Sonam Snow-Slide

A glacier gobbles Sonam, the highest military post, with its nine soldiers in Arctic sleeping bags. Lance Naik Thappa lies in an air bubble as a fetus. Sense becomes a wretched thing. Bravery freezes. After the sunrise, a radio set at another post cracks to life with his voice, awakening the recovery team. He resists the chill with his will. Image of a forlorn family frightens him. Corpses are dug out of blue ice boulders. Thappa’s body is recovered on the fifth day, with clutches of death and a rare spark in his eyes. Press corps move their cameras, musing how to make it more sensitive. A pair of dry lips whispers holy words before the door of ICU, while death packs her soldier’s soul. Pyre burns with flames of pain. Ash of pride remains. First printed in The Literary Hatchet