David Goes Skiing

David Lancer's house, Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 20th, 2001, 9:00 A.M

David Lancer was getting tired of the heat of Buenos Aires, it was summer, and it was sweltering, David swore it was so hot that all his thermometers may have been on the brink of melting and that he would perish from breathing in the fumes from the deadly mercury inside.

But it was not long until his salvation would come. David was in the lounge room fanning himself with the biggest fan he could buy, he worked as a search and rescue officer, so he was being paid handsomely. He was sitting on a chair facing his air con, it had broken yet again. He wanted to buy one of the fanciest air conditioners from the planet of Rhombodian, but he did not have enough cash.

But the winds of change were coming, and David was about to feel their breeze.

David fanned himself still. Keeping as cool as he could when a cool breeze flew into his house as his front door opened.

David got up from his chair, he was covered in sweat, despite all his efforts to keep cool.

"Who dares barge into the house of Lance?" He said in a spooky tone.

"DJ, it's me, Billy!" Stated the young British chap who opened the door. Eugene 'Billy' Billingsworth was a refined man when viewed by others, but he showed his true childish self whenever he and David were together. David was someone he felt comfortable being around since their spirits intertwined so well. On a typical day Eugene would be wearing a fancy suit, waiting for his father to tell him where to sit and when to talk. Today he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and some shorts, his bare legs out for the whole of Buenos Aires to see. His face was youthful with no hair on his lip or chin. The hair which he usually wore elegantly was now crazy, as if beaten by the waves. He was wearing a towel around his waist, and he had sandals on his feet. He was shorter than David by 2cm.

"Billy?" David announced. "Where on earth did you get that shirt, it looks good on you."

"Where did you think DJ? I got it from Hawaii." Billy retorted with laughter. "But don't expect me to wear it forever, because I have this." Billy opened the suitcase that was previously hidden from David's view and opened it up, there was a bunch of winter clothes inside.

"What is with those?" David inquired. "This is Argentina in the middle of summer, nobody would be wearing anything like that... actually, this is Buenos Aires, nobody ever wears anything like that here, ever!"

"Oh, I'm well-travelled, so I am aware of this place's horrid climate." Billy clarified. "That's why I booked us a flight to the Himalayas, to get you away from this dreadful heat. Why on earth did you come here."

"To get away from all the wealthy ladies that my father and mother wanted to marry me off to, the standards they held for me were too high. But I must ask, why haven't you considered leaving?"

"Money, my friend. It may not mean the world to you, but it has made its way into my blood, but that does not mean we stop having fun now, does it?"

David laughed. "You know, Billy, you are right, we do need to have fun every now and then."

"Very good, then get your bags ready, my private pilot dreads waiting forever."

"I thought you said you booked the flights."

"I put my flight plan in a book, my father thinks I'm going to Vermont for wine tastings, class can make a fool out of a wealthy man."

"Ah, I see. You wanted to go to the Himalayas, so you convinced him you were going elsewhere, because if he knew you went to partake in winter sports like I do on occasion then he'd surely ground you."

"That is correct DJ. So, pack your bags, we're off to partake in winter sports as you so kindly put it."

David laughed and headed off to get his winter wear and pack his snowboard, skis, snowboard, and the high vis jacket that he usually wore for work. He was not really expecting an emergency to occur on the mountains, but he packed it anyway just to be safe. If there was an emergency and nobody knew what to do, he would don his safety vest and take charge of the situation.

With two charcoal black suitcases in hand, he joined Billy and they headed for the airport where the Billingsworth family jet was waiting for them on the tarmac. They entered the plain and headed to the Himalayas.

#

Hiunchuli Lodge, Hiunchuli, Himalayas, Nepal, December 23rd, 9:00 A.M

After spending a long time traveling and walking and having a goodnight sleep at this basic wooden lodge, David and Eugene were finally ready to start cutting loose and having fun.

Eugene was wearing something that was warm, his British blood meant that he was used to the cold. Even though David too came from England like his friend Eugene, his lineage was not British at all. His grandparents worked hard for wealth and tried to teach David's father the correct way to live a wealthy life, but unfortunately, money had corrupted him like it had done to many good men that proceeded him. To put it short, David had to be more bundled up than Eugene at certain points.

However, David was in an outfit for skiing, he did not need to bundle himself up yet. It was not as if he was going to be still for the whole adventure.

Eugene had forgotten that they were here for fun not to read books by the roaring fire. Eugene went upstairs and changed into his snowboarding gear. They both headed outside and up the mountain.

David and Billy enjoyed themselves for hours, they hoped that the fun would never end.

They went back into the lodge around 1 for lunch. David did some exploring and noted that the hall beside the staircase contained five doors. The first door was just behind the staircase, and it was locked, the four doors beyond were the kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom, and the door leading to the trash area.

Some ladies came from the kitchen, they spoke in the local language which neither Eugene nor David knew.

"It certainly is a madhouse in this lodge." Fellow vacationer Milo Vandol stated. Milo was a famous Rhombodian skier who was also an Earthling. He too was of English heritage, and it was easy to tell from his brown hair and mutton chops, his beard was too long for a man his age, and his blue eyes shined like diamonds. He was taller than both David and Eugene. His scarf fluttered magnificently, yet there was no wind, and he was not the one creating the effect. Milo was a rank F with no magic. "I myself saw two other English speakers in this place."

"No way! Milo Vandol!" Billy announced.

"Ah, I see the Englishman who dresses unconventionally for his heritage knows of my fame. Yes, I am indeed Milo Vandol! Hold your applause." Milo announced with one of the most British accents you have ever heard.

"What is a Rhombodian skier doing here of all places? Shouldn't you be taking on Death Mountain in Alminier?" David asked.

"I wanted to take a break, I have conquered that slope many times, but the slopes of the Himalayas? Only one of them have I touched." Milo stated.

"You speak of the mountain which we are on."

"That is right my friend, you are a sharp one."

"Milo just called us friends!" Billy exclaimed. "Yet he does not know our names."

"It seems some introductions are in order." Milo stated. "You fine gentlemen already know who I am, so now you should inform me of who you are."

"I am David Lancer, but my friends call me Lance. My friend beside me calls me DJ." David stated.

"I'm Eugene Billingsworth, but my acquaintances call me Billy." Billy stated.

"Well, Lance, Billy, it is a pleasure meeting both of you. Now if you do not mind, I am going upstairs to get my Auditorium crystal so I can order my lunch." Milo announced. Milo did as he said, he went upstairs and retrieved his crystal and talked to the local ladies about getting some soup.

The other two English speaking gentlemen showed their faces at 6, after David and Eugene enjoyed the mountain for a bit longer. The shorter of the two sat on the old chair to the right of the fireplace. This man was Mario Bianchi, he looked more Italian than your average Italian, his moustache was thicker than the leg hair of a Greek male. His eyes were brown but tired. His muscles twitched every now and then, was he cold or on edge? One could not be sure.

The taller one was Rhombodian, there was no doubt about it, he wore what an average person would wear on an average summer's day, whatever ability he had made him immune to the cold. This man was Arbane Bravuris. His head was so bald that a reflection of the fire in the fireplace danced upon its shiny surface. His eyes were a light purple, and his face was bare like his head, except for his eye lashes and eyebrows. He had a mole on his chin and a mole above his lip on the left side, he was also wearing Midnight Red lipstick for whatever reason. Arbane exuded danger. Bill and David made a mental note to remain wary of him.

The rest of the night was still and calm. Bill and Lance's holiday had been nothing but fun, and the only characters that had anything of interest were the three English speaking men that they had met that day.

When they ate dinner, they had noted that Milo had neatened himself, and his ski poles were immaculate.

David and Billy had enjoyed a full day of skiing and snowboarding. Their shoes were so filled with snow that they both were able to create a snowman. The snow man melted before they returned to their separate rooms.

David and Bill slept through the cold and silent night. They had no idea that something far more interesting was about to occur.

During the night, whilst David and Billy slept, three more English speaking people paid the lodge a visit. Cathair Brennan was a single Irishman, and the other two were a married couple: Gerald and Yvette Kyson.