Somebody was in trouble.
She slipped her left arm through her backpack strap, settling it on the center of her back and leaving her hands free. Then she cautiously began to climb the snow-covered ridge that fell away on the other side to the woods.
"Hello?" She felt stupid shouting and not getting any answer. "Hi! Hello!"
Only the crying sound, faint but continuous, somewhere in front of her.
Gillian began to flounder down the ridge. She didn't weigh much, but the crust on the snow was very thin and every step took her ankle deep.
Great, and I'm wearing sneakers. She could feel cold seeping into her feet.
The snow wasn't so deep once she got into the woods. It was white and unbroken beneath the trees-and it gave her an eerie sense of isolation. As if she were in the wilderness.
And it was so quiet. The farther Gillian went in, the deeper the silence became. She had to stop and not breathe to hear the crying.
Bear left, she told herself. Keep walking. There's nothing to be scared of!
But she couldn't make herself yell again.
There is something weird about this place. . . .
Deeper and deeper into the woods. The road was far behind her now. She crossed fox tracks and bird scratches in the snow-no sign of any-l thing human.
But the crying was right ahead now, and louder. She could hear it clearly.
Okay, up this big ridge. Yes, you can do it. Up, up. Never mind if your feet are cold.
As she struggled over the uneven ground, she tried to think comforting thoughts.