The cold Manitoba air took little bites at my skin. The snowflakes floated gently onto the thick blanket of snow below. I gazed around, from the top of the mountain, staring at the sheet of snow that covered from the entire earth.
“Nikolai” I heard my father’s gentle voice. “We are almost finished. Come now”
Tired from the long day of cutting down trees, I scuffed my feet slowly in the snow. Father and I lifted the few remaining heavy logs onto the sleighs. Presently, he took the reins of one the horses, while I held the reins of the other.
Father began his descent down the hill, cautiously. But then, the sleigh began to slide faster. Far too fast.
“Father!” I cried. The sleigh skidded faster and faster. I screamed. I swallowed a mouth full of air, preventing me from breathing for a few moments, but I did not know it at the time.
I was running. Father had crashed. Father had crashed and flew and fallen and all the logs smashed on to him. My heart pounded so fast, and so hard, that it sounded like one large echo around me.
“He’s… he’s… he has to be…NO!” I ran faster.
I heard yelling, and realized it was my own.
“Father…. FATHER! Are you there?” I yelled at the pile of logs. I heard nothing but the blowing wind.
I bent down in despair and hit the ground, sobbing.
“Nikolai… Nikolai I’m here. I’m fine”. I looked up, a tear freezing on my cheeks.
“Father?”
“Nikolai. I’m fine. I am in a depression, a hole in the ground. I’m fine. The logs are not touching me; they are stacked above me. I need you to lift the logs up, one by one, carefully. Okay?”.
“Oh Father…” I smiled. “You’re alive”.