored. She missed her friend. As the rescue team eventually settled in, needing a break from the snow, Kira wandered upstairs to get her coat and mittens. She had been all around the mountain many times. It was her backyard after all. Her father had warned her never to go too far, especially when he was not with her, and Kira promised herself that she would adhere to this advice.

Outside, the wind whipped at her face, making her eyes water. She headed for the trail the expedition took. It was very cold but the snow had cleared off, leaving the sky clear and the moon full and bright, which was good for searching. Kira had only been down the road a short while when she heard a high pitched ringing in the distance. It was almost musical. She leaned forward, hoisting herself up the rock and climbed to see where it was coming from.

She walked a distance, her ears pricked for the sound, which was still chiming into the night air. She could not tell if she was getting closer or not. She stopped for a minute to assess her situation before a twig snapped and she spun around. The ringing suddenly stopped. She could not see anything but she had a strange feeling creeping up her neck, like there were eyes on her.

‘Tim?’ she called out.

From the other direction, the wind carried a small voice to her ears. ‘Help.’

She sprinted towards it. Under a tree, she found a small figure crouched. Tim looked up. ‘Kira!’ he said with enthusiasm, although his voice was barely a whisper. She grinned, thrilled to have her friend back.

‘Let’s go,’ she prompted, helping him to his feet. He was cold and weak but seemed okay otherwise.

‘It was smart of you to use your whistle,’ she told him. ‘I don’t know why the search party couldn’t find you.’

He looked puzzled. ‘I dropped my whistle the first night. I don’t know where it went.’

Kira frowned for a minute, trying to make sense of this. It gave her a funny feeling in her stomach but her excitement around finding her friend eventually took over, alleviating any uneasiness.

When they reached the lobby, Kira was expecting everyone to be as excited as she was but instead the room erupted with relief and Tim’s mother enveloped him in a hug and sobbed with joy. Kira waited patiently but she eventually got annoyed. She had done and gotten Tim so they could play together, not so all of these adults could fuss over him. They huddled around him so tightly that Kira could barely see him.

Eventually, they took him away. When Kira tried to follow, Baxter stopped her.

‘It’s very late, Kira. You were outside a long time. You should go to bed.’

Kira wanted to object but it seemed like a lost cause. She decided to wake up early tomorrow so her and Tim could get in the playtime that they’d missed.

The next day, Kira waited until noon before going up to the front desk. Baxter’s mouth formed a thin line and he explained that Tim’s family had taken him home last night. He was gone and would not be back.

Kira went numb with shock. She felt like crying but was too angry. It was like she’d been tricked. She had been the one to go and get Tim!

Baxter continued talking, obviously trying to regain her attention. As though it would lighten her mood, he told her that Tim’s family had given her the reward of 20,000 dollars for finding their son. They were infinitely grateful. But Kira had no interest in it.

She took her envelope with the cheque in it and walked back to her armchair in the atrium. The next boy who went missing in the mountains, she resolved, she would not return. The next boy would stay there.