Of course, being blind, Bilblox couldn't see any of this. He simply felt his way around the cabin and, every few seconds, shouted the names of his friends. Eventually, he heard a low moan from several feet away. He stumbled toward the sound and discovered it was Alfonso. Bilblox ran his fingers across Alfonso's face. The boy's eyes were closed and his hair was sticky and wet.
"Alfonso?" Bilblox whispered, voice shaking. "Come on now, open your eyes. Y-You're fine." He grabbed a handful of snow and used it to dab Alfonso's face.
Alfonso's first thought was that he was back home in World's End, and his mom was trying to wipe dirt from his face. For some reason, though, he found it almost impossible to move. It took a great deal of focus to open his eyes and weakly utter Bilblox's name.
When he heard Alfonso, Bilblox yelled gleefully. "Hurrah!" he exclaimed. "Ya just got the wind knocked outta ya!"
Alfonso coughed weakly and managed to gasp, "I'm okay." He saw Bilblox peering down at him, his white eyes gleaming like frosted ice. The longshoreman gently grabbed hold of Alfonso and lifted him to his feet. They both sighed with relief.
"You're all right then?" Bilblox asked.
Alfonso said nothing. He stood there for a few seconds and felt his body and head throb with pain. However, he soon realized that nothing was broken, and that the wounds on his headâand the one on Bilblox's head as wellâwere superficial. They were both okay.
"Where's Snej?" asked Alfonso. "Is she still in the cockpit?"
"Dunno," replied Bilblox. "You're the first one I came across."
Alfonso staggered to a large hole in the wall of the plane where a window once existed. He peered outside, but could see nothing but snow and ice. It was as if the world had turned white.
"Snej!" yelled Bilblox. Alfonso ducked back inside. There was no response.
"You better go check on 'er," said Bilblox.
Alfonso nodded and began to make his way to the front of the plane. He entered the cockpit cautiously. Most of the dials, buttons, and levers were either smashed or burnt. Snej sat slumped over in her seat. Her head looked strange, almost doll-like. It hung loosely from her torso. Alfonso touched her shoulder.
"Snej, are you okay?" he whispered. "Snej?"
Bilblox's pilot lay there motionless. Alfonso drew closer and tried to ignore what he knew had happened, but there was no denying it: Snej's neck was broken. A cold tingling sensation crawled up Alfonso's spine and he felt sick. This was the second dead body in just three days, and in both cases he'd played a role in the deaths. The taxi driver he had killed. Murdered. Even if it was in self-defense. And Snej, well, if Alfonso hadn't insisted on going to the Urals in the depths of winter...
"What's going on?" asked Bilblox.
"She didn't make it," replied Alfonso. He was dimly conscious of his heart pounding. Panic began to take hold of him, and his hands started to shake.
"What?"
"Snej is ... she's dead."
"Dead?"
Alfonso just stood there.
"Oh fer the love of Magrewski," said Bilblox. His voice cracked. "Of all the stinkin' rat luck. Poor Snej. Poor Snej."
"It's my fault," said Alfonso weakly.
"
No it ain't!
" snapped Bilblox. There was a ferocity in his voice that Alfonso had rarely heard before. "I'm the one who made the call. I didn't have to listen to ya. I was the boss."
But I forced you to go,
thought Alfonso. He shivered and stepped aside to let Bilblox into the cockpit. The longshoreman-turned-smuggler tenderly maneuvered Snej's body into an upright position and then placed the pilot's hands on the Twin Otter's steering wheel.
"This is the way she'd want to go," said Bilblox with a choked sob. "Pilotin' the Twin Otter, doin' her job expertly to the end. She saved us." Silently, he drew a blanket over Snej's body.
A few seconds later, this moment was interrupted by a frightful sight. A very large wolf, roughly six feet in length, had suddenly wandered behind them into the main cabin of the
"Alfonso?" Bilblox whispered, voice shaking. "Come on now, open your eyes. Y-You're fine." He grabbed a handful of snow and used it to dab Alfonso's face.
Alfonso's first thought was that he was back home in World's End, and his mom was trying to wipe dirt from his face. For some reason, though, he found it almost impossible to move. It took a great deal of focus to open his eyes and weakly utter Bilblox's name.
When he heard Alfonso, Bilblox yelled gleefully. "Hurrah!" he exclaimed. "Ya just got the wind knocked outta ya!"
Alfonso coughed weakly and managed to gasp, "I'm okay." He saw Bilblox peering down at him, his white eyes gleaming like frosted ice. The longshoreman gently grabbed hold of Alfonso and lifted him to his feet. They both sighed with relief.
"You're all right then?" Bilblox asked.
Alfonso said nothing. He stood there for a few seconds and felt his body and head throb with pain. However, he soon realized that nothing was broken, and that the wounds on his headâand the one on Bilblox's head as wellâwere superficial. They were both okay.
"Where's Snej?" asked Alfonso. "Is she still in the cockpit?"
"Dunno," replied Bilblox. "You're the first one I came across."
Alfonso staggered to a large hole in the wall of the plane where a window once existed. He peered outside, but could see nothing but snow and ice. It was as if the world had turned white.
"Snej!" yelled Bilblox. Alfonso ducked back inside. There was no response.
"You better go check on 'er," said Bilblox.
Alfonso nodded and began to make his way to the front of the plane. He entered the cockpit cautiously. Most of the dials, buttons, and levers were either smashed or burnt. Snej sat slumped over in her seat. Her head looked strange, almost doll-like. It hung loosely from her torso. Alfonso touched her shoulder.
"Snej, are you okay?" he whispered. "Snej?"
Bilblox's pilot lay there motionless. Alfonso drew closer and tried to ignore what he knew had happened, but there was no denying it: Snej's neck was broken. A cold tingling sensation crawled up Alfonso's spine and he felt sick. This was the second dead body in just three days, and in both cases he'd played a role in the deaths. The taxi driver he had killed. Murdered. Even if it was in self-defense. And Snej, well, if Alfonso hadn't insisted on going to the Urals in the depths of winter...
"What's going on?" asked Bilblox.
"She didn't make it," replied Alfonso. He was dimly conscious of his heart pounding. Panic began to take hold of him, and his hands started to shake.
"What?"
"Snej is ... she's dead."
"Dead?"
Alfonso just stood there.
"Oh fer the love of Magrewski," said Bilblox. His voice cracked. "Of all the stinkin' rat luck. Poor Snej. Poor Snej."
"It's my fault," said Alfonso weakly.
"
No it ain't!
" snapped Bilblox. There was a ferocity in his voice that Alfonso had rarely heard before. "I'm the one who made the call. I didn't have to listen to ya. I was the boss."
But I forced you to go,
thought Alfonso. He shivered and stepped aside to let Bilblox into the cockpit. The longshoreman-turned-smuggler tenderly maneuvered Snej's body into an upright position and then placed the pilot's hands on the Twin Otter's steering wheel.
"This is the way she'd want to go," said Bilblox with a choked sob. "Pilotin' the Twin Otter, doin' her job expertly to the end. She saved us." Silently, he drew a blanket over Snej's body.
A few seconds later, this moment was interrupted by a frightful sight. A very large wolf, roughly six feet in length, had suddenly wandered behind them into the main cabin of the
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