Page 23 of Snowflakes and Sparks

“Well, we’re almost there, so prepare to be amazed.”

I looked outside and the resort came into view. It was huge. I estimated it could easily house a thousand people. I imagined staying in one of the rooms on the top floor and looking out at the stars shining high above the mountains at night.

Tall pine trees surrounded the entire property and a big parking lot spread out in front of the main building. It was almost completely full, even though dozens of skiers and snowboarders kept piling out of buses instead of cars. We had to drive around the entire lot three times before finding a spot to park Alex’s truck. Then again, it was Christmas season after all and lots of people came to spend the holidays here.

We walked over to the gondola station leading to the slopes and the Ferris wheel. Alex got me a day pass while I secured a place in the queue to get onto the gondolas.

“There you go,” Alex said, sliding the lanyard with the day pass over my head.

“Do you go up the mountain a lot?” I asked, pointing to his season pass.

“I come here at least a couple of times a month. Residents of Old Pine Cove get discounted passes and I love snowboarding, so that’s a win-win situation right there for me.”

“I haven’t seen a ski slope for well over ten years.” The queue was moving slowly but steadily and even though I was afraid of heights, I couldn’t wait to get on the Ferris wheel with Alex.

“I guess we’ll have to return soon then. The slopes are perfect this time of year.”

“I don’t know if you remember, but the last time I was here, it became clear that I’m not a talented skier,” I said, laughing.

“We’ve all got to learn. But yeah, you sucked at skiing.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He shrugged. “You brought it up. It was an accurate observation, so I couldn’t disagree with you, right? Besides, I thought women love it when a man tells them they’re right.”

I stuck my tongue out and pretended to pout, when what I was really feeling was grateful. Grateful for having someone around to talk about past memories and share harmless banter with.

After twenty minutes of queuing, it was our turn to get into a gondola. We climbed inside and seated ourselves opposite a couple of chatty teenagers who were busy taking selfies. I grabbed one of the metal bars next to the doors and prayed the gondola people knew what they were doing.

“Getting nervous?” Alex asked, looking at my already white knuckles strangling the metal bar.

“Why would I be nervous?” I answered, pretending to be totally fine with the prospect of being so high up the in the air.

“No reason. Are you really still that afraid of heights? You aren’t exactly jumping for joy about getting on the Ferris wheel.”

“You mean the Death Trap.”

“Wow, that’s some intense language right there. Me personally, I’d call it the Heaven Trap. It offers you such a beautiful view of the world, don’t you think?”

I nodded. “Sure. I mean, what’s not to like? Sitting in a small steel cabin high above the ground with the possibility of plummeting to your death if something goes wrong. It’s every sane person’s dream.”

Alex put his hand on my shoulder. “Look, Suzie. If you want to break our deal, then I understand.”

“I’m not chickening out,” I said, even though his offer was a tempting one.

I tried to tame the nerves that were frantically rushing around inside of me, but it wasn’t an easy feat. I turned away from Alex and peered out of the windows, the gondola giving me a bird’s-eye view of the resort and the slopes. The snowy mountain peaks below looked like powdery treats I wanted to sink my teeth into. Miniature skiers swooshed over the trails, all of them looking tiny like ants on a summer day.

“I do have to admit that this is quite the view,” I said.

Alex smiled and followed my gaze. “One I’ll never get tired of. I love hiking up the mountain in the summer months as well.”

Hiking up the mountain? Just thinking about it made me tired already. Alex on the other hand probably got to the top without losing a single drop of sweat.

The gondola came to a halt at the station and the teenage girls sprung to their feet, elbowing each other and stealing glances at Alex. If this were a cartoon, they’d have little hearts coming out of their eyes.

“Enjoy your day,” one of them said to Alex with a beetroot face before dashing off with her snowboard. Their nervous giggles made me laugh.

“Looks like you made an impression,” I said.

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