Accident on ice

"The wind is a bit strong, but we should be fine." he says. I'm so excited that Dr. Katastropha asked my team mates and I to join him on this trip. I haven't been outside Ice Base since I've arrived and I've been waiting for this opportunity. Finally, a real adventure. And I'm overjoyed to be able to welcome the Explorer team.

We place all the emergency provisions into the adjoining sled and got out our ski equipment. The doctor starts first and signals for us to follow him. Soon we are gliding across the planes of white and the Ice Base is nothing but a dot behind us.

It’s only been a couple of hours but it’s already getting dark and wind whips around me wildly. The trip is going perfectly as planned and soon we will reach the explorers.

But the weather disagrees and suddenly snow is everywhere, the wind gusts uncontrollably and we can hardly see. It's a blizzard. Everything goes downhill. The figure in front of me gives a violent lurch and I hear someone shouting out. I pull to a halt. As I stagger out, I can feel that the ice beneath me is slippery and dangerously thin. The wind is so strong, I'm struggling to find balance. As I get closer, I can see the slumped outline of the doctor. I crouch beside him. He has fallen and his leg is stuck between the ice.

I glance back, looking for help. My teammates stand behind me, staring in shock. What do I do? If we're going to get through this, I need to get myself together. I try to come to a decision but my thoughts keep running off course. The storm is growing by the second and the doctor slips into unconsciousness. I have to find a way, I have do something.

I look around and spot the sled carrying all our emergency equipment. “Quick,” I say to one my teammates, “Help me see if there’s something here that we can use.”.

We rummage desperately through the bags, hoping for something that could be our savior.

I see something near the bottom. It’s a flare.

I pull the cap off, lighting it and hold it up to the sky. I look back at my friends and I know the same thing is running through their minds. This is our only hope.

We weren’t going to leave the doctor and none of us knew our way around the arctic, so trying to find the explorer team wasn’t an option.

Inside the bags, we discover 2 tents, dry food, a first aid kit and some blankets so we set up camp and do our best to help Dr. Katastropa.

Now, here we are, huddled together inside the tent. Praying that someone will come to the rescue. And so, we wait. It seems like we’ve been waiting for hours and hours, or even days but none of us could be sure. Suddenly, I hear the noise. It’s faint but it’s there. Gradually it gets louder. Yes, it’s definitely there. I rush out of the tent.

A bright light glares at me and a wave of relief washes over me. It’s the rescue team. We’re safe.