Purple Sweater

Wilhelm Pass

Anna, Sandi, Quinn and Stacy were now all alone at Wilhelm Pass, the wind and rain continued and then a cold white fog suddenly descended from the mountains like a ghost...

"I have known John for years" Anna said as she looked up at the gray sky for a moment, now shivering a little in the fog despite her very bright orange coat- "You saw him descend just like that! Let's wait, you'll see how he comes back in no time..."

"Oh, John is unbelievable!" Stacy replied- "Anna, you are so lucky..."

"I know, Stacy! Alright, let's wait for awhile..."

However, a good time passed, and then some more time after that, and it seemed that the forest ranger would take forever to come back...

"Gee, Coulthard" Sandi said all of a sudden, and her voice turned a bit hostile again as she prepared her words even more carefully than usual- "I bet you cannot cross this thing without a rope! You always talk about your adventures, yet without John, we are stuck!"

"What? Sure I can! My dad and I cross Wilhelm Pass all the time!"

"Let's see that, then!"

"John gave orders!"

"Who knows, perhaps your parents are not even famous chemists, you just invent everything..."

"Oh yeah? Let's see you do this, Griffin!"

Anna Coulthard stepped forward, Stacy gasped and Sandi could do nothing but stand there frozen in shock, since Anna was now walking through Wilhelm Pass alone and, on top of that, the girl was playing with her life as she balanced every step at the very edge of the lethal fall.

Quinn started to whisper a few prayers, Sandi's fists were closing and opening in anger and all of a sudden Anna was already safe and sound at the other side of Wilhelm Pass...

"What do you say, Griffin? I think you are a coward!"

"I am not, damn it!"

"Oh, I bet John will have to carry you in his arms..."

Anna's taunt was more than powerful enough, and so Sandi also advanced and started to get through the dangerous pass with nothing but her boots and her hands. The rock was slippery, though it also featured plenty of good points of support, Sandi tried not to think of a potential fall to her death and soon it was over at last.

"Well done, Griffin..."

"I... just remind me to never challenge you like that again..."

"Come Stacy, we can do it!"

"Quinn, wait!" Stacy cried out, but it was already too late.

Quinn Morgendorffer advanced into Wilhelm Pass trying to follow exactly the same path that Sandi had taken, and it was great at first, sure it was a bit challenging and it would have been better to wait for John, but after all it was nothing that she could not handle...

Then, Quinn's left boot stepped on exactly the worst spot of the entire pass.

"Awww! No!" the shaken girl cried out in fear, and after that Quinn screamed out loud as she was sliding and then actually rolling down the slope- "Help! Anna! Help me! Help!"

"Quinn! Oh damn it! No, Quinn!"

Stacy's heart almost stopped cold as her red haired friend vanished from view, Anna opened her purple backpack and searched for her own rope with her hands shaking out of control, Sandi became paralyzed and Quinn found herself hanging from a slippery ledge a good twelve feet below Wilhelm Pass.

Quinn could do nothing but cry and scream with two hundred and fifty feet of lethal free fall right below her, it felt like her fingers would slip from that ledge any moment, the cold rain was hitting her hands and her face and then John's powerful voice growled like a monster somewhere up there...

"What have you done?!"

"John! John please! Oh God please help me!"

"Quinn, for Heaven's sake!"

John Astrella climbing down towards Quinn with the alpine rope hastily tied around his chest, Stacy screaming like it was the end of her own life, Sandi covering her face with her hands...

"John! John, I... I d-don't... I don't w-want to die..."

"Grab... my... Hand!"

The wind came howling with great strength, everything was so slippery and cold, the rain was freezing and Quinn just could not take it anymore.

"No, Quinn!"

An awful last scream as Quinn was falling, the wind and the terrible crash that soon followed, the bloodied rocks so far below and that was all...

Quinn Alice Morgendorffer was dead.