It was a tight squeeze around the block of dirty ice in the center. When Dick was halfway around he shone the light into the space beyond.

Dick caught his breath while a little gasp issued from his mouth. Although he thought he’d been prepared, the image within the flashlight beam was more ghoulish than he’d expected. Staring back at him was the pale visage of a frozen, bearded Caucasian male dressed in furs. He was sitting upright. His eyes were open and ice blue, and they stared back at Dick defiantly. Around his mouth and nose was frozen pink froth.

“You see all three?” Ron called from the darkness.

Dick allowed the light to play around the room. The second body was supine, with its lower half completely encased in ice. The third body was positioned in a manner similar to the first, propped up against a wall in a half-sitting position. Both were Eskimos with characteristic features, dark hair, and dark eyes. Both also had frozen pink froth around their mouths and noses.

Dick shuddered through a sudden wave of nausea. He hadn’t expected such a reaction, but it passed quickly.

“You see the newspaper?” Ron called.

“Not yet,” Dick said as he trained his light on the floor. He saw all sorts of debris frozen together, including bird feathers and animal bones.

“It’s near the bearded guy,” Ron called.

Dick shone the light at the frozen Caucasian’s feet. He saw the Anchorage paper immediately. The headlines were about the war in Europe. Even from where he was he could see the date: April 17, 1918.

Dick wriggled back into the antechamber. His initial horror had passed. Now he was excited. “I think you were right,” he said. “It looks like all three died of pneumonia, and the date is right on.”

“I knew you’d find it interesting,” Ron said.

“It’s more than interesting,” Dick said. “It could be the chance of a lifetime. I’m going to need a saw.”

The blood drained from Ron’s face. “A saw,” he repeated with dismay. “You’ve got to be joking.”