the snowed odyssey — 1

Author’s note:

I wrote a story several years ago now. It was during a writing course for the university.

I thought it would be a good idea to share it here, in few parts, so it’t be too long to read.

In the hope that you’re all well! ♡

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He would not return among his peers, he did not even know whether he was going to find himself. The snow fell and his footprints gradually wiped out. He was moving forward, pressing a red scarf against his chest. And we’ll never see him again.

Some time before the disappearance, in a mountainous and snowy country commonly called Snøfnugg, which, in the local language, means snowflakes. The war was the daily life of the people of this country. Humans were so angry with Others that neither man nor God could have doubted their existence, so they remained frightened and fearful at the slightest step outside. Indeed, the Others feared for their lives because the Humans chased them out because of their differences.

Who are the Others?

They are monstrous-looking creatures, very large in size, with long white hairs. It was said that humans had little chance of surviving such fierce creatures. In response to their aggressiveness, the Ancestors planted trees, pines, and white oaks to separate them from the Others.

Not only was a large forest separating the two civilizations, but a few humans were carefully recruited to guard the forest from any hostile presence. These few humans were called the Trackers. And the creatures quickly understood that these humans there now presented a very high risk of danger to them.

The mission of these humans was simple: they were sufficient to ensure the safety of their people against individuals who were deemed to be threatening. How? Thanks to their arches and arrows whose extremely well-cut tip would kill any big monster. Like all good hunters, the Trackers were equipped with their arsenal from the dawn. They knew very well, however, that on the other side, food was becoming scarce.

But the Trackers refused these “abominable snowmen” to take their food.

One beautiful day, while it was dark, Yeti walked to the border of the forest and was surprised to find himself facing what seemed to be a small body spread out on the ground. Slowly he decided to approach it in order to find out what this thing was. He was shocked and frightened to find himself faced with a human with very juvenile facial traits. What if we saw him? He retreated out of fear and suddenly became aware of what was going on in front of his eyes and of the situation in which he was. He watched carefully and realized that it was a child with long red hair that seemed to be messed up after a night of sleeping outside on the floor.

Yeti thus deduced that it was a young child. She also had land marks on her face. Yéti also noticed that she was wearing warm clothes: gloves, a cap and a scarf, all of the same color. A thousand and one questions wandered through her mind: What was she doing here? And most importantly, how could she have crossed the forest? He could doubt that because of her small size, she had been able to make a way, but that did not explain her presence. He decided to take the little girl in his arms. He started running so fast that his heart was beating. Yeti’s long chest and hair made it possible to warm this little being who was always in deep sleep. Once he had entered his home, a rather spacious cave, he lit a fire and gently laid down the beautiful little girl in a bed made of branches and leaves. He did not turn his gaze away from her, not because her beauty hypnotized her, but because he waited for her awakening. He was afraid that she would scream when she saw him, and worse still: she could very well flee to the forest and tell the Trackers everything.

He knew that gesture could cost him his life.

He then continually wept these thoughts, already imagining the painful death that awaited him. It’s always been like that, they’ve always been fair animals, and they ended up believing it. He then counted the rowing tasks that were scattered on the little girl’s chopsticks, whose name he didn’t even know. Eventually, Yeti’s gaze turned away from the little girl toward the backpack he had laid down at the bottom of the cave after their arrival. He found a small piece of paper with the name of the girl and some explanations of her presence. After reading it many times, Yéti had clearly understood that she had crossed this forest by herself, but that she should not arrive on the other side. Since the Trackers did not allow the creatures to put a small finger in this forest, they would not let a six-year-old girl sneak, at her will, to us. He drew one and the same conclusion. The little girl whose name was Harmoni had been abandoned by her parents. At that time, Yeti made an unthinkable decision, which he might regret in the future.

He chooses to keep her with him. Harmoni finally woke up, but with difficulty. Indeed, Yeti noticed that his eyes remained open. Against all expectation, he was surprised that she didn’t look frightened when she completely opened her eyes. She didn’t seem to find him as monstrous as other humans. She recovered with difficulty and discovered a presence beside her. She looked at him with brilliant eyes and an appearance of questioning in her gaze. She did not seem to realize, given her young age, the danger that Yeti could pose.

Why is this reaction? Yeti didn’t know it, he couldn’t explain it.

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Thank you for reading. ♡