Julie had been climbing steadily for some time, eager to reach a ridgeline and get a signal. The trees were thick on this slope, an army of pines and aspens that made it impossible to pick a straight route through. But Julie wasn’t bothered; she was on a mission, and soon enough the foliage and air thinned. She was almost there, and she continued on, eating a banana with one hand while schussing through soft powder. She tossed her banana peel into a drift just as the helicopter appeared over the hill, zooming over her so fast with a crescendo and fade out that she didn’t even have time to blink. The helicopter flew past her over the trees.
“No!” Julie screamed, realizing her mistake. Which way? Which way was it going? She’d been skiing several hours, and now she had no idea whether to return on the trail she’d left or continue on to the top. Leah and Matt must have gotten the call through! They are searching! Impulsively, she turned, deciding to return to Carter. She was a fast skier, and the way back was mostly downhill. If the helicopter was heading to the cabin, it would have to land somewhere. It might take them an hour or longer to complete an extraction. And if she hurried, she might make it. It was all downhill from here.
Renewed by confidence, she swooped down the hill, heading back to the cover of the trees. Stay in the tracks, she thought, and as she cut a path through the trees, a bright blur of gold flashed in the corner of her eye. Something was coming, and it was moving fast, much faster than she was.
The mountain lion struck her sideways, a T-bone collision, and it flung her over, cartwheeling onto her head. Steaming animal breath hit her face as it raked its claws across her back, thankfully protected by her pack and nylon parka. But the cat dug in, curling her into its grip with a tight feline hug, back legs thrusting at her like a spring-loaded device. Julie gasped, striking out with her pole, stabbing the point blindly until it made contact. The cat snarled and Julie screamed back as it leaped off, only now knowing what it was that had just attacked her.
“Stop! Dammit!” She stabbed both poles forward like fencing swords, but the mountain lion didn’t run. “Back!” It flattened down into a rug before her, amber eyes boring into her own. “Back off! Now!”
Tail twitching like a serpent, it spat a hiss, revealing long yellow canine teeth. Julie stabbed once more with her pole; she was dangerously off balance on her skis, and she knew she couldn’t allow it another chance to strike. The metal tip of the pole caught the cat’s nose, and it screeched a horrible gut-chilling noise. Startled by the pain, the cat seemed to reconsider, and with another flick of its tail, it turned and bounded up the slope. But Julie didn’t wait to see it go. She was already flying wildly down the hill, still screaming, still thinking the cat was coming for her, and in her panicked state she swung sharply right. Trees were everywhere. Branches caught her shoulders, smacked her arms and legs, everything threatening to knock her flat. Julie tucked herself together and bent her knees, picking up speed. She wasn’t going to let it catch her. Not now. Not when she was so close. Don’t look back, she thought. Just keep going. Don’t stop. Another sharp curve came up and she cut it neatly, digging her edges in. Faster. Go faster. The woods opened up suddenly, blue sky everywhere. Above her. Below her. Everything was blue. Because in her haste, Julie had just launched herself straight off a cliff.
It was high. Over five hundred feet. Six hundred and thirty-seven feet, to be exact. Adrenaline was everywhere, flooding every synapse, snapping every nerve. Strange thoughts flickered in her mind as she shot out into the air, arcing up like a ski jumper. An open window, pink gingham curtains fluttering in late afternoon sunlight. The thick slapping of flip-flops on hot pavement, a lime Popsicle melting sticky sugar down her chin, her hair streaming out behind her as her father pushed her on her new blue bicycle. The sun, the mountains, the snow sparkles in front of her face whirled around her. She was still heading up, reaching the zenith of her path. The tug and pull of an ocean wave, the salt in her mouth, her mother’s dry cool hand on her forehead, the scent of her skin, lilac and basil and Ivory dish soap, lemon-yellow fireflies winking on and off in the dark blue evening as she chased her older sisters across the lawn, damp grass slick and cool between her toes.
Julie’s eyes were wide open now, seeing everything, and as she began her descent to Earth, she gasped. Not in fear, but in pure amazement. Pure wonder. Because as she watched the view spread out in front of her, all bright blue and white, with heaven and Earth indistinguishable, it turned into the best dream she’d ever had. A dream she never wanted to end. And for those few moments the dream was real.
She was flying. And it was beautiful.