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The snow crunched underfoot, muffled only by the shouting and laughter of children. There had been a blizzard for three days straight, so the icy mountains were taller than Tommy himself. The snow was already packed and ready for Epic Sledding™.
“Come on, Techno! Hurry up, or we’ll be stuck on the short hill! We gotta get the highest spot!” Tommy cried impatiently, tugging on his older brother’s coat sleeve.
Techno snorted. “Chill, kid. There’ll be room wherever we are. It’s not like sledding involves stayin’ in one spot for an extended period of time.” Despite his half-hearted complaints, Techno pulled the big blue sled behind him, dragging its indent through the snow.
Tommy continued on as if the older boy hadn't said anything. “So y’know how I was talking earlier about that kid at school who I totally clobbered, right? Like he thought he was so big and then I smacked him, and boom! Blood, everywhere!” Tommy makes an exploding motion with his gloved hands. “And he started crying , man, like the big baby he is. He cried until he got to go home, which, like, is totally unfair, but as long as I got to hit him it’s okay.”
A sigh. Tommy noticed the footsteps stop behind him. “Tommy, you do know you’re gonna have to stop pickin’ fights at school eventually, right? I’m not gonna keep writing your apology letters forever.” Tommy feels a gentle hand wrap around his forearm, pulling him backward. “Kid, seriously. Dad and I can’t hide this from Mom forever-”
Tommy yanks his arm from the grip. “No! Don’t say that, you big meanie!” He stomps his foot in the snow. “I’m gonna do whatever I want and I want to show those idiots at school that I’m the biggest man ever! If that means I gotta smack ‘em a few times, then I will!” Tommy crosses his arms.
Another sigh. “Tommy…”
“Nope. Voice level zero for you, Techie. Only one speaker at a time, and right now, that speaker is me, not you. So give me the talking sled and let’s keep moving.” Tommy holds out a hand expectantly. Techno doesn’t give in.
Instead, the older boy continues walking toward the top of the hill. Tommy feels bubbling rage swirl in his stomach. “Hey! Come back here, you mashed potato! I wasn’t done talking to you!” Tommy clomps through the snow after his brother as fast as he can. Which, admittedly, isn’t very fast due to the high banks of snow his boots keep sinking into. “Techno! Get back here- AAH!” Tommy cuts himself off with a shout as his foot sank into a particularly deep patch of snow, pulling him down to an uncomfortable crouch. Cold spilled into his boots, soaking his socks with rapidly melting snow.
Distantly, Tommy hears a pause in his brother’s footsteps as he bites the inside of his cheek, trying to stop himself from crying. Despite his best efforts, his vision swam behind tears waiting to spill.
“Big men don’t cry,” he whispered to himself.
He was so focused on stopping the onslaught of salty water that Tommy failed to notice the returning crunch of snow. Not until the sled slid right into his line of sight, the string laying limp in front of him.
Instantly, his vision cleared and the world seemed to take on a brighter hue. Tommy felt his cheeks split into a massive grin. Cold, wet socks forgotten, he lunged to snatch up the reins to the sled. But before he could jump on, Techno set his foot on the sled, stopping it from sliding under Tommy’s weight.
“Teeechnooo, you’re being no fun, you 6-piece chicken McNobody!” Tommy pouted, trying in vain to move the slim plastic.
Techno laughed. “I’m actually a vegetarian, Tommy. I don’t even eat Mcdonalds' Happy Meals.”
“Well, then you’re just a Sad Meal!” He puffed, cheeks flaming red. He kicked half-heartedly at the offending shin. “Nobody even likes you and your stupid potatoes. Maybe that’s all you are. A sad, rotten potato!” Point made, he drops down to the snow, arms crossed as he sits criss-cross-applesauce, glaring up at his absolute potato of a brother.
Techno raised an eyebrow. “Givin’ up already? That might just be a new record.”
Without thinking, Tommy lunged. He was strong and terrifying, moving with the speed of a lion (read: fast for an 8-year-old, and about as scary as a particularly loud morning dove) as he slammed into his brother’s leg. Tommy felt the muscles tense as they retracted from the sled.
A shot of victory spiked through Tommy’s veins stronger than a sugar high. The sled was finally his . His grin was back as he moved so he was half laying in the sled, half dangling haphazardly on the snow. “Now who’s the greatest man alive, big guy?” Tommy taunted.
The joy is short-lived, however, as the boy feels the very world as he knows it slide .
He hadn’t taken into account the slope of the hill they stood on.
A shocked screech rips from Tommy’s throat as the sled begins his downward descent. Eyes wide, he reaches his hands out toward his brother. He sees his own fear reflected in his expression and the way he, too, reaches out.
The sled sways wildly over the rough bumps in the hill, rapidly gaining speed. Tommy distantly hears his name being called as he tries desperately to fit his lanky limbs onto the plastic shell.
Cold wind forces its way down his throat, sending searing pain through his lungs. He screws his eyes shut, leaving only the tiniest slit to see from.
Tears freeze in his eyes, and he hears someone screaming (he won’t notice until later that it was himself).
Falling.
He is falling.
Sliding at a speed he didn’t know was possible. Had the situation been different, perhaps he would have enjoyed the speeding sensation. But as it was, Tommy feared for his life.
The plastic dug painfully into his gloved hands, the distant pain making the situation even more real. Spinning, turning, sliding, there was no escape.
Through the dim haze of his eyesight, he didn’t notice the upcoming bump. A few children jumped out of the way as he rocketed past at break-neck speed. The speed bump the children had been creating was not prepared in a safe spot.
Tommy felt the sled lift until he was above nothing but air. Leaving the ground behind, his eyes flew open to meet the open air. He watched as the snow melted enough to reveal the gravel and rocks lying below. He felt the sled slip from his grip, and he watched as the stone became closer and closer. Somehow, even closer, until they were the only object in his vision.
Tommy’ ears filled with a strange ringing. Who’s phone was buzzing? Every sensation he felt of the ice and wind drifted away as his mind floated somewhere else. The sunlight was too bright, reflecting off the snow and circling in fuzzy dots of bright color. Spinning, ringing, and slipping, the world seemed suspended in time and place.
For all Tommy knows, he could have lied there for minutes, or for hours. Time didn’t exist as he lay crumpled into his side.
All he knew was the cold surrounding him, and the warmth flowing sluggishly over his face.
The next thing he knew was hands on his side, gently rolling him onto his back. Before he felt the need to shut his eyes completely, the shape of a head blocked the sun’s rays. The person said something, but for all Tommy knows, it could’ve been said in a different language. Yet something told him the person was telling him not to fall asleep amidst muttering words of comfort. He tried to latch onto that voice, rather than the one in the back of his head telling him to give in to the cold.
He felt his body lifted by strong, warm arms.
He felt…. Fuzzy inside. Yes, Tommy thought, fuzzy was a good word.
The rest is hazy until everything eventually comes into focus in the bleak whiteness of a hospital room. As he became aware of his surroundings, Tommy noticed himself lying on an eerily familiar hospital bed, while two figures sat in chairs to his left. They were discussing something quietly. They hadn’t noticed Tommy was awake yet.
His voice was croaky when he spoke. “What the pickle juice just happened?”
The head instantly spun towards him, both his brother's and father’s expressions falling into that of relief. “Hey, Toms,” his dad smiled, reaching over to pat his knee. “Bit of a tumble you took out there, yeah?”
Tommy stared blankly. “Nah, I thought it was a pretty smooth slide, actually,” he quipped sarcastically.
Techno snorted. “Scared me half to death is what you did. You’d be surprised how much blood comes from a broken nose and two knocked-out front teeth.” Despite his complaining, Techno smiles. Something Tommy apparently can’t do properly now.
“Wait. TEETH? I lost teeth?!” Tommy runs his tongue along his upper gums, discovering he, in fact, was two teeth short. “No way! Does that mean the Tooth Fairy’s gonna come? Or are they lost in the snow?” He pauses. “I want to show Mom! The last time I showed her a tooth I lost, she spoke to the Tooth Fairy and I got $20! That’s a total upgrade from the usual $5!”
His dad smiles softly. “Of course. She’s in the room two doors to the left. But remember that if a doctor says not to go in, you’ll have to wait to show her until later, okay?” Tommy nods excitedly. His dad looks at Techno and nods. “Why don’t you two go say hi, I’ll go fill out some paperwork in the front, yeah?”
Techno stands and extends a hand for Tommy to take. Hesitantly, he accepts, rising shakily to his feet. He pretends to act strong for his brother, but he’s secretly glad for the support as he shakes the sleep out of his muscles.
They stop walking outside the door with a little chalkboard reading their mother’s name. Techno puts a hand on Tommy’ shoulder restrictively to stop him from going in. “Look, kid, I’m really sorry about what happened earlier. I was tryin’ to be responsible, but you ended up getting hurt. I was a bad brother.” He sighs, shaking his head gently. “I’m going to make it up to you somehow. But for now, you have to remember to be chill for Mom, yeah? She’s hooked up to a lot of machines these days.”
Tommy nodded slowly, absorbing everything he just heard. Techno, admitting to being a bad brother? Man, was Tommy gonna tease him about that later. But for now, he understood that he had to be on his best behavior. It had been a while since he’d seen his mother last, after all, and this could be the last time before her big surgery. He had enough sense about him to not go in with his usual attitude.
“Ready to go in?” Techno asked, hand reaching out to hover over the door handle.
Tommy paused. Then rushed towards his brother, arms extended. Techno stumbled back slightly as the two smaller arms pinned him to place, wrapping around in a hurried embrace. “Thanks for getting me out of the snow, even if you were being a really big bully earlier,” Tommy says. He smiles, then pulls away before the older boy can even try to reciprocate the action.
After all, his brother was still a massive potato.