I bring the blanket closer. Shielding myself from this damn nightmare. My own breath turned into spikes that bit my skin. The chill of the mountain enraptured me.

The glass was merely just a painful frostbite at first, I needed warmth but my damn lantern wasn’t working! My jacket was as heavy as it could be for this sort of weather.

And…the heated blanket broke.

“God damn it!” I cried as I tossed the lantern against the iced wall. It shattered on impact as the cold continued its work.

Uncaring.

Now you’re probably wondering why in heaven’s name am I up here? Well I’m an archaeologist with a keen interest for the ice age. I heard through the grapevine that up on this mountain there might possibly be a mammoth still intact.

Turns out the information was just a tale and instead? I’m stuck getting turned into an icicle. It had reached past my arms at this point. Almost as if telling me:

I think we both know where this is headed.

At first? I agreed but through the blistering snow I made out a black dot. Walking my way. Was it a person? Could it be help? I guess only one way to find out.

“Over here! Dear gods over here!” I cried as it reached my neck.

The shadow stops and waits. Raising what looked to be a pickax and rest it on its shoulders. Teeth chattering I called again. It had reached my chin now. I lost all feeling in my hands. The stranger was either going to come and help or I would be finished.

The gods have given me hope as I see it walking over! Just as it went over my face and I saw small shades of light. Mainly black. Hopefully he or she hits it with his axe. Because I was fading. My heart was slowing down. I was going to die.

Smash!

All’s I remembered was seeing light again and a bunch of people carrying me on a stretcher to the hospital. But the shadow was gone. Did I imagine it? I will never know. I just heard something about to take off and I faded back to sleep.

When I awoke again, I was in a hospital and my best friend Jason, was at my bedside. His hands together in prayer.

“I never knew you were religious…” I said weakly as Jason chuckled. “You had me worried there man! Did you find what you were looking for?” I shook my head as Jason frowned. “Oh well there is always the next adventure, right?” I nodded, trying to sit up. “What happened to me?” I asked him, my arms were still weak from the cold.

Jason shook his head, “you tell us! You were encased in ice.” He looked at me like I was nuts and I looked back in kind.

“Well, how did you get me out then?” I asked surprised.

“Thank Lady Luck you’re alive.” Jason said.

“How you mean?”

“When we noticed you never came down, we got worried. We went back up there to look for you. It was like finding a needle in a haystack but we found you? And this.”

In his hand was none other than what I saw the shadow holding.

The pickax.