One Deadly Night

One

"We're nearly there, pumpkin." The elder man in the driver's seat said.

Skye Benton sat in a car seat in the back as she peered out of the window.

A snowy woodland spread as far as she could see.

Grandpa promised to show her a frozen waterfall with rainbows.

He said they had to go on a short hike, but they'd be home in time for Granny's dumpling and stew dinner.

Her favorite.

Skye lived with her grandparents ever since her parents were killed in a single prop plane accident when she was six.

That was over two years ago and if it weren't for all the pictures Granny kept on her walls, she'd forgotten what her parents looked like.

Memory has been a challenge for Skye since the accident. She remembered they were taking a short flight to attend a party in the neighboring state. Mom said that Daddy got a big promotion at the firm he worked for.

What was he? A lawyer?

She no longer remembered.

Skye shook her head.

The SUV came to a stop.

Grandpa helped her out of the vehicle and strapped her boots to the pair of snowshoes.

"Ready?" He asked with a wink.

"Yep!" Skye replied as she took his outstretched hand.

Grandpa loved doing short adventurous excursions like this. He was an outdoorsman, but Granny was more of a homebody, so Skye was gamed for anything her Grandpa wanted to do.

The trail was covered with about two feet of snow as its meandering way took them down into a steep valley where mountains loomed high on both sides.

They passed a posted yellow sign.

WARNING: You are in or entering avalanche terrain.

"Grandpa, what's an avalanche?" She asked after she finished reading.

"It's like a very large snowslide." He answered.

"Is it a bad thing?" Skye asked.

"Yes, they can hurt people."

And he stopped.

"Okay, we're going to go down here so be careful." He said as he led her slowly down the slope. "The waterfall is this way."

Skye stayed close behind Grandpa as they followed a path filled with grooves etched into the soft snow.

They veered off and entered a thick patch of overgrown bare brush. Several moments later, they broke out into an area that revealed a wintry wonder.

"Welcome to the Beaumont Fall." Grandpa said as he pointed at a narrow band of thick ice that rose far out of her sight.

With the sun rays beaming on the icy block, she could see colors shimmering in green, orange, blue and even purple.

"Wow!" Was all she could say.

The vertical frozen rainbow hugged the glistening white bedrock practically overhanging a narrow river that was partially iced over.

"Brought your Granny here before your Daddy was born." Grandpa mused. "Of course, it was summer and not in the middle of winter." He chuckled. "Boy, she was a real trooper then."

"How come Granny doesn't do this anymore?" Skye asked.

"Don't ya remember, pumpkin?" He replied. "She was in the same accident with you and your parents. It did irreparable damages to her legs."

Skye's face warmed as she stared down to her snow-covered boots. "Oh yeah."

She kept forgetting that. This frustrated her so.

Grandpa took her hand and gave a gentle squeeze.

"Don't be hard on yourself. You were in a coma for a few weeks with a brain bleed. Your body is still trying to heal itself."

"What's a brain bleed?"

He opened his mouth to reply when a sudden snap echoed through the valley.

Frowning, he looked up and studied the jagged icy barrier beside the waterfall.

"Okay, sweetie it's time to head back now." His tone carried an edge to it.

Without a word, Skye trotted as fast as she could to keep up with Grandpa as they retraced their steps toward the main trail.

She felt the rumbling beneath her feet and halted.

"Don't stop! Run!" Grandpa shouted above the roar.

But her feet refused to budge as her eyes widened.

In the next instance, she felt the body of her grandfather slammed against hers.

Then, nothing.