Page 108 of A Season in the Snow
Chapter 47
A short while later Alice heard the faint but unmistakable sound of someone trudging through the snow towards her chalet. There was a rough knock on the door and Lola’s voice called out, ‘Alice? Bear? You okay in there?’
Bear stirred from where he was dozing on the floor against her thigh but didn’t get up, so Alice called back, ‘Come in, Lola.’
Lola entered, carrying a torch and bundled up in her snow jacket and salopettes. In her arms were two bulging duffel bags. ‘Hey, how are you two?’
‘We’re okay. I freaked out a bit on Marco, though. Do you know what’s going on?’
Lola dumped the bags on the floor and took a seat, rubbing her face. ‘Yeah, Noah just came back from the village. The storm caused a power outage on the Schilthorn cable car, and there’s like, four hundred people trapped. The conditions mean they don’t want to start running it again, and there’s a risk of avalanche at the moment but they don’t think there’s been one so far. Marc will be out with his crew – there are five helicopters airlifting people from cable cars and helping people stranded on the mountain.’
‘Jesus . . . ’ Alice sighed. ‘Is everyone okay?’
‘I don’t know. Noah didn’t know. It came on so quickly. There’s just so many people on the mountain at the moment because of the Inferno that it’s not like everyone can go back to hotel rooms, and the cable cars have completely stopped in both directions.’
‘So what’s happening?’
‘The sports hall at the Alpine Centre has been opened up and it’s where everyone’s being sent to. I’m going to head down there now and see if there’s anything I can do to help. I’ve got some snacks and blankets and stuff. Do you want to come?’
Alice looked at Bear, who was steadfastly snuggled into her.
‘The Alpine Sports Centre’s open to dogs, you could bring him along. He might be a nice distraction for people. Totally your call of course, I just wondered if . . . you know . . . misery might want some company.’
The old Alice would have been there in a shot, and she liked the old Alice. If Marco could airlift people from a flip-pin’ cable car, she could absolutely do all she could to help. ‘Yes,’ she said, standing up. ‘You’re right. Let’s go. What shall I bring?’
‘Great. I don’t know really. I’m guessing there might be some confused or scared people, including kids. There might be people separated from their friends or family, or even just disappointed people who were looking forward to the procession or worried about whether the race will take place tomorrow. I’m just bringing a few things that might comfort or help them. I have a board game in here and a few old paperbacks.’
Alice pulled on some extra socks and another jumper, then threw in a bag a few items of her own she was happy to part with – thick ski socks, an old hoodie, books, the fleece blanket from her nook. In a flash of inspiration she grabbed her sketch pad and a handful of pens and pencils, and then harnessed up Bear, ready to go.
The walk through the village was eerily quiet and on the ground all the footprints and ski marks from earlier in the day were covered with a thick dump of untouched snow. The snowfall had stopped and the clouds had cleared a little but by this time night was drawing in, and the searchlights from the helicopters were zigzagging over the slopes up to her right.
‘They’ll need to stop soon, it’s too dangerous to fly the helicopters when the light completely goes,’ Lola commented, looking up.
‘What does that mean for anyone still stuck?’
Lola shrugged. ‘I bet they’re working really hard to try and make sure that doesn’t happen.’
Walking in the door of the sports centre, Alice and Lola saw the size of the operation. There were makeshift signs pointing people to the sports hall, and the lobby area was filled with people, traipsing snow in and out, talking on their mobile phones, queuing up to ask questions from anyone wearing any kind of uniform. The people from the Hugs & Cups café were rushing back and forth bringing free hot drinks to everyone. A paramedic was leaning over a patient lying on the ground and talking to them while they nodded, and for a second Alice thought it might be Marco, but it wasn’t him.
A man came out of the ski rental place at the back, carrying a basket of gloves, and spotted Lola.
‘Hey, Bron.’
‘Hey, Lola,’ he replied.
‘What can we do to help? We brought some supplies and games and stuff.’
‘I think just go into the sports hall. There’s a lot of upset people in there so maybe just hang out and chat with them.’
‘Do we have any word on the procession or the Inferno that we can tell them?’
‘No – we’ll hear more once the choppers are done.’ He turned to Alice. ‘That’s a great dog.’
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘He’s pretty comforting. We thought we could loan him out for warm hugs.’
‘Good idea.’
They followed Bron into the large sports hall which was filled with people leaning up against the walls, or lying on the ground, and some glued to their phones, hoping for updates. There was an air of glumness, but also one of camaraderie, with packets of biscuits being passed around, and children of different nationalities playing in little groups. One group of nearby kids came running over to Bear when they saw him and took it in turns to hug and stroke him, Bear not minding at all and happily giving out his paws and licks.
