Saving Giles

The attention exhausted Didier Doman beyond his normal fatigue. Jason was back in his town were he had been bourn and raised. Les Ormes 12 in Clelles. A village name that nobody knew, a street that even the other inhabitants of Clelles tried to forget it existed. He had played with his brother around the gloomy farm. His mother always busy trying to keep it clean, but it was way too much for her. Didier’s father rented himself to the farmers in the neighbourhoods. He brought home a little money that allowed them to live for another day or two. Didier was the brighter of the two boys. A curious person who had no problem with getting great figures at school. The teacher was proud of him. He had even said to Didier that there would be a day that he would be famous. The parents of Didier had dismissed the idea as farmer boys never get famous in this area of France.

Didier spent his middle age classes in Grenoble. He soon learned that the world outside Clelles differed largely. At ‘le Lycee Marie Curie’ he learned about women, the alps and biology. If he had to choose amongst those three what he liked most, it was the alps. He had made a friend Giles that also totally into all that had to do with the alps. Especially skiing. Giles was coming from a wealthy family that had a house near one of the many ski resorts. During winter Didier and Giles would go over there and master both skiing and snowboarding. After four years both the young men were trained enough to take slopes way too complicated for most of the tourists. They had learned to be careful from the locals and based upon their own experience. Once they had taken a route as the snow was crisp and had no previous skiers experience. Giles was the first to go, and Didier followed roughly 20 meters on his left. The adrenaline had pushed them to their limits. Giles later said that he had seen the opening between the trees and that there was an abyss in front of him. No time to stop in time he had jumped and with high speed he had flown 30 meters before he hit the ground big time. His skis flew in all directions, while he rolled along the steep slope. Tree tops and some rocks broke his speed.

Didier had taken a different course and heard Giles shout. In an instant Didier had slowed down and saw his friend fly. Didier slowly followed a route along the abyss until he had an option to make a small but calculated jump to the lower level. When he found Giles, who was leaning on an elbow on his side. Giles was the luckiest man of the entire world as he was not injured in a bad way. His ribs were painful, but he had broken nothing. This adventure had made both boys more aware of the possible outcome of the aerial that Giles made.

The following weeks they made sure that their trips were more secure, and both had attended the various classes to learn how to deal in trouble surroundings.

Nearing the end of the winter, there were fewer tourists, and Didier and Giles made extensive tours during the weekends. Didier was hardly seen in his village. He just phoned his parents now and then to inform them on his performance at school and they didn’t have to worry about him as he had his wealthy friend who had become a brother to him.

On that weekend in February they had gone up with the elevator called Lattes, which brought them to the top. They walked even higher and with the great navigation skills of Giles they easily found the top that would allow them to take the other side of the mountain downwards. From there it would be still a long walk to Camp Piala, but it was sure worth to beat the track.

On the top, they made a selfie and some photos of the panorama on all sides of them.

With their skis on, Giles started to descend first. He dived in a straight line downwards and he gained speed that would make a spectator swallow. Didier couldn’t wait as he didn’t want to lose eyesight on his mate. Nearing the trees, Giles turned right, as that was the area with fewer trees. Didier saw him waving through the obstacles and soon had to concentrate on his own route. He slowed down in the attempt to hear Giles. He didn’t see him anymore. Didier knew he was on the left from Giles, so went to the right to locate his friend’s path. A moment later he found it. The growth of trees was more dense here, and it was impossible to make speed. Still following the two parallel tracks, he quickly found why he hadn’t heard Giles. He seemed to be fallen and lay with his back in the snow. His legs turned oddly under him. One broken stick, the other between his legs. From the imprint in the snow, Didier deducted that Giles had fallen. He slowed down and went over.

“Giles. Giles. Mon ami, open your eyes. Please.”

Slowly the eyes opened and widened upon seeing Didier.

“I’m OK. Thanks for finding me. I think you saved my live. How long have I been lying here?”

“Not that long. Nothing broken? No pain?”

“No pain. A long sleep. That’s more what I feel now. I truly think you saved me, maybe even my life.”

Didier helped Giles to stand, and without too much trouble they got to the nearest village.

As if nothing much had happed during the dangerous descent, Giles and Didier went home. Didier called his mother and explained the situation.

“Will you be at my birthday party next weekend? Oh, please come over.”

“OK. I will come on Saturday morning.”

Giles had also mentioned the saving of Didier to his parents and at the college. In his class, the other students had heard the story, and all regarded Didier as a saviour. One teacher had called Didier’s parents about the remarkable save.

Didier stepped out of the train on the Saturday morning. A group of musicians played jolly music. Banner stated ‘Welcome, saviour Didier’ and ‘Our hero: Didier’. They put him in an open car and driving toward his house, the villagers cheered and waved flags to welcome their hero.

Didier just couldn’t believe that all were wrong and no one really asked what had happened on that wrong side of the mountain.