The Avalanche

A stirring in the mountain above caused the tourists to stare ponderously at the sheer face. The whole mountain seemed to shift, groaning in protest before the topmost snow started collapsing. The awestruck people stood there, rooted in place as the cavernous snow gathered speed and even more of the white fluff joined in the haste to arrive at the bottom of the slope, where the town was nestled. That is until the townsfolk started running away, shouting warnings and in some cases grabbing the petrified onlookers pulling them towards the far side of the town, to some sort of safety.

The search teams were called off after 10 days. The two climbers had seemingly disappeared in the small avalanche. With no families to notify and no real friends in the area, the search faded into obscurity, like the couple that had vanished. The police had alerts for the two, but no one had seen anything, and there was no trace of the missing money.

The End

The sun rose early on that winter day, though the mountain shadows lingered, holding onto the dark crevices and outcroppings as if reluctant to share the secrets of the previous night. The contrast of white snow and black rock gave the mountain a certain ethereal blue-gray glow that at once was inviting yet ominous. It's sheerness made one marvel at the vastness of the world all the while feeling helpless and vulnerable.

At the base of the mountain, the cafe once again settled into a quiet rhythm despite the happenings of the winter season. The loss of Pierre and Michelle was devestating at the onset but the bustle of tourists and the everyday customers at first iced over and then eventually clouded the past memories from the front of their minds, pushing them into the back of their conscience until Pierre and Michelle were nothing more than a warm memory and a feeling of emptiness.