Dashing Through the Snow (Open)

[Paul Wilkerson]

Paul walked to the elementary school through the cold and snow. Pilot Ridge Elementary had the best hill for sledding. The teenager climbed up the hill with a red plastic sled in hand. Being the smart teen that Paul was, he wasn’t wearing ski pants or any thing that would keep him dry. Paul was going to be cold and soaked when he finished sledding. But that was part of the fun when playing in the snow.

In the white blanket of snow there were paths made from other people. Some paths were on the shallow slop of the hill. Other paths were on the steeper slop. There were even some jumps made of snow on a path or two. Paul stood at the top of the hill. He was trying to decide which path to use first.

Paul decided on a path on the steeper part of the hill with a snow jump. He placed the sled on the snow. He sat down in it. Of course Paul had already got snow in the sled. He used his feet to get himself going. Once gravity started to take over Paul put his feet into the sled.

The red plastic sled glided down the hill. Paul went over the little snow jump. He landed with an ‘oof.’ The sled finished going down the hill and then slowly came to a stop. Paul lay in the sled for a moment before getting up. His butt hurt from land hard on a plastic sled that landed on packed down snow. But that didn’t stop the young teenage boy to take his sled back to the top of the hill to go down again.

[Katya Moschella]

Katya's plan for the day was fairly simple: Walk to the local library, return the book she'd finished the other day, swap it for the next in the series, hop into the occasional snowdrift on the way home. So far, the plan was right on track. She never got this type of weather back in Florida, and she was determined to enjoy it while she had the chance.

So the bright winter morning found her strolling over salted sidewalks, new book tucked safely in her purse, black boots crusted with slush, until her path took her straight past a building she'd come to learn was the local elementary school. Not so far away, there was a figure sliding down a hill and scooting back up. Her face split with a grin.

"Hey, hey!" Katya called, trotting over to the figure, who proved to be a teen boy and his sled. "Can I have a go? Please?"

[Paul Wilkerson]

Paul had reached the top of the hill. He placed his sled in position. He turned when he heard a female voice asking if she could have a turn. She was older than Paul. But why should age prevent someone to be a kid sledding?

Out of the corner of his eye Paul noticed his sled was making a get away. Paul darted for it. Luck was on his side. Paul was able to grab his sled before it made its way down the hill without him.

With his sled securely in hand he turned his attention back to the older girl. “Sure.” He couldn’t come up with any good reasons to say not to her. Besides what would be the harm? All she did was ask to have a turn. She appeared to be older than a kid who steals sleds. Unless she had a weird fetish. But what would the chances of that be?

Paul handed her the red plastic sled.

[Katya Moschella]

It hadn't even occurred to Katya that the boy might say no or tell her to get lost, even though she was a total stranger and he was well within his rights to do so. Even so, when he passed her the sled, her face lit up with a wide smile.

"Thank you, thank you!" Kat squealed. She dropped it in the snow - it was vinyl, it would be fine - and got the sled situated for takeoff. Just like she'd expected the boy to trust her with his property, the thought never crossed her mind that he'd grab the purse and make a run for it when she reached the bottom. They were two people sledding, not a pair of thieves, after all.

Katya parked herself in the sled and scooted with her feet until the edge of the hill sloped and carried her down, faster and faster, with a "woohoo!" Before realizing what it was, she hit the jump and it launched her into the air - well, it felt like a launch, but it was really only a couple of feet. But the surprise of it pulled a yelp from her when she hit the snow again.

Once at the foot of the hill, Katya clambered off the sled and set off straight away back up the slope. At the top, she trotted back to the boy, sled clasped in her outstretched hands.

"Your turn!" she said, grinning broadly. "That was fun! We don't have snow like this at home, I wouldn't mind doing this all the time."

[Paul Wilkerson]

Paul was little taken back by the happy squealing girl. He wasn’t expecting her reaction would be so strong. Who would of ever thought that sledding would make someone so happy? She was clearly older than Paul. Was it weird for someone her age to be sledding? Was it weird for a fourteen years old boy to be sledding? It wasn’t like he was on a date and his date wanted to go sledding. Paul wanted to go sledding so he went sledding.

Paul noticed that she dropped her purse in the snow. Paul didn’t know the first thing about purses but putting it in snow was most likely not the best idea. He knew that he wouldn’t put his backpack in the snow or a puddle. The water would seep through and get the inside wet. But whatever. It was her purse and she would have to pay the price.

The girl came back up the hill and handed the sled to Paul so he could have a turn. Looks like I now have a sledding buddy. He thought to himself. Not that he minded. It was kind of a sad thing to go sledding by himself. It was more fun with someone else. “I take it you’re not from around here then.” He took his sled.

[Katya Moschella]

Katya's tight curls bounced as she shook her head.

"I moved here from Florida," she explained, grinning up at him - funny how much taller he was, when surely she was at least a few years older. "It's great, but you gotta go a few states up to find anything like this."

It was still the boy's turn to use the sled, but Kat had no trouble deciding how to occupy herself while she waited for him to go and return. She squatted down and began scooping snow into a pile and patting it into a bumpy orb a little smaller than a soccer ball. While she waited, she could make a snowman - or snowgirl, or maybe a little round snow kitty, the possibilities were endless!

"What about you, though?" Katya asked him, not turning away from her snow pile as she worked. He hadn't gone yet, it would be weird not to keep talking. "Have you lived here a while?" From what she understood, people were drawn to Pilot Ridge from all over, many of them because of Hammel and the high concentration of metas, but as far as she knew this boy wasn't among them.