"I'm sorry Mr. Marnes, Hummerlynne's Pass is closed. There was a rockslide," a man in a scarlet red uniform said solemnly.
"How long before it opens? My Wife was in a car accident! She's in critical condition," said a middle aged man, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"The Department Of Transportation has assured me that they have heavy equipment scheduled to arrive at the site first thing in the morning. Several tons of debris are blocking the road. In particular there are several large boulders which must be blasted or rolled out of the way," he explained apologetically.
"That's not good enough. I need to get back to the city tonight. Please, can you call a helicopter? The type used for medivacs. Money's no object."
"Unfortunately that's not an option Sir, due to strong winds. However we do have a doctor here at the lodge, should an emergency arise," the hotel manager replied sympathetically.
"Thank you... I'm not giving up though," replied Mr. Marnes, as he turned away.
"What am I going to do... Donna is hurt, and Rachel is only sixteen. If anything happens to Donna and I'm not there, I'll never forgive myself for leaving town for a stupid business meeting," he thought to himself.
"I need to call Nana... She can stay in the waiting room with Rachel until I get back," he muttered as he pulled out his phone.
"Hello Nana, this is Mark. I know you're probably sleeping, but if you wake up, please call me. It's important," he said as calmly as possible into the phone. After hanging up, he shouted "Stupid voicemail!"
"I have to find a way out of here. She's in her freakin' seventies, she's not going to check her phone tonight," he thought frantically as he went outside.
"Maybe if I could get a truck, it could get me over or around the rocks. I can take a shovel along to get things cleared too. I have to try..."
Mark walked aimlessly around the beautiful grounds of Hummerlynne's Pass Lodge And Ski Resort. Eventually he came to the employee parking area, which was located beside the spacious recreational vehicle shed.
"Hello Sir, is this your truck?" Mark asked a young man in his twenties, who was inspecting a four wheeled ATV.
"Yes, why?" asked the young man.
"Because I need to get home. It's urgent," he began, then explained his dilemma.
"Well, you can borrow my truck. But take one of the Lodge's four wheelers too. I don't know where the slide was, but you might be able to get around it off-road - unless it was on one of the steeper stretches."
"Thank you so much for this, you won't regret it," Mark said gratefully as he hooked the ATV trailer to the truck.
An hour later:
"Well this doesn't look too bad... The truck would never make it, but the four wheeler probably could," Mark thought, leaning on a brightly colored road closure sign.
Past the sign, there was a massive amount of loose rock and gravel blocking the road. A steep drop awaited should one slip or dislodge the loose rocks. It was difficult to tell just how far, because the flashlight's beam didn't reach the bottom.
Just as he decided to try it, one medium sized stone rolled from the cliff above. It bounced its way across the narrow road, then down - way down.
"Or maybe I'll just scout ahead on foot first," he thought. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of driving over that treacherous stretch. Especially at night.
Staying as close to the cliff-side as possible, Mark carefully bypassed the rocks and gravel. He went as far as the next bend in the road, then stopped.
"Oh no, there really are boulders," he mourned, walking up to the massive rocks, two of which were at least a foot taller than him. "There isn't enough room for the four wheeler to squeeze through, and I can't move them." he said, finally realizing that the road was well and truly closed.
"I saw a place a couple of miles back that isn't so steep. If I can get the four wheeler into the woods above the road, then bypass the rockslide..."
"There. That's the spot. I'll just go uphill, then after I get past that mess, I'll rejoin the road," he thought with satisfaction.
"It's steeper than it looked. I hope I don't roll down the mountain," thought Mark, idly wondering if he was making a mistake.
A half hour later:
"I've rolled over three times already. And I really don't know how far up I am. Or where that cliff-side is. I don't want to drive off of it, or get pinned under this thing! Rachel is going to need me if the worst happens," he thought grimly.
Reluctantly Mark stopped the ATV, and took shelter under a large spruce. The thick, dry needles made a good cushion. Soon he was dreaming of screeching cars, hospital beds, and beeping heart monitors.
After some time, the beeps became louder, and turned into booming. He opened his eyes.
"That must be the road crew! They're right below me. If I had gone down I would have driven off the cliff," he thought with a shudder.
Backtracking to the less steep section where he had entered the woods, Mark raced down the road.
"Morning!" Greeted a man, his hardhat reflecting the bright sun.
"Good morning. Will the road be open soon? I have to get back to the city, it's an emergency," he pleaded.
"It could be hours, maybe even past noon. But if you're careful you can walk through, and one of the crew can take you down. Our trucks are just on the other side of some big boulders around the bend," he explained.
"I know about those. I had a look last night," he admitted.
Two hours later:
"We should be getting in range of cell service soon," commented the driver. Immediately Mark began trying his phone every few seconds. After an eternity, Rachel answered.
"Hi Daddy, I was so scared! But the doctor told me a few minutes ago that Mom woke up, and she's going to be fine!"
Relief flooded through Mark, as the truck continued to roll towards town at a steady pace.
Cover image made in Canva using their gallery