The wind whipped at Felicia's blue jacket as she stared down the mountain at the valley far below. The wind howled in contrast to the tranquil sound of her skis shifting in the snow. The snow swirled around her feet like sparkling dust scattered across the white-blanketed landscape as she inched closer to the steep path down the mountain. Her scant breath was visible, creating small clouds in front of her as she adjusted her goggles and checked the straps on her helmet.
Felicia took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she tried to picture an ideal path down the mountain. She imagined herself going all the way to the left, around a fallen tree, doubling back, through the center of the moguls, then drop off that small cliff, and finally a straight shot to the bottom. Her mind raced as she thought about her body and how it would react to the wind, snow, and the steep descent. It seemed like the most tangled mess she could imagine as she pawed at the ground and inched closer to the edge. The music coming from the stands down below became muffled as her mind adjusted to the task at hand.
The wind sang like an eerie howl that tickled her ears as she listened more closely.
Suddenly, a loud buzzer echoed through the mountains, and Felicia pushed forward with the poles at her side. Her perception was limited as her speed continued to increase rapidly on the nearly vertical incline, but she could sense the rhythm of the slope as if it was a living thing. Snow flew into the air as Felicia drifted around the fallen tree and doubled back to the far side of the slope. Her knees flexed and shuddered as her skis impacted with the first of the moguls. Her speed continued to increase as the small cliff rapidly approached.
Her skis cleared the moguls, and Felicia tucked lower to the ground, willing herself to move faster. Faster! Faster! She had to win!
Felicia felt her stomach drop out from under her, though the cliff was still ahead. Her left ski dipped suddenly into a hole hidden by the powder, and her knee seared in pain as her left ski became lodged in the snow.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as her body continued forward towards the cliff. Her mind raced as her life seemed to flash before her eyes. Her regrets; never kissing a boy, never trying alcohol, never having sex. Her accomplishments; excelling in skiing and softball, being near the top of her class despite her challenging courses like Calculus and Latin, the progress she'd made towards becoming a doctor. Her older brother, who was off at college. Her younger sister was always competing with her over who was cuter. Her younger brother was in his final year of middle school. Her parents had always been supportive of her. All of it was about to end. Felicia was about to die.
Felicia's body tumbled over the edge of the cliff as glistening snow shimmered all around her, creating a scene straight from a fairytale. Her mind flashed through images of her happy childhood. Felicia could see her first skiing experience at age five, her first ballgame when she was eight, getting her class's highest grade on the math final when she was 13, learning to drive at 15, and getting her license at 16. Felicia smiled, though she was about to die.
Felicia sat up with a start, her breathing heavy as she took in her surroundings. The snow-dusted ground and the branches and twigs must have acted as a natural cushion, or else the fall would have killed her. Yet her whole body still felt bruised and battered from her crash, and she was reasonably sure she had a concussion.
She awoke to voices and the sound of a snowmobile idling nearby. "Looks like she's alive!" exclaimed a man with a camouflage jacket and camo-patterned hat. Felicia could hear the soft crunching of snow as they came closer, but she couldn't figure out how to make her body move. "Come on, honey," said the woman who was alongside him wearing a similar outfit, "We're going to get you some medical attention."
Felicia closed her eyes again as they picked her up and lifted her into a stretcher. Her mind struggled to focus on the commotion as her rescuers worked to get her down the mountain.
"She's alive, but we'll need to check her out when we get to the medical center, though it seems she's got a bad concussion," said the man.
"Hang in there, sweetheart. You're going to be fine," chimed the woman.
When they reached the bottom of the mountain, Felicia had one of her teammates call her mother and explain the situation while the medics looked her over.
One of the paramedics felt Felicia's wrist and let out a sigh of relief. "Her pulse is steady and strong. That's good; it means she probably didn't break anything. She's just going to need a good rest, and I recommend taking her to her a hospital as soon as possible to get a better idea of what kind of injuries she sustained."
Felicia's teammate relayed the information to her mother as the paramedics put the stretcher on the ground and carefully unloaded her. It was then that Felicia's mind kicked in, and she could think again.
"Thank you," Felicia managed to get out.
After being checked out by the paramedics, Felicia’s teammates helped her out as they gathered her stuff. Felicia thanked them as they left her alone to wait for her mother. Then, with a sigh, Felicia picked up a beanie with one of the most oversized fluff balls on top and tassels on the side. Her head was pounding, but Felicia had always felt self-conscious about her hair after a race. Gingerly, Felicia slipped the beanie over her head and tucked her hair into the soft headwear.
Felicia was feeling light-headed and nauseous, though; her stomach was growling at her, urging her to eat something. Still, Felicia wasn't sure it was a good idea to eat anything right now, but it was so hard to resist. She had skipped breakfast that morning, and she did have lunch packed away. So perhaps it wouldn't hurt to have a little something to eat to settle her stomach again while she waited for her mother to arrive.
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