Rick

So there I stood, a ghostly white figure covered in snow, starin' up at that cursed ridge and my most prized possession.

"Well, Mr. Hawkins," I shouted, "You have taken up quite a lofty position, sir. And I must say you have placed me at quite the disadvantage. I hadn't reckoned on you being quite so persnickety on this here outing."

Every roosted bird in that valley had certain thoughts I had gone snow mad. Perhaps that would have been the better...

It was nye on four o’clock in the evening and the snow was coming down so hard I had to stop to make certain which direction I was traveling. I knew this ancient valley like the back of my hand but it was a complete stranger to me on this evening. Painted white on white in the murky shadows of the failing afternoon light, I could see no more than a strong stone’s throw in any direction. But for the few well known landmarks I managed to stumble across I would have been forced to make camp for the...