“In The Arctic”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “Alone in the Arctic.” — suggested by E.L. Stew

The snow glistened around her as she slowly trudged up the mountainside toward her camp. The seal slung over her shoulder weighed her down, pushing her boots knee-deep into the snow with each step. It was the warmth emanating from the seal’s newly-dead body that allowed her body to continue to move.

Her cheeks stung as she continued her climb. The wind was harsh after leaving the relative safety of the sparse trees scattered across the lower plains. But those trees also hid other dangers that scared her more than the wind.

Finally, she reached her camp. Teeth chattering, she pushed her way inside her tent and set the seal down with a huff.

“Hey guys, I’m back,” she called, taking a moment to recover her breath. “Yeah, it’s pretty chilly out today. Best to keep our mitts and hats on inside too.”

Once she deemed her rest over, she got out her knife and began slicing into the seal with deliberate, precise cuts.

“Oh yeah, I saw another bear today,” she said as she worked. “I think she had babies with her. Couldn’t really tell, though, if they were there, they blended in really well with the snow.”

She separated the skin from the meat, careful to keep the mess to a minimum.

“Hey Rodriguez, I meant to tell you that you were right. The Northern lights were really spectacular last night. And Heller, I saw a shooting star too. I made a wish, you know.”

She trailed off, her knife slipping down the seal’s skin in an unfocused line. She let out a deep sigh and glanced at her friends as they lay on the other side of the tent. She’d faced them away about a week ago; she hadn’t been able to stand seeing their faces anymore.

Shaking her head, she tightened her grip around her knife and continued her work.

Final Comments: This one got really dark really fast…

Overall Rating: 😳