Reader’s Digest Australia & New Zealand – May 2019

May• 2019 | 47

Hewasfree-climbinginsidea crack
inthemountain,tryingnottodwell
onthefactthatonemisstepwould
sendhimtumblingtohis death.In-
steadheconcentrated
ongettingtoanother
slaboficethathad
becomelodgedinthe
crevasseabout 15 me-
tresup.
Overtheyears,All
hadfound that he
functionedwell in
dangeroussituations.
Hehadatattooofa
blackmambaonhis
leg– a tokenofthetimehehadkicked
a two-metre-longpoisonoussnakein
Botswanabeforeitcouldstrike.He
triedtomaketheclimbanacademic
puzzle,a questionofgeometry.Ifhe
couldfigureit out,hewouldlive.
Stab,kick,shift,repeat.Attimes
theicegavewaybeneathAll’scram-
pons,sendingchunksofthewall
tumblingintothechasm,buthisaxe
heldhimtight.
Afterabouthalf anhour,he’d
reachedtheslabofice.Herested,
gratefullygulpingthefrigidcoldair
intohislungsandlistenedtothe
soundofhisownjaggedbreath,ashe
struggledtogetenoughoxygen,and
thecrackingoftheglacier– themov-
ingmassoficethatsurroundedhim.
Heknewthatifhedidn’tmakehis
wayout,hisbodywouldprobably
remainthereforyears.Perhapsfu-
ture generations would discover the

corpseinthewindbreakerandwon-

derwhohadbeenfoolishenoughto

climbalone.

Hestartedmovingagain,hiseyes

fixedonthenexticeblock.Sudden-

ly,a joltofinexpressiblepainstruck.

Helookeddownandsawthevoid

beneathhim,thecaverndisappear-

ingintoa blackinfinity.

Against his will,the thought

flashedthroughhismind:I’mgoing

todie. Hethoughtofhis67-year-old

motherandimaginedhersadnesson

receivingthenews.Thenhegathered

himselfagainandforcedhimselfon,

stabbingtheaxebackintothewall.

Nowtheedgesofthecrevasse

werenarrowing,thesurfaceofthe

wallsa tangleoficyprotrusionsand

fragilecrystallineformationsthat

Allscrapedasidewithhisfrozen

fingers.Slowlyhebegantoclimb

upwards, swinging his ice tools into

Above:The

passagewayup

andout.

Lef t:A l l’s

batteredface

from the fall