Shelter
Just as you wonder if you're able to make it out of this hellish white nightmare, you think you see something in the distance which isn't a tree. Could it be?
Ever so slowly you make your way to the big shadow looming in front of you and yes, it is something else! Your snow covered eyes make out the wall of a cliff in front of you. The big wall of rock covers you at least from one side against the raging storm and with a bit of luck you may even find a cave or a crevice of some kind.
With this finding your will to survive has been rekindled and with one hand stretched out to the wall to support your stability, you slowly walk alongside the cliff, searching for a place to be finally save from the snowfall.
Another eternity seems to pass while you fight your way through the undergrowth, which luckily is far less dense near the rocks. But finally, you see the stone give way to a wonderful sight. It is only a crevice, but it's wide enough to let you pass, and maybe the hole widens up even more once you get inside! As quickly as your stiff muscles are able to, you run through the snow to reach the crevice and slip between the rocks to push yourself into the hole.
At first, it is pretty narrow and you have to force yourself forward, fearing for a few moments that you actually get stuck in it, but soon it widens up a bit, so you can stand comfortably in it.
It takes a few moments for your eyes to try to acclimate to the almost total darkness in front of you, but soon you're able to at least guess what's in front of you. There seems to be a bent in the cave, which makes it even more secure from the storm, but something else stops you in your tracks. You smell something. Something strange and yet familiar. Your mouth opens instinctively and you try to inhale the smell outright. It is...
Written by Lifeguard Arran on 23 June 2018