MUMMY DEAREST: Drew and Fraser

 

 

“What was that?”

“Thunder.”

“That didn’t sound like thunder to me.”

“It’s thunder.”

“We should have stayed at the monastery.”

“No, we should not have.” Fraser’s hazel gaze met mine and I cleared my throat.

“Mm. Possibly not.” I was not about to let that smug look sit on his face one second longer than I had to. “Why do I let you talk me into these things?” My moan could barely be heard over that of the icy wind outside our tent. Our tent in northern Nepal. You know: the Himalayas. Home to Meh-Teh. AKA the Yeti. AKA the Abominable Snowman.

Fraser grinned at me over the rim of his mug. His red-rimmed eyes sparkled in his ruddy, wind-burned face. His teeth were white in the gold frame of his beard. “You always say that, but you know you love every minute.”

“Love every minute!” I spluttered.

“You have loved every minute of the past five years.”

“You’re starting to hallucinate. Move closer so we can conserve body heat.”

Not that we could really get any closer. “Here.” Fraser held out the thermos and I let him top up my mug. “You have to admit, it’s a lot better than garden parties and the opera.”

“No I don’t.”

“I took you away from all that.”

“I’m not forgetting whose fault this is.”

“I saved you from a life of boredom.”

“I wasn’t all that bored.”

“Yes you were. And you’ll thank me for this in the end.”

“Which will be any minute now. They’ll find our mummified remains in an ice cavern. Beneath an avalanche.”

“Locked in each other’s arms.” Fraser continued to beam at me while I slurped my steaming cocoa.

Not bad. The cocoa, I mean. Although the other was alright too. In fact…

I took another cautious slurp and frowned suspiciously. “What’s in here?”

“Peppermint schnapps.”

“Schnapps? Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“Of course. Drunk and debauched.”

“Let’s just skip to the debauched part. The hangover isn’t so bad.”

He touched his plastic mug to mine. “Cheers, Drew. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christ —” I nearly dropped my cup at the boom of sound bouncing off the mountains around us. Fraser’s blazing look of joy told me all I needed to know. “Hey. That was not thunder!”