AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As the dogs twisted and turned down the trail they knew well, they sped up as we passed over a bridge. Just when we made it safely to the other side, I saw a sharp turn up ahead.
“Use the brake and slow us down!” I called back. “That’s a sharp turn!”
“What?” Doris called down to me.
“Use the brake!” I shouted louder.
“What?” she asked again.
As we kept going at a speed far too fast for the turn, I shouted. “BRAKE!”
“Brake! Oh! Yes! Wait ... how do I use the brake again? I forgot!”
“Step on the thing between your legs!”
“What?”
“The brake, Doris! Step on the brake!”
When the dogs didn’t slow, I looked over my shoulder to see her staring at her feet, clearly confused as to how to operate the brake. A glance back in front of us showed the turn coming up fast.
Too fast.
Knowing Doris wouldn’t be able to brake in time, I started trying to command the dogs with my voice. “Easy!” I shouted, but like before, they ignored me. “Whoa!” I tried again, but when the dogs didn’t slow their speed toward the turn looming ahead, I knew we were in trouble. Using all the air in my lungs, I screamed as loud as my voice could go. “Step on the brake, Doris! The big thing between your feet! Quick!”
“Oh! Yes! I remember now!” she shouted, but it was too late.
My eyes went big as we hit the turn with too much speed, and as one side of the sledge started to lift, I screamed.
“Lean, Doris! Lean!” Attempting to keep from flipping, I leaned all my weight to the other side. The sledge lifted up high, and I screamed as I started to think we were going over. But just as we finished the turn, we landed back down with a thud.
“Whoa! That was close!” I called back. “Now hit the brake and stop this thing!”
When there wasn’t a response, I turned back to see nothing but empty space where Doris had been.
“Doris!” I screamed as the dogs picked up speed, flying down the trail without a care in the world.
I scrambled to my knees as best I could without falling off, and when I peered over the handle to where Doris had been, I saw her pink form flailing around in the snow.
“Oh, shit,” I whispered as I dropped back down into my seat and gripped the handles. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.”
After letting myself panic for a moment as I flew along in my runaway dog sled, I took a deep breath and tried to come up with a plan.
“Whoa!” I called to the dogs, but they ignored me. I deepened my voice, trying to sound more menacing. “Whoa, doggies! Whoa! Whoa!”
My words fell on deaf ears as they dug down deeper into the snow, their happy barks the soundtrack of my nightmares while we careered down the narrow trail through the woods. I looked over my shoulder, trying to decide if I could climb over the rail and jump on the brakes, but before I could formulate a plan, we turned another corner and I saw Marge and Alice flying towards us.
“Oh, shit!” I cried out. “No brakes! We have no brakes!” I screamed, though I doubted they could hear me with the wind whipping in their ears as they barreled toward me at speed.
Only moments remained before we collided, and I saw two sets of wide eyes when they saw me flying toward them.
“Whoa!” Marge screamed.
Her pack started to slow as Marge stepped on the brake. My heart landed in my throat as I stared at my friends—the ones directly in the path of my out-of-control dogs careening toward them and certain collision.
“Look out!” I screamed, then did the only thing I knew I could do, and I dove off my sledge, landing face first in a bank of snow. As quickly as I could, I rolled to my knees, looking first to my sledge and dogs racing safely away, then whipping my head left to see Marge and Alice’s sledge tipping onto its side, the two of them tumbling out on the opposite side of the trail. Marge held onto the handle for dear life, but as her dogs turned the corner, it swung her out and with a “smack” she collided headfirst with a tree.
“Oh!” I clasped a hand over my mouth. “Marge! Marge! Are you okay!”
