4
In the few moments my eyes had been shut my world had transformed.
“What the --- ” I heard the first part of Shawn's sentence, but the weather rudely interrupted him.
The slowly falling small fluffy flakes of snow that had been dropping moments ago had been replaced by much larger harder compact mini-snowballs being thrown rapidly down from the heavens. The winds speed picked up which only helped the snow slam down even harder; making even patch of exposed skin sting. Our lift chair was swaying back and forth and soon the lift itself shut off.
“Paige, look ...ind us … else is on …e lift” Carter was pointing to the chairs behind us.
Filling in the blanks I nodded and looked behind us. The few chairs I could see were empty. We must have been the last ones on the lift for the day.
Panic overtook my body, did they forget about us?
The others must have come to my same consciences because Krista looked as if she were going to cry and Shawn and Carter were yelling ahead to the lift operator.
“Guys!” Finally the wind slowed enough that I could get the others attention. “Were fine! The lift stops all the time, and its not even closing time yet so the lifts should keep running.”
“Well what if they don’t? What if we have to stay here all night and then you guys get eaten by wolves?”
“First of all Krista, that was a movie .” Carter was yelling but I didn’t know if it was because he was actually frustrated with her or if it was to get over the sound of the howling wind. “Second, why would you be the one who didn’t get eaten?”
“Because ---” Before Krista and Carter could really get into it Shawn stepped in. I was glad he did because I was in a bit of a panic distress mode myself.
“Krista, babe, your gonna be fine nothings wrong with the lift.” His voice was so calm and even, how did he do that? “And Carter if you ever yell at my girlfriend like that again, I will tear your throat out.” So much for calm and even.
“Shawn!”
“Whatever man she had it coming.”
At least they were on opposite sides of the lift. In these conditions any kind of struggle would have cause all of us to plummet off of the chair to the icy wind-packed snow below.
“Carter! She didn’t even do anything! We’re all just freaked out right now, so just shut up.” I screamed. “Your making everything worse!”
I heard an angry groan from underneath Carters scarf and he turned his body so he was looking into the whiteout on his left instead of his frozen friends.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
If the lift didn’t start soon, we were going to have to figure out a way down. The sky was getting darker and the wind was making our chair swing. It would have been relaxing had my toes not been numb. I couldn’t let my mind could stray from the fact that in less then twelve hours my two best-friends and my boyfriend, not to mention myself, would all be dead. All because I had the idea to come to Colorado for spring break.
