Beauty and the Beast
Author's Note:
The contest calls
for the end of the world and a Yeti. It baffles me then and the snow came and I
was alive. So I wrote this tale. There was no real snow in my place, but the
imaginative ones.
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I can scent the
smell again. It has been for some time I had tracked such a scent. It's not
often they come to my lair here in the high mountains. We shied from them as
they had from us for they fear our size and looks. Truly they are the ones that
look like us but smaller in the frame cannot be trusted our lifetime. They had
come before as I have said, and when we approached them, they burned our skin
with the fire from their hands. We meant
no harm to them but to seek some companion. But their action speaks for their
character. We hid since then, but we watched them. Good as they are in the
movements but we are the inhabitants here. We know when the earth will move and
where the winds blow strongest. But I am now alone, the others have perished in
their years and some died in the last earth movement. I was lucky as I was in
the cavern and I was not exposed to it. But when I came out, I find the whole troops
missing. I searched and this is what I came to scent on. Did they kill my
troops with their fire hands? I saw no signs of that in my search and yet I
suspect they had a hand in it. I watched as they climbed and some of them also
could not make it. They fell into the crevasses or off the walls. I could have
saved some but I told myself not to. It's our pledge not to do so after they
hunted us. Now of the seven in the troop of theirs, only one left. It moved
ever slow and dragged the large package behind. It felled on the slope and its
slipping down. I must help or it will fall off the cliff. I jumped off the
ridge I was on.
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No, it can’t
happen like this. Not when we are so close to the top. I just grabbed hold of
something but what. All that is snow and nothing that can stop me from going
forward. My ice pick has gone; my ropes dangled uselessly, and my life now
needs is a miracle as I am sliding down. God, give me mercy for my task is not
yours of doing but my own. But it's to be done to save all of us if there is
any left. I cannot help but ask for your love for we all had sacrificed our
lives to be here. I am the sole survivor and let me complete the task. No....
the cliff edge is near. God, show me your mercy....please. I am slowing down in
my slide....wait it's stopping now. Did the crate caught onto a ledge or I am
dreaming? Tell me, I am not as I cannot die as yet. But yes, I am not sliding.
I looked up to the crate and I see a dark shadow before the sun on its back. It's
gray like and yet white like furs. It's huge and it looks like a man but then
again not like the ones I knew. Oh my God! It's a huge man clad in white fur
and he is hauling me up. It's so effortless in his grasp and I may be saved
from the long drop to my early death. Thank you, God. You gave me a miracle. I
reached out with my right hand to be pulled up and the hand that touched me was
ever warm and comforting. He hauled me up and pulled me along to a safer ridge.
I looked at my savior and I saw his face.
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It howled out loud
and caused the earth to move. It's silly of it to howl out here and I had to
stop it. But I am late as the earth has moved. It's coming down and we have not
much time. I saw the outcrop and I grabbed it to go there. It struggled but I
managed to get it there. It pointed to the package and I swooped down to grab
that too. But it caused me great pain in my left leg as the sharp stone cut
into my skin. I can see the life essence seeping out and colored the snow. It's
dark in contrast to the white surface. But our main worry is the earth, and I
held it close to me with one hand and the other holding the previous package of
it. The movement was mild compared to some which I had to cower in the darkness,
but I am injured this time. But it will not stop howling so I had to close my
hand over the sound. Maybe I closed too tight as it went limp and did not move.
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I woke up later to
find myself still in the snow next to the large beast. It's holding its left
leg and moaning in pain. I saw the cause and I know how it got there. It was my
crate it saved and caused the pain. I reached out to touch the shoulder of the
beast, and it turned to stare at me. I wanted to scream again, but I held my
voice down. It looked like an ape and yet more to the human facial. Could it be
what I think it is? My God, after seventeen expeditions and now I am facing the
mysterious Yeti of the myth. Maybe I am dead and God is playing tricks on me.
But I see the blood on his left thigh and that is no dream but real blood. I have
seen such injuries in my climbs and it must be treated. I reached for my scarf
and I tapped its shoulder again. It looked at me, and I motioned to the wound.
How do you tell an ape you want to help? It's not they can speak your language
or understand your signs. But I had to try. I got up and walked to its leg. I reached
for it but it cringed away. I slowly touched it again on the knee and moved my
scarf over the wound. It did not stop me, nor cringed this time. I wrapped the
scarf and tied a tourniquet over it with a small spike in my climbing gear. It
stopped the bleeding but I don’t know if it will hold for long.
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It did me some
miracle to stopped the bleeding. But we can’t move yet. The earth is still moving
ever slow inside and we need to wait for it to stop. I pulled the package up
close inside next to it while grabbing it to lie next to the package. It did
not resist this time, and I also slept next to it. The warmth of my body will
keep the cold away from it. I am used to the cold but not it so it's best I protect
it. It did not move as I wrapped my hands over its body and hummed some sound
my mother used to do. It may have worked as it did not move at all. But it's
unusual to hold something warm like it as if I am holding my mate once again.
She was mine and we roam the mountains together until she fell to the big
stone. She was gone and I am all alone, like now. Those are good thoughts to
have at such time.
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I could not dare
to move as its hands hugged me close to it. I have to admit it felt nice and
warm with it but I am not so sure why it did it. Maybe the avalanche has not
settled its movement and we need to rest for now. I could start a fire stove,
but all of that is deep some ravine now. I guess beggars can’t be choosy at
such time. It's humming some sounds to my head. Is it their way of
communicating or it's their snoring when it sleeps. Oops, that is not good. I
know what that can be, and I am not keen on any of it now or anytime. Sleep big
boy, as you ain’t my type. I will just move a teeny bit so I will give you some
private space if you need it. But move an inch and I will bring this whole
mountain on both of us. That I can promise you now.
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The sun signs deep
into my eyes when I woke next. I know it's time to move. I slowly got up and
tried to stand on my injured leg. It's painful but it's no bleeding so much
now. Its magic worked on the wound. I slowly reached for it and tapped the
body. It swung to face with a look I have seen many times when I wake my mate.
It's disliked to awaken I guess. Who wouldn’t in such cold weather? But we need
to find the cavern to properly rest. It got up and looked to the mountain top.
I looked at it and find it very interesting. It’s about my height at the middle
chest and half my frame. I could have crushed it if I had rolled over it. But
it's got a scent I am familiar with; the scent of my mate. Maybe it's a smaller
version of my mate. But its colors are too dark for me compared to mine. Ovi, I
told myself; it is one of them, and stopped thinking about your mate. I grabbed
hold of the package and pulled it to go back to the cavern. But it stopped me;
it keeps on pointing to the top of the mountain. But why?
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I can see the peak
of the mountain top. I need to get there, and my task is over. I stopped it
from going to where it’s moving to. I point at the top and I wanted to shout
into its ears but I am worried I will bring another avalanche. But it soon
understood and it moved there. Thank God, some beasts are easy to manage some of
the times. And this is one of those times. It carried my crate like a boy
carrying a small ball and walked to the peak. I followed it at the rear as the
frame of it can shelter me from the morning sun which is directly in front of
us. But then I also admired the beast as it moved up the slope. Nice butt but
who is thinking of butt now that the Earth needs my help. We are into the last
days and millions depend on my success. I have to reach the peak or we are all
doomed. Forever.
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I made it to the
top and I laid the package down on the ground. It went to opened it up and took
out a long shiny item. It set it on the ground and moved its fingers over it
like how my mates do on my back sometimes. I wanted to ask but I can see it's
very concentrated on the workings. I stood there and see the horizon. It's
beautiful to see the sights of the mountain peaks at this height. You are so
close to the clouds and yet you cannot reach them. The sun shines ever brightly
here and I feel nourished by its light. So different from my cavern where it's
all dark every time. I heard it yelp and I looked down at it. Its long shiny
item is now a wide-open item pointing to the sun.
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I have done it, and
now it's up to the Head of Research to complete the tasks. I had already
uploaded the codes and they should be transmitting now. And now we prayed for
miracles to happen. Miracles that may just save the world. I don’t believe in
miracles but on seeing the Yeti, I think they do exist. I can hear the unit
coming to life now, and its solar disc is opened. It's building up its power
and it will consolidate with the seven other units to shoot the laser burst
into the atmosphere which will revitalize the ozone layer again. I don’t know
why and how, but I was holding its hand in mine; with great anticipation. I
prayed then for another miracle from God. Please make it happened.
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I saw the burst of
light and then the sun went dimmer and dimmer until its light burned not my
furs but comfort it in warmth. But nothing of the warmth I felt could match
that of the hand that held mine. It's like when I first held my lost child’s
hand at the moment of its birth. It's a feeling of achievement to bring life to
this place. My fingers reached out ever gently to hold the palm of it as we
both see the new sunlight coming in. Somehow in me, I felt I have done something
right but I am not sure what. It looked at me and I think I know what it wants.
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I missed my Yeti
as I laid here in the hospital bed. It's been two weeks now since he brought me
down to the lower ranges and left me at the road where travelers pass daily. I
know it's him as much as I know I am a woman. But my Yeti still roams up there
and I yearn to go up for my eighteenth time. But the doctors said I need to rest
for another week. I kind of like it here too. The attending doctor is cute too
and he has got nice butts too.
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