avatarPaul Mansfield

Summary

An individual and their dog endure a harsh winter in Alberta, facing dwindling resources and the threat of desperate strangers seeking refuge.

Abstract

The narrative describes a survival struggle during a particularly harsh Alberta winter, where the protagonist and their dog, Buck, face the challenges of extreme weather conditions. The protagonist has lost livestock to the cold and is running low on wood to keep the fire going. Despite the harsh conditions, the protagonist has managed to maintain shelter and supplies, unlike the "wild mountaineers" who have been driven to scavenge and even steal. The protagonist resorts to grim measures to deter would-be thieves, indicating a moral dilemma and the lengths one must go to in order to survive. The story, initially intended for a photography-based submission, evolved into a darker tale fitting a weekly writing challenge about characters battling their environment.

Opinions

  • The protagonist views the extreme weather as an adversary, personifying it as something that drives, blinds, and tortures people.
  • The protagonist has a pragmatic approach to survival, prioritizing self-preservation over the lives of others, as evidenced by the decision to kill those who attempt to steal supplies.
  • There is a sense of despair and isolation, with the protagonist and their dog being some of the few who have managed to survive thus far.
  • The author reflects on the dual nature of strangers, who could be potential friends or threats, depending on their actions.
  • The story implies a moral cost to survival, as the protagonist is forced to take lives to protect their own.
  • The protagonist, despite the harsh circumstances, maintains a defiant attitude, determined not to be overcome by the environment.

SURVIVING THE STORM

Alberta Clipper

The snows do blow, and the winds do wail

Photo by Alessio Soggetti on Unsplash

This winter has been brutal. The January squalls have turned into full blizzards this year. What’s worse is when the snow isn’t falling, the winds keep the fresh snow whipping off the ground, keeping the storm alive. It’s been two months of whiteouts and misery. My wood supply is running low, and keeping the fire burning in the stone hearth has become a monumental chore. I have lost most of my livestock to the cold, and it doesn’t look hopeful for the rest.

We’ve had it relatively easy — me and my dog, Buck — with shelter and supplies. It hit those wild mountaineers worse. Both acquaintances and strangers, straggling through the snow, trying to make it to the coast, have attempted to scavenge everything that I don’t have under lock and key. I’ve taken to nailing the corpses to the fence to deter others.

Strangers may be friends you haven’t yet met, but when they try to steal from me, they become friends I haven’t killed yet. And kill them, I must.

They still come. The wind drives them, while the snow blinds them and the cold tortures them. Extreme weather drives men to extreme measures.

It will not overcome me.

I started this story as a submission to SNAPSHOTS based on a photo of my dog looking over a small, plastic garden fence, but it became too bleak, so I continued it here, and turned it into a story that fits into this weekly challenge.

Paul Mansfield is a writer, a photographer, a guitar player, a philosopher — some he does well, some not so well, but he still tries them all. You can follow him on Twitter @pmansfield.

If you like this story, try a Science Fiction tale.

Blizzard
Fiction
Short Story
Writing
Adversity
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