‘Likely. They maybe saw the avalanche and sent everyone down. Let’s just sit here a while until you get some warmth back in your body.’

There was a seat with torn leather upholstery, and Zoe slumped into it. Jake had a quick look around the cabin.

‘Hey!’ She’d found a hip flask on the desk by the console.

‘Gimme that!’ Jake grabbed it, twisted open the cap and took a slug from the flask.

‘Don’t snatch! What’s in it?’

‘Dunno. It’s fuck-awful. Have some.’

Zoe sniffed it, and took a slug herself. ‘They won’t mind. Look—here’s some chocolate. I’m gonna munch it. Want some?’

‘Naw, just give me the flask.’

There was a ski coat hanging behind the door with a rolled-up newspaper in the pocket. Two wide shovels and a snow brush leaned against one wall of the cabin. Though the engines were powered down, the glowing lights suggested the machinery all seemed to be switched on. An old-style walkie-talkie radio receiver hung from a peg. Jake took it down and flicked the switches. He got the sound of static but nothing else. He tried speaking into it a few times, but was only rewarded by more static. There was not much else in the grimy cabin, but at least it was warm. Outside the snow had started to come down heavier. They decided to sit and wait until someone came.

Jake took another swig from the hip flask, wincing. ‘That was close,’ he said. ‘Close.’

‘Very close. Too close.’

‘We were lucky to walk away.’

Zoe looked at her husband and said, ‘You know what? We’re just a snowflake on God’s eyelash. That’s all we are.’

‘What? If you’re getting God just because you survived an avalanche I’m divorcing you on religious grounds.’

‘Can I have another hug?’

‘Come here. Have two. Have three. You can have all the bloody hugs you want.’

An hour later, still no one had turned up at the cabin. They finished what was in the hip flask and polished off the chocolate. They tried the walkie-talkie again but heard only the same static on the airwaves. Jake started flicking switches on the console, and with a great rumble and whistle of turbines, the engines powered up and the big wheel overhead started turning.