COLD

Harry wondered if you could get frostbite indoors. It wasn't anything he'd considered before. But given the circumstances it seemed worthy of pondering.

"I'm cold," he told Jack.

"That's about the tenth time you've told me that," Jack said.

"Yeah? Well I'm hungry, too. How's that for novelty?"

Jack just gave him a dirty look and tried to hunker even deeper into his parka. Harry was the one who had gotten them into this fix, and he didn't want to have anything to do with him -- which was awkward considering they were huddled together for warmth.

The cabin had seemed like a mirage as they trudged through the blizzard. Harry even patted it several times with his ski-gloved hands to confirm that it was real. It was. Even more amazing, it was open.

They had staggered in and collapsed on the floor, grateful to no longer feel the icy sting of the wind on their uncovered faces. After catching their breath, they looked around and realized the cabin was little more than a hollow shell. No furniture. No fireplace. Just a shelf, a stool, and an electrical outlet. The cabin was more of a shed -- a park ranger's lookout, they guessed.

"Can you get frostbite indoors?" Harry wondered aloud. "Because I can't feel my toes." It had been 6 hours since they'd arrived at the cabin. It was starting to get dark. He could no longer see the mouse droppings in the corner.

Jack was muttering into his collar. "I know a hill, you said. My own private ski resort, you said."

"So I got lost, okay? There, I admitted it! You happy now?"

Jack said nothing.

"I wonder how this guy kept warm. Probably a space heater, huh?" Harry sat up taller and warmed to the thought. "Boy, a space heater would be nice. Those things really kick off the heat. Course you gotta be careful with em. They can start a fire like nobody's business. My cousin's mother-in-law had that happen. She was taking a nap, and this box of Kleenex was sitting right..."

"AAAAAIIIIIGGGGHHHH!!!!!" Jack screamed.

Harry's mouth snapped shut.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever heard of the Donner party?"

Harry's eyebrows scrunched. He shook his head 'no'.

"They were a party of settlers. They got stuck in a blizzard, maybe 50 miles from here. It went on for weeks. Eventually, they had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive."

"Cannibalism! You mean..."

Jack arched an eyebrow, looked Harry up and down, and nodded.

Harry pulled his legs up tighter to his chest, and turned ever so slightly away from Jack.

Jack smiled, and hoped this would all end soon.