Trapped

Your mind, as frozen as your body, can’t make sense of this. There is nothing to see but blinding darkness. The only sound, your chattering teeth.

You try to wriggle your arms free, but they barely move. Are you restrained? It’s difficult to breathe. Your nostrils are full of… snow? Is that snow?

Panic sets in with the realization of truth. The kids! Where are the kids?

“DEVON!” You try to call your son’s name, but nothing comes out. He was beside you, and Amanda was in front.

The kids had been asking for days to go skiing. It was a beautiful morning - not too cold, sparse clouds covering the late winter sun. It was the perfect day. Everything was going magically, until you heard the rumble above, and the roar that followed.

You have to get out of here, to find your way back to the kids. You try rolling on your side but can barely move. It’s hard. It’s painful, but the kids need you.

It’s impossible. It’s hard to tell which way is up. Exhausted and finding it more difficult to breathe with each passing moment, you don’t how long you’ve been here or how much longer you can hang on.

Tears freeze onto your cheeks, as you think of Donna and the children. You fear you may never see them again. And then, the sound of voices in the distance; or maybe it’s just the echo of your own heartbeat.