h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Day 11

Pato wakes up rejuvenated and warmer than he is used to. Almost immediately, he finds the source of the nice and cosy warmth curled up against him. Terrified, he shakes his head to try and dislodge a suitable sentence to introduce himself properly to his apparent wife-elect, in the language of his apparent wife-elect. He fails, but since she is still fast asleep, he dismisses the problem for later. Remembering her name looms from the fog as a much larger problem. He is quite sure it was longer than his own name, but since had celebrated with the other men on the first evening, he may not be very well informed for that part.

After some time, Aryna decides that he has missed his chance and after stretching and yawning convincingly, she turns around, hugs Pato long and deep and saves him by saying “Good morning Pato, I am your chosen wife, Aryna” in his own tongue. Pato decides that hugging her back is the least he can do to thank her for this break. Since he find this satisfyingly enjoyable, he decides to keep doing it for as long as he is allowed to.

Unfortunately, the mountain interrupts by rumbling much more ominously than before. A smoking rock flies screaming past the opening of the tent.

The others have noticed this too.

Partly dressed and fully stressed, Pato surveys the scene. To his dismay, his intended way back home is not looking very safe anymore. Boulders of all sizes roll down the Northern side of the mountain. Straight through the gully he needs to cross. Even worse, orange traces are slowly trailing over the edge of the Eastern top. He suspect those traces will not remain at that slow pace.

He calls to a now dressed Aryna to help the others pack up the big tent while he quickly gathers his and Bora’s belongings by rolling everything into the two small tents and tying that to the sled. He then helps the rest, wrapping some hides around his torso for temporary insulation.

Another big boulder rolls across the saddle and then North as they strap the last bits to the sled and push it over the Southern edge, all six clinging to it for dear life. Pato expects it is going to be a bumpy ride.

As they coast down at breakneck speed, the mountain behind them goes BOOM.

It keeps doing that for quite a long time.

And then some more.

Pato looks back and sees that a large chunk has come off the top of the mountain. Orange and yellow bits fly from the crater at high speed. Luckily, the bits all head down the Northern and Eastern slopes, leaving this way clear.

Looking forward, he sees that the other men are frantically trying to steer and brake the sled. The reason for that is that they are soon going to run out of snow. Pato grips one of the tent poles and thrusts it down through the frame of the sled. Against his expectations, this launches him forward at high speed, into a snowdrift. When he gets up, he sees that his action did have the effect of stopping the sled a little further down. Full of concern, Aryna comes running up to meet and hug him (again).

Pato concedes he could get used to this. Well, only the non-bruising parts of this.

The sled had stopped just short of the first evergreen trees.

Pato joins the other men he has come to know as the brothers Joni, Vinco and Aggen to discuss how to proceed. He has the nagging feeling that it is going to take a lot of time to get back to his own Clan in the plains. If it is even possible. An eruption of the mountain had been the original reason for the Break of Clans in the first place. It had taken years to get back up the mountain again safely. Since so much had changed by then, the ancestors had come up with the Arrangement as it is.

For now the best plan seems to be to stick together. So together they manoeuvre the sled crisscrossing between the trees. The going is much slower, which is a relief for everyone.

Once the slope evens out, the big tent is put up for the night while the light lasts. It’s a murky kind of light.

Six=eight

*Wipes away tears of joy* This is a wonderful chapter.

Excellent!

It's amazing what an active volcano can do to your clan's efforts to stay together.