Jouko: Silence on the Mount

In Shakespeare's play The Tempest, a character named Caliban once said:

"Be not afraid, for the isle is full of noises."

Today was no exception. But this time, it wasn't an isle. It was a snowy mountain that was full of noises.

The local chickadees and sooty grouses sang their songs, as they did every day in the treetops above. The glacial water sent its noises flowing downstream. The howling winds rustled the intimidating Douglas firs, creating the illusion that the natural towers were going to fall over.

Just by a stream of water was an open area not covered by the trees. In contrast to the rest of the mountain, this place was eerily quiet. Not a peep from the usual suspects (other than the winds and the stream itself.)

However, this silence would not last for long...

Trudge. Trudge. Trudge.

A strange sound, foreign to the birds, the trees, and the rushing water.

Trudge. Trudge. Trudge.

Despite the clouds covering the sun, a bit of light began to reveal a mysterious figure coming out of the woods. Seemingly, this was the source of the trudging. It continued to do so across the thick snow; each of its steps creating sizable footsteps.

Finally, the light fully shone on this mysterious figure.

A girl of below-average height and with short bleached-blonde hair hidden underneath a royal blue cap with the letter K on it. She was donning a long white parka, blue track pants, and grey hiking boots. She slowly walked into the open area; her face glowing red from the cold winds. Slung over her shoulder was a leather satchel and a rather unusual sight for a girl of her height: a canvas rifle bag.

The trudging noises stopped as the blonde stood still and inspected the area. Looking around her surroundings, she took notice of the stream of water passing by. And, mixed with the fact that her feet were getting somewhat cold, she realized that taking a break would be wise.

The blonde sat down by a large rock and put her rifle bag down, letting it lean against the stone. She put her satchel on her lap and began rummaging around for something, finding a thermos filled to the brim with hot water. As she put it down, the blonde continued to search the bag.

Finding what she needed, she got out a jar of white fibres akin to cotton candy and began to sprinkle some into her water.

This weird and fibrous thing was called Old man's beard; she had been introduced to this type of fungi via a fellow friend. A rather cryptic friend in the blonde's eyes, however.

After a bit of shaking, she drank the concoction.

Minty, with a hint of rosemary. Not bad.

The fresh taste of the tea made her remember how skeptical she was when she first tried it. Her friend insisted it was safe to drink, but because of the absurdness of the things she spouts, the blonde countlessly refused every time. Yet, one day, she decided to give it a shot.

It was a choice she didn't regret. And it definitely helped today, because it was just what she needed to get by.

As she continued to sip the tea, she took off her boots and removed the foot warmers from within. As expected, they were completely out. She placed the boots to the side and began to look for replacements in her bag.

All of a sudden, in the woods in front of her, she heard a faint rustle. She was alarmed by this weird noise at first, but ignored it and continued to search her bag.

However, it happened again.

The shrubs began to jostle around. This made the blonde a bit jumpier than before and she began to open her rifle bag. Once unzipped, it revealed a Finnish M28/30 'Mosin Nagant', a wooden rifle whose length was almost equal to her height.