Frostlings

Frostlings

John Barrow loved hiking in the snow at night. Not some light snow either. It needed to be at least five inches of powder to suit his needs. It made the world feel hollow and empty, like he was the only person in it. It was very different from the rest of his life.

John had very little privacy in his day to day. He took college classes in the morning, worked in the afternoon, and took care of his cancer ridden mother and drug addicted younger sister whenever he was home. During winter break, his older brother would come in and help John out for a few weeks. John always took this opportunity for a camping trip.

He would take his dog Marvin, a husky, with him into the Big South Fork National park to camp for three days. He would always wait till the weather predicted snow. Once he was out there, no one could bother him. He would read, hike, fish, and just enjoy the silence.

This year he was in luck. The forecast was calling for a big snow storm. John packed his gear and Marvin into his truck and headed out to the woods. He could smell the snow coming in the air. He smiled widely as he drove the steep, windy road down into the heart of the park. It was a site to behold. Trees, cliffs, hills, and rivers were everywhere. The evergreens did their best to make up for all the lost foliage of autumn, but the crunch of dried leaves under every step was a reminder.

John parked at the entrance to his favorite trail, grabbed his gear and Marvin, and headed out into the forest. He hiked for two hours till he reached his favorite spot. It was near the edge of a cliff with a great view of the countryside, and only a thirty minute hike down to a great fishing hole in the river.

It wasn't long before the smell of the warm campfire filled the air, and his tent was pitched. John and Marvin got comfortable next to the fire just as the first snowflakes began to fall. Snowflakes drifting down through the trees of a forest is something to behold in John's humble opinion. He watched till the snowfall got heavy and then retired to his tent for rest. He would need it for his late night hike.

As John slept, the snow fell in record amounts for that time of year. Soon the landscape was covered in white. The cold wind that poured through the trees froze any moisture still clinging to the branches. John was still cozy and warm in his well insulated tent however. He knew all the tricks to staying warm on a winter camping trip, and cuddling up with Marvin also helped.

John woke after midnight to find the winter wonderland he had been hoping for. The storm had passed and the sky was crystal clear. He felt like he could see every star in the galaxy when he looked through the canopy of bare branches above him. The world was covered in a pristine blanket of snow. It somehow made the land look purified as all the roughness and pollution of the world was covered in the billowy blizzard of alabaster.

John rekindled his campfire, grabbed his backpack, and then set off with Marvin into the snowy night. The world felt abandoned. There was no sound except for the crunch of snow beneath John's boots and the sharp breeze eerily sifting through the woods like a hollow, gossamer whistle.

For the first time in almost a year, John felt completely at peace. He basked in the utter privacy of the moment. He breathed deep the cold winter air and felt it invigorate his spirit. Marvin played by jumping and prancing from mound to mound of powder. Marvin would sometimes vanish for a second only to suddenly pop up from a pile of snow with a silly grin on his face. The look made John giggle uncontrollably. His dog loved the snow as much as he did which John had always taken as a sign that they were meant for each other.

Once John had hiked for a little over an hour, he decided it was unfortunately time to start heading back to camp. It was just as they starting their way back that John noticed the hair on Marvin's back stand straight up. Marvin started acting nervous and whining as he looked into the dark of the night and then back to John. John immediately got worried that some wild animal was nearby. He knew that Marvin would fight to protect him, and whatever critter was out there could have rabies. He definitely didn't want Marvin to get hurt.

John kept some firecrackers in his pocket whenever he went on a hike. The bright flash and loud noise was usually enough to scare off any animals they might come across. The only animals you really had to watch out for were bears and poisonous snakes, both of which were hibernating this time of year.

After a few moments of no sound, John decided to start walking again, but he kept a firecracker and his lighter in his jacket pockets just in case. Marvin did not relax, however. He continued his previous behavior as they slowly made their way back to camp.

Then they both came to a sudden halt. John had heard what sounded like a giggle. He thought he must be hearing things but Marvin had heard it too. Marvin started to growl while staring into the trees. John yelled into the night hoping to scare off whatever it was, but the darkness responded with more giggling. It sounded like five or six children gleefully laughing at a successful prank.

Marvin stopped growling and returned to whining as he backed away from the childish snickering. John yelled for whoever it was to stop joking around. More laughter echoed through the forest. John jerked in surprise as he was almost pulled to the ground. Looking down he saw that Marvin had bit down on his pants leg and was tugging him away from the noise. John had never seen Marvin act like this.

John suddenly got worried from Marvin's strange reaction, but that worry was replaced with terror as almost twenty sets of eyes started to glow in the darkness. They looked like the eyes of a cat when a flashlight was pointed at them, but much bigger. At that, Marvin took off like a flash howling as if to beg John to follow him.

John didn't argue. He started to sprint away from the eyes and the sounds of giggling. He tried to follow Marvin, but the husky was too fast. Soon John had lost sight of his dog in the excitement of the escape. John's lungs filled with the icy air as he continued to run as fast as he could. He would occasionally look over his shoulder only to see the eyes seeming to leap from tree to tree and snow bank to snow bank. They were fast. He started to see some eyes appear at his sides as well. He felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest.

Then suddenly, without warning, John dropped. He felt banging, scratching, and a sinking sensation. Then his body jerked and he felt his head hit something hard. John heard the cruel laughter fade into nothing as he slipped into unconsciousness.

John's eyes burned when they opened. It felt like the sun was shining directly in his eyes. He had to close his lids immediately because he was not yet ready to look into such bright light. Then he felt the sharp wind blowing on his cheeks and his headed started pounding. He quickly realized that he couldn't feel his legs. When he finally got his eyes opened, John was shaken with horror. John was hanging from the side of a cliff. The only reason he hadn't fallen to his death was because his backpack had got caught on a large tree root that was jutting out from the face of the cliff side.

John looked down and saw a white a pink jacket at the bottom of the cliff. He yelled out for help, but the jacket didn't move. He also realized that he had to be very still or he might shake himself loose from the root that was currently saving him from death.

John sat there quietly crying for hours. His head hurt so badly and his body was so cold. No one knew where his campsite was, and the roads were probably too bad for anyone to get to him anyway. John realized he was going to die. Occasionally he would slip back into unconsciousness for awhile which was a blessing because it was the only time he wasn't in agony from his head pain.

John woke to the sounds of barking and men yelling. John tried to yell but nothing came out. He heard Marvin barking and two men talking. One was complaining about being lead out into the woods on a wild goose chase. John realized that if he didn't do something they might leave. He thought for a moment then an idea suddenly came to him. He reached into his jacket pocket carefully and removed the lighter and a firecracker. He lit the fuse and a second later there was a loud pop. Then John slipped back into sleep.

When he woke John was on a stretcher at the top of the cliff. He was surrounded by park rangers who had just managed to pull him up. Marvin was sitting close by crying and whining because he was being held back from John. John immediately started rambling about the giggling creatures and the glowing eyes. A warm hand touched his cheek assuringly and told him that he was just delirious, but not to worry. Then John belted out that there was someone else at the base of the cliff just as he was injected with something that made him pass out.

John woke three days later in the Intensive Care unit. The doctors told him that he had a concussion, a broken rib and ankle, and that they unfortunately had to remove two fingers, three toes, and worst of all, his nose due to frostbite. They also confirmed that Marvin had saved his life by leading the park rangers to him.

The doctors started telling him about advances in artificial limbs and reconstructive surgery, but John was barely listening at that point as he started petting his dog which was resting at his side. He seemed to be in a daze from all the bad news he was getting.

The doctors finished informing his family of John's options and then started to leave the room. Just as the doctors reached for the door, however, John suddenly broke his silence and asked about the other person at the base of the cliff, the one with the white and pink jacket. The doctors looked at each other as if unsure whether they should speak. John looked them directly in the eyes and asked again.

They explained that the forest rangers searched the base of the cliff and found close to twenty five bodies. Some looked like they had been there for almost fifty years, but the woman in the white and pink jacket had disappeared in the park last winter.

John looked down at his lap thoughtfully for a moment, and then gazed up with a slight grin on his face. The grin had a horrifying effect considering the state of his face. Then he said simply that he must be lucky then. When they asked why he shrugged and said because they almost got him too, Jack Frost may have nibbled off his nose, but they hadn't gotten him.