22 Comments
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Carolyn Bedgood's avatar

I always thought I needed to be scared of falling off a mountain when I skied, I didn’t know I needed to be scared of falling *into* a mountain! But man, you make that ending sound like such a beautiful way to go…

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EJ Trask's avatar

only when you ski with Laine

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Jessica W's avatar

I love this. It’s beautiful. The feeling of flying through fresh pale snow feels like nothing else, and your unmatched storytelling skills convey that sensation perfectly. I love the way in which your immaculate sentences build up of the mood of delicate suspense, subtle apprehension, and finally the character’s sense of acceptance towards the ending. I enjoyed the way the story structure integrates and contrasts day to day dialogue against a backdrop of the innocent and sublime beauty of the tall mountain snow. So good. I’m grateful for your brilliant writing. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story <3

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EJ Trask's avatar

thank you jessica!

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lauriemiller's avatar

I once skilled into the woods when a jerk boyfriend gave me the wrong direction to go on a run. I was terrified, sunk halfway in the snow and no one was skiing by. Amazingly, I dug my way out. This story brought all that back. Poor Berg!

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EJ Trask's avatar

holy shit!

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Jessica Renz's avatar

BERG! Berggggg!

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Keith Long's avatar

Crazy crazy good. I am always a fan of beautiful horror

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Garen Marie's avatar

Laine is in her villain era. Love it! 🖤

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Nick Winney's avatar

Nice... such a sudden twist!

im not a skiier so maybe some of the referneces lost on me, but love the concept... nature forces, dark and timeless. spirit of the mountain. lovely imagery too!

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EJ Trask's avatar

thank you!

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Sean Thomas McDonnell's avatar

Perfect, EJ.

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EJ Trask's avatar

🙏

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Liz Zimmers's avatar

Amazing story! A villain on the trembling edge of becoming…so tender and sweet! Laine will be much more confident next time. 😈

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EJ Trask's avatar

what a fantastic takeaway 😂

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alex b.'s avatar

"She yelled for him. She tried to sound desperate."

Poor Berg. Team Villains. 😊

Great story EJ!

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Zish's avatar

There is nothing better than being in the mountains, and now I have a deep fear of them. Well done, EJ. Also what an unexpected twist; it kept me on my toes.

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NJ Fiction's avatar

Tehehehe I love a villain that’s a woman! This was great. 🗻🗻❄️

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Bette Perkins's avatar

For me pure description took over in this one , nothing I love better, the snow mountain was so alive it was breathtakingly beautiful, even to a southerner who has never experienced aski experience!

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Jim J Wilsky's avatar

Great job on this one EJ. For me, the twinkling eyes and the joyful giggles of true insanity have always, always struck the biggest fear in me. - Jim

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Zish's avatar

The giggles make the story

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Lyndsey Resnick's avatar

Great power reversal. Twisty!

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