By Enrico Maso, translated into English by Ruth Stephens
Chapter 5 – Snow
“What now?” asks Riccardo, “What shall we do? Where shall we go?”
Mattia and Giulio dismiss these questions straightaway in order to reassure Riccardo.
“It’s not much further to the shelter,” says Mattia.
“And when we get there we’ll light a nice fire, “ adds Giulio.
They all begin to walk faster now, to get to the shelter as soon as they can. Now, with the dark clouds hanging low, the light in the forest is poor and it’s difficult to see anything. The three are struggling to keep going as the snow is falling more heavily.
“Damn!” shouts Giulio suddenly, as he trips over a tree root and rolls in the snow.
Riccardo helps him up while Mattia waits for them. Giulio, worried, feels his ankle.
“We must stay together,” says Mattia, “we’re in a risky situation with the snow covering the path. If we go on we’ll have to stop somewhere.”
The pleasant forest of the morning has become a dark and hostile place where everything is white and frozen. The trees are covered in snow, creating an eerie silence: the silence of a dream but with the cold of a nightmare.
Mattia tries to follow the path but the snow is now too thick. Every step is an effort. Riccardo keeps complaining. “It’s lucky he has his new winter jacket,” thinks Mattia.
Giulio is silent; he’s probably very cold. But in a short while he calls out “Can we stop, lads? My ankle’s hurting.”
The three shelter under a big fir tree where the snow has not penetrated. Now that they have stopped, the cold feels more intense.
“We need a fire, straightaway,” says Mattia.
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