All Chapters of Modern Day Cleopatra: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Like a shot arrow, John flew through the air in a high arc. Below him he saw the mighty fir trees approaching, while the first precursors of the avalanche reached him. The hard chunks of snow hit his body with all their force, which automatically slowed his flight.Now, like crazy, John began flapping his arms and legs to create more air resistance. Under no circumstances did he want to be carried away by the force of the avalanche and buried under the heavy snow masses. John's plan worked and a short time later he hit a huge fir tree, the icy branches of which hit him painfully in the face. John not only heard his skis break, but also the shin of his right lower leg. There was also an incredible pain in his chest that made him breathe. Again and again chunks of snow fell on him from the never-ending avalanche. But the majority of the avalanches passed over him. Then suddenly everything was very quiet. A lot of firn was still floating in the air, but it gradually evaporated.

You should eat," she said kindly and handed him the bread. "The hot soup will do you good."John did not need to be asked twice. Hungry, he began to spoon it into himself. John had never eaten anything so good. But with his terrible hunger everything tasted great that was halfway edible.“You were very lucky today that you took my dogs on their trail. Very few people live in this part of the national park, ”the woman informed him.“After almost two days of lonely wandering around, I noticed that too,” John smiled at his rescuer.“If they hadn't worn such first-class, heat-retaining clothing, then they probably wouldn't have survived.”“I'm convinced of that. So I'm incredibly grateful that you found me and took me with you, ”said John, relieved."By the way, my name is John Lombard and I come from Vancouver," John introduced himself and held out his hand to the woman, who took it gently.

 After the second week, John slowly calmed down. More and more he came to terms with the inevitable and tried to make the best of it. The huge bookshelf that took up the whole broad side of the living room gave John a lot of variety. It had been ages since John picked up any book other than his specialist literature and monthly journals.His landlady was not particularly talkative. Karin answered John's questions rather monosyllabic. It was obvious that she couldn't get any more from the current situation than John, who disrupted her secluded life and completely disrupted her everyday life.While he was reading a book or listening to the radio in the evening, she repaired fish traps where the bast had loosened, oiled and cleaned her rifles, or played with the dogs they worshiped. In any case, there was never a moment when Karin was idle until bedtime.At first, John had real problems sleeping in bed with her. He was uncomfortable with a woman sleepi

Indeed," John replied appreciatively. “You absolutely succeeded in this surprise.”“Come on, that's not all.”John followed Karin to an overgrown white willow bush at the foot of a rock. Karin pushed the elastic thin branches aside so that a narrow gap in the rock became visible."Wait here a moment, I'll get you right away."Karin quickly slipped through the opening in the rock and disappeared with the dogs behind the crack. A short time later she came back and asked him to come with her. He squeezed through the narrow entrance and then looked around in amazement. A completely different world had suddenly opened up before him. A small, slightly steaming lake lay in front of him, in whose smooth surface the rock massif was reflected. Everywhere on the rocks were burning candles, which bathed the cave in a diffuse light. John kept his mouth open in amazement while Karin approached him with a smile:"How do you like my own per

It was an evening when both of them particularly appreciated each other's closeness. Karin was in a good mood so she told him her life story.Karin came from Austria at the age of 18 and wanted to spend a year as an au pair in Calgary. Her host family had owned a holiday home in Japser, where Karin had often accompanied them. As an Austrian, Karin was of course an avid skier, so she had been on the slopes almost every winter weekend. She had met Nick on one of those days. Both were immediately drawn to each other and fell in love with each other.Nick had been the son of well-respected and wealthy hoteliers who, in addition to the hotel, ran ski lifts and owned extensive grounds and forests. His parents hadn't been overjoyed that their older son had fallen in love with a poor foreign girl. Especially with Nick's mother, Karin was in a pretty bad position because she wanted a very special wife for her firstborn. But this woman had not yet been born, whom her mother-in-l