Relocation

Welcome to The Spot Writers. The prompt for this cycle is “when the snow melts”.

This week’s contribution comes from Chiara De Giorgi. Chiara is an Italian author and currently lives in Berlin, Germany. She writes fiction, with a focus on children’s literature and science fiction.

 

Relocation

by Chiara De Giorgi

 

Image by Petra from Pixabay

Yuri stared absent-mindedly out the window. Spring was coming.

“I don’t think we should stay here anymore,” he said.

“I know,” Yuki replied. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while myself.”

“But where can we go? It’s not so easy.”

“I don’t know. Let’s watch some documentaries on Discovery Channel. Maybe we’ll have an idea.”

“Ah, Yuki. Always the optimist. Documentaries are where we are dubbed ‘abominable’…”

Yuki made a ferocious face and roared. She made her white fur stand and appeared twice as big.

“What do you mean?” she growled. “Am I not abominable?”

Yuri laughed. “Terribly so, absolutely.”

“Then trust me. The snow is melting at an alarming pace, there’s never been so little. And when there is no snow left, we’ll stand out. Abominable or not, it’s going to be too dangerous; we need to find a solution.”

Yuri and Yuki sat on the sofa in the middle of their cave with a bowl of popcorn between them and turned on their TV. Since they used to be stuck in their cave for weeks at end during winter blizzards, they had invested in a giant screen and a popcorn maker. They proceeded to watch all the documentary programmes they found on the North Pole and Antarctica. Those seemed to be the only real alternatives–and only for a limited time anyway, apparently, if humans didn’t take action quickly.

“Who put humans in charge of the world, by the way?” Yuri asked, pressing the off button on the remote control.

“The matter is not settled yet. Ms. Alpaca next door says it was mammoths.”

Yuri snorted. “Yeah, sure. Mammoths. Which are extinct, so they can’t deny nor corroborate.”

Yuki popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth. Munching noisily, she replied, “But who cares, anyway! Knowing who put humans in charge won’t change a thing. Let’s talk about where we can move, what we can do.”

Yuri sighed. “Alright. I think we should go to Antarctica. Penguins look soft and funny, and I don’t feel like fighting white bears for territory.”

“That’s a good point. I agree. Let’s go to Antarctica, then. Although…”

“What?”

“There are no caves, as far as I know.”

Yuri shrugged. “We’ll dig one. The rest, we can buy. We’re lucky that yetis have riches stashed away, other creatures may not be able to afford a new place or to make investments like we are. Anyway, the important thing is, in Antarctica it’s cold and white. The perfect habitat for us abominable.”

*

Yuri and Yuki packed their bags and left for Antarctica. They travelled swiftly and at night, careful to stay away from busy routes, until they reached the ocean. Yetis are exceptional swimmers, and they crossed the ocean without any problems, except Yuki lost her toiletry kit and could no longer brush her teeth.

“The penguins will think I am an unkempt yeti,” she complained.

“Nah, they won’t. They’ll think you are abominable, ha ha!”

*

Despite their swimming prowess, they were a bit tired when they reached Antarctica. The sky was dark, and they plopped down on the ice, enjoying the freshness and the breeze in their fur: at 60 miles per hour and a temperature of -100°F, it was just what they needed after their long swim.

When they woke up, they found themselves surrounded by curious penguins, who started shrieking and fled clumsily when the yetis got up and moved a couple of steps, making the ice shake.

For a few weeks, Yuri and Yuki were busy digging their new cave and furnishing it. They placed a huge order and had a few essentials delivered. Finally, Yuki was able to brush her teeth again.

When they were settled, they went looking for penguins. They realized they had not seen any since that first day. Stomping, sliding, and skating, they travelled for miles in every direction, but could not spot any penguins at all.

“I think we scared them too much. Now they’re hiding.” Yuki was disconsolate. “I so wanted to adopt one. You know, like humans do with kittens.”

“Yes, I’m disappointed too. At home, we had at least a few neighbours. Here, we’re all alone. How can one be abominable, if there’s no one around?”

“Maybe we should pick another destination,” suggested Yuki. “What do you say, shall we try somewhere warmer?”

Yuri was surprised. “Why would we go somewhere warm?”

Yuki shrugged. “To try something new. And if the world is going to get warmer anyway, we might as well get used to it.”

“Hmmm. Well, I suppose we could try. Let’s check Discovery Channel.”

*

The Grand Opening of “The Adorable Yeti Amusement Park” in Florida was an unparalleled success.

The sets replicated the mountains and plateaus of Tibet, but also included something unexpected: fully furnished caves where the “adorables” allegedly lived. People dressed as yetis gave autographs and posed for photos with tourists. The two owners, Yuki and Yuri, had their pictures taken wearing gorgeous white fur coats and had never been seen without them–or so the well-informed claimed. It was also rumoured that they used the proceeds to finance solutions to restore the climate, but they never openly confirmed that. They were just heard mumbling something about “fixing mammoths’ mistake” or something.

 

***

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: http://www.valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Phil Yeats: https://alankemisterauthor.wordpress.com

Chiara De Giorgi: https://chiaradegiorgi.blogspot.com/