The Missing Barbegazi

The Missing Barbegazi — page 5 — pointed toward the mountainside beyond the gully Look Quick Was something moving up there again Tessa couldn’t help turning I thought they were extinct But no I see one It’s a Maria drew a long deep breath A-a-a T rex Both she and Lisa exploded into fits of giggles Very funny Tessa muttered Hidden behind the goggles tears welled up in her eyes Don’t wait I need the restroom she said trying not to sound choked up and she started gliding over to the mountain hut Still giggling Maria set off and Lisa followed her new best friend The lump in Tessa’s throat grew She didn’t need the toilet and she didn’t really care what they thought She missed Opa so much her chest hurt The pain pulsed into her heart as if all the blood in her body was trying to fill an Opa-shaped hole No wonder Oma was ill if this kind of pain was attacking her weak heart Tessa stopped and looked back to where Maria had pointed for her dinosaur prank Above it by a rocky outcrop a small movement caught her eye She gasped Something white was bouncing up the snowy slope then disappeared behind the rock It definitely wasn’t a skier Could it be a barbegazi Without taking her eyes off the outcrop she fish-boned her way back up the slope past the swinging T-bars and the top station of the lift Here on the crest of Kapall orange netting 11

The Missing Barbegazi — page 6 — barred the way out onto the ridge and the untamed part of the mountains Tessa tried looking through the binoculars but the outcrop obstructed her view of where she’d seen the creature last If she could just get a bit nearer A ski-route-closed sign warned of alpine danger Tessa checked to make sure that none of her teammates were looking looking If anyone saw her ski off-piste in these conditions Coach would ban her from training and Mum would lock her skis away forever And she wasn’t going to ski off-piste Not really The first stretch of the ski route through the gully and into the gorge was almost flat and she’d turn back as soon as she’d had a peek behind that outcrop With a last glance back she squeezed through a gap between the nets and out into the deep snow The wind had blown most of the snow away from the top of the ridge and Tessa glided effortlessly along the flat surface More of the crevice behind the outcrop came into view To gain a better perspective she planted her poles into the snow and stepped nearer to the edge She looked through her binoculars There was a blurry spot on one of the lenses Without taking taking off her glove she rummaged in her pocket for a tissue and one of the lens covers fell out Instinctively Tessa leaned down to grab it Under her sudden shifting weight the ground beneath her right ski disappeared as the snow overhang she had edged onto broke apart A reflex sent both her arms outward to help her 12

The Missing Barbegazi — page 7 — balance The binocular-strap jerked at her neck as she let go of them Tessa threw all her weight onto her left ski but it was sliding sideways toward the drop then stopped with a screech on a flat rock that was sticking out of the snow Tessa’s breaths came in sharp gulps She balanced on her left leg It shook with the effort Stupid Stupid Stupid How many times had Opa told her to watch out for overhangs after a storm Below her hovering right ski the bulk of snow she’d released was now tumbling down the mountainside gathering speed and volume and growing into a mini avalanche When she lowered her right leg only a narrow strip of the ski rested on solid ground She’d not slid far but her ski poles were beyond reach What could she do If she jumped the drop and landed on both feet she could ski down the steep slope She’d done it before with Opa Though not from this height Not with this much new snow And never alone Instead with the carefulness of a tightrope walker she shifted her weight to the right ski testing its hold on the rock It held In slow motion she lifted the left ski a tiny bit and pushed it left She balanced shifted her weight and continued lifting one ski at a time very slowly inching away from the edge When she had made it to the other side of her ski poles she collapsed on the snow sobbing Her whole body quivered Only now did she dare to think what might have happened if both her skis had been on the overhang After Tessa stopped shaking she hauled herself back to the 13

The Missing Barbegazi — page 8 — ski area By the barrier nets she paused and looked back at the outcrop Had she imagined the movement earlier or really seen a barbegazi As she turned round she collided with a tall man in a white ski outfit a white helmet and mirrored goggles who was pushing pushing through the gap in the nets He grabbed her arm Watch where you’re going he snarled his teeth gritted below a pale wispy mustache which was so thin it looked like a pair of frowning eyebrows Sorry Tessa wrenched her jacket out of his hold The man skied along the ridge past the breach Tessa had made in the overhang before he disappeared down the steep decline into the gully All in white How stupid No one would ever find him if he got caught in an avalanche 14

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