Read Online Phantoms in the Snow by Kathleen Benner Duble - Free Book Online

trying through hard work and exhaustion to forget all that sadness over my parents and sister being gone. But every morning when I woke, the first thing I thought about was home. I longed for the smell of an Ohio spring. I longed for the sound of my parents’ soft voices coming in through the screen door from our front porch on a summer’s evening. I longed for just one more …” Skeeter’s voice grew raspy, and he had to stop to swallow. “… one more day with them … just one.”
    Noah looked away, his own throat tight. Skeeter did understand.
    “That longing, Noah, it won’t ever go away,” Skeeter said, standing. “It’ll lessen somewhat, and you’ll learn to live with it. But it’s a part of who you are now.” He paused. “And I learned one other thing those early days training with these guys at Mount Rainier.”
    Noah looked up.
    “You can’t run from the human race, son. Eventually, you’ve got to give up trying to escape and join in again.” Skeeter walked to the front of the barracks and opened the door. “So, what do you say? Shall we give it a go?”
    Noah bit his lip. Maybe Skeeter was right. He couldn’t just keep sulking day in and day out. He had to start somewhere. He stood.
    Together, Skeeter and he walked in silence across the camp. And when Skeeter opened the door to the mess hall, Wiley looked up and broke into a wide grin.
    “Hey!” he called. “What took you so dang long? Thought you’d
never
get here. Come on now. Grab some food. And we’re taking bets on the game. You want to place a wager?”
    The others, too, looked up at him expectantly.
    “Go on, boy,” Skeeter said. “Take the first step.”
    “Skeeter?” Noah asked, pausing for a moment. “Did you ever get to the top of Mount Rainier?”
    “I did, boy,” Skeeter assured him. “I surely did.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    T hat night, Noah ate dinner with Wiley, Cam, Roger, and Bill. He played cards with them, and even went ten rounds in the Ping-Pong tournament, almost making it to the finals, which endeared him to his bunkmates, who now saw him as the “barracks hero.” The best part of the evening had been the boys cheering him on, while over in a corner, Daniel Stultz sat alone, reading a book, not a friend in sight.
    The next morning, Noah woke weary, but less sore than he had been the morning before. He showered and dressed, his muscles loosening quickly.
    When Daniel came into the barracks, Wiley gave a “
heil
Hitler” sign behind his back. Noah had to try hard not to laugh.
    “Today’s our last day together,” Daniel said, plopping a rucksack down next to Noah. “Olaf will be taking over your training tomorrow.”
    Noah kept his eyes on the floor, knowing a look of relief was crossing his face.
    “So, today we conquer the hard part,” Daniel said. “And you’ll be out there until you’ve mastered it.”
    The hard part?
Noah thought, raising his head in alarm.
    “It’s one thing to ski, Garrett,” Daniel Stultz said. “It’s another to ski with eighty pounds strapped to your back.”
    Noah glanced at the empty rucksack. “That hardly looks like eighty pounds.”
    “Of course it’s not eighty pounds yet,” Daniel snapped. “But believe me, Garrett, it will be by the time you finish packing it up.”
    Daniel wasn’t joking. He had Noah fill that rucksack until it was bulging, stuffing in a tent, a sleeping bag, clothes, ammunition, some food, and a real stove with the gas to light it. By the time they were finished, Noah couldn’t even lift the thing.
    “How am I supposed to get this up and onto my back?” Noah asked.
    Daniel shrugged. “Your problem, Garrett. But I don’t think the Germans will come over and help you out.”
    “My fellow soldiers might,” Noah pointed out testily.
    “Not if you’re on patrol by yourself,” said Daniel.
    Noah looked at the rucksack, lying there on the floor. An idea came to him. He lay down on his back and slipped his arms through the pack straps.