Alpine Sun

 

The sun rose with regained strength on this February morning. Few clouds impaired the vision as the early hours went by. "Compared to the otherwise bleak winter, the chirping of birds almost left the impression of spring dawning." Earl thought to himself. He went on" If only I could take a day off and rest in grandfathers rocking chair and observe the white mountain range." The feeling of sunlight caressing his skin would be rewarding, especially since the past few weeks were harsh. Grandfathers old alpine hut didn't exactly provide much warmth anymore, which just made things worse. As much as he longed for it, he knew he couldn't afford it. As the eldest son it was his responsibility to take care of his grandfather in the winter months, ever since grandmothers incident. "Will ya stop daydreaming and get to work already?" A grumpy voice interrupted. Grandfather never woke up with a good mood, though it usually gets better after breakfast and a coffee or two. "We need more wood" he continued. Earl couldn't help but feel slightly exited, chopping wood presented a welcomed change from the tideous snow shipping and cooking he usually had to do. Besides searching for the right wood meant he could enjoy the sun after all, at least for a bit. So he grabbed his axe, a couple of dry bread slices from the table and went his way.

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He followed the trail that would lead into the woods. With every step he could hear the crunching of icy snow. The sun had just melted parts of it but the cold temperatures wouldn't allow the water to remain liquid. As he entered the forrest he picked up the usual crisp and refreshing winter scent, with a hint of pine trees mixed into it. He soon found his last chopping spot and sat down to enjoy his first hard earned slice of bread. "Alright, here we go again" he thought to himself as his axe cleaved through the wood with a satisfying thunk. More so than before he could feel the vibrations coursing through the handles of his axe. He had gotten especially lean this winter, taking on more and more responsibility as grandfather aged. Inbetween his axe swings his burning lungs filled with air, allowing him to continue. It was a funny feeling since he had adapted to breathing at altitude yet he never seemed to have grown accustomed to the extra duress of labour in this environment. He was grateful for grandfather at this moment for always making sure the axe would remain sharp and sturdy. Routinely he would sit and clear the head of sap and tannis while letting him know the importance of maintainance and cultivation.

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For the fire he had chosen a medium sized tree about two feet in diameter, so he was making progress fast. Wich was a good thing because sun hours in winter were sparse. "Be back before sundown" he heard grandmothets voice within him. She always made sure to remind him of that. Until now, Earl could repeat the exact words grandmother would tell him each time they had to enter the woods. "The forest might seem like an peaceful harmonious place, but when day starts to fade and night starts to fall, be weary of it" He took a moment to remember her, to picture her in his inner eye. He had always liked grandma a bit more than grandfather because she'd make him is favourite stonemushroom soup with bread and herbs that felt like they contained the spirit of the Alps within them. The high altitude would make them taste slightly fainter yet somehow more profound. At least that's what she used to say. Yet, there must have been another secret to it as he could never seem to recreate her recipe. He would eventually come to regret never asking her for it. Thinking of grandmother made him reminis of times of old. When they would regularly visit and when mother and father were still in love. He missed the feeling of being a little boy watching over sheep, back when they still had some. They would all gather around the table and enjoy each others company.  

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A cold sweat ran down his spine as he realised to have drifted off again, angry at himself. The lack of movement made his body feel the shivering effects of sweat in an icy environment. He had to continue or he would catch a cold. So he lifted his leg from the snow reweighing his footing and the grip of the axe. Earl sighed, inhaling the sharp smell of frost fitfully engulfing a blade of grass, refocused and stroked the blade down with force.

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After a few hours, all the logs were stacked in his bag and in his sledge. He sat down for a moment and enjoyed the serenity of the forest. While he was chopping the wood he could feel many eyes following his actions closely, observing wether or not this human presented a threat. Now that his work was done, he could hear the wildlife restart their usually activities. It would be with slow and shy at first near him, while it was already fully ongoing in the spaces far away. After a brief rest and a bite of his second slice of bread he began taking of his sweatshirt and undershirt revealing his now lean and defined body. The rush of his blood made his arms swell. His forearms covered in occasional streams of sweat. He took a moment to inspect his body, smirking approvingly, wiped of the sweat and looked for his spare T-Shirt . He must have missplaced it as he didn't find it in its usual spot. So while he unpacked his bag to find it his heated body started to cool down promptly. The vapour of sweat leaving his body started to diminish and the skin around his nipple started to tighten. "At last" he thought as he found the shirt beneath his water bottle, he hastily put it on.

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The sun had just set as grandfather ignited the logs in the fireplace. The red embers emitted a glowing heat ....