Fast Fiction: Snow
Richard Mallinson tells a tale of a businessman caught up in a white nightmare.
Late one night Victor Fromane, businessman, is caught out by a snowstorm which hits the country road on which he's driving. He simply has to stop.
There are no lights of any other vehicles behind him or coming towards him. There's only the sight and sound of the snow thudding onto the car.
He pulls up, switches the engine off. He leaves the sidelights and radio on.
After ten minutes he hears the weather report on the radio. No mention of snow. Why is that? Surely they must know by now that it's snowing like hell out in the sticks . . .
Or perhaps they don't. He will call them up and tell them . . . But no, he can't ... he hasn't brought his mobile . . . anyway, would it have worked?
Now what? He must keep warm but he has neither overcoat nor blanket. He switches the engine on again, though he doubts if that will help much.
He switches the radio and sidelights off.
Now the car is completely covered with snow and he can see nothing outside - not even the snow falling.
He knows it will be suicidal to try to walk away, wearing office shoes and suit, even if he can get out.
His only hope, he realises, is that the car won't be too deeply buried and the rescue teams will find him alive in the morning.
So much depends on him - so many people, at home and at work. If he goes, what will happen to them?
Now he must strive to stay awake . . . how? . . . keep his mind active . . . think . . . yes . . . English history, how much does he know? He will test himself, beginning with bits and pieces about the Romans, then the Anglo-Saxons . . .
Difficult to breathe. Fumes. He switches the engine off.
. . . the Vikings, the Normans, the ... As he dozes, he wonders vaguely how he's going to explain why he is driving on this road when he should be going home by the route he's regularly taken for the past 20 years.
