Climbing Trail

The Andes tragedy Part 12

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The days we spent trapped under an avalanche were scary times. We can't sleep, can't warm our own bodies or dry wet clothes. When trapped inside, Fito's water-making machine is no longer useful to us, and the only way to reduce thirst is to gnaw at the snowflakes we use to crawl and sleep.

Hunger is a complicated problem

for us. Since we were unable to get out, we had no food and began to weaken. We realized that the bodies of avalanche victims were near us, but we could not bear to do so. From the first time we cut meat for us to eat, the meat was cut outside the plane and no one saw it except those who cut it. We don't know whose body the flesh has taken.

After several days of being buried under the snow, the bodies outside the plane had been so frozen that we easily thought of them as inanimate. We cannot now consider the bodies on board the plane as food. The day before they were alive and warm. How could we now eat the fresh meat we cut from the body of a recently deceased person before us? We secretly agreed that we better starve while waiting for the storm to subside.

However, on October 31, the third day under the avalanche, we knew that we could not hold this hunger any longer. I don't remember, maybe Roberto or Gustavo, but one of them found a piece of glass, cleared the snow off one of the bodies, and then started cutting it.

It was horrible to see him cutting flesh from our friend's body, listening to the subtle sound of pieces of glass tearing through the skin and sawing the veins of the corpse's body. When a piece of meat was given to me, I refused. Normally, before it was eaten, the meat had been dried in the sun, making it taste better to eat, but now the piece of meat that Fito had given me was soft, oily, blood-coated, but now the piece of meat Fito had given me was soft, and there are a few young bones that are still wet. I almost vomited when the meat was put in my mouth, I had to exert all my will to chew it. Fito forced us all to eat it he even forced his cousin, Eduardo, to eat it. Some people, including Numa and Coche who had good stamina, were not persuaded to swallow pieces of human flesh. I was troubled by Numa's stubbornness. He is an adventurer, my source of strength, my protector, and I don't want to climb this mountain without him.

"Numa, you should eat. You have to stay strong." I told him.

Numa grinned and shook his head. "I've never eaten human flesh before. I can't stand it. I'm sorry Nando."

While on the mountain, I rarely dreamed I would sleep comfortably but one night, while I was sleeping under an avalanche, I saw myself lying with both arms on my back. My eyes are tightly closed.

"Am I dead? I asked myself. No, I can think, I'm awake."

Then a black shadow stood near me.

"Roberto's? Gustavo's? Whoareyou? Who's there?"

Silence, no answer. I saw him grasping something shiny, it turned out he was holding a piece of glass. I tried to stand up, but I couldn't move.

"Keep away from me! Whoareyou? What are you doing! "

The shadow approached me then knelt down and sliced my body with broken glass. He sliced the flesh from my arm and gave it to the shadow that was behind him.

The other shadow stuffed my piece into my mouth, then chewed it.

"No! Nay! Don't cut my body!" I wept.

The shadow continued to slice through my body, cutting off the flesh on my arm. I knew he couldn't hear me and I realized that I wasn't feeling any pain.

"Oh my God, am I dead?"

Then I woke up.

...........

The physical condition of some of our friends began to weaken, especially Moncho Sabella, but so far only Arturo and Rafael are in the most severe condition. Arturo became quiet more often, apparently losing his spirit.

"How are you doing Arturo?" My toot.

"I'm so cold Nando. I no longer feel pain. Maybe my time is near."

"Try to hold Arturo."

"Nando, please tell my family that I love them."

"You'll say it yourself."

Arturo smiled. "I'm ready Nando. "

Throughout the day of the first week of November, Arturo grew weaker and withdrawn. Pedro Algorta, his best friend, was always nearby under any circumstances, giving him a drink, warming his body, and praying for him.

One night, Arturo started crying softly. When Pedro asked Arturo why he was crying, Arturo replied with a blank look, "Because I feel so close to God."

The next day Arturo had a very high fever. For two days, he was always delirious and unconscious. On his last night, we dropped him off the hammock to get close to Pedro, and before morning came Arturo Nogueira, one of his bravest friends, died peacefully in the arms of his best friend.

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