Free The Edge by Roland Smith

down the scree in front of me. I turned around and looked back at the cliff. I wondered if the
shen
was watching us. When I turned back around, I saw that one of the headlamps had stopped. I’d lost track of which light belonged to who (or is that
whom
, Vincent?). I figured the light belonged to Mom. I was sure she had plenty to say about Rafe and the other climbers, and we wouldn’t really be able to talk at base camp. Tents have thin walls. I made my way toward her light slowly so we’d have plenty of space between us and the others. But it wasn’t Mom.
    â€œIs all okay with you?” Alessia asked.
    â€œYeah. Fine. Just hanging back. Thinking.”
    â€œAbout Rafe?”
    â€œWho?” I joked.
    â€œThe climber from Australia.”
    â€œIt was a joke.”
    â€œOh,” she said uncertainly.
    I guessed the joke didn’t translate from English to French. Or maybe people were more literal in France. Or maybe Alessia was simply nice and didn’t understand sarcasm.
    â€œI wasn’t thinking about Rafe,” I told her, which wasn’t entirely true.
    â€œHe is an oaf.”
    â€œHe’s okay.” Now, this was a complete lie, because he was an oaf, but I wanted her to think that I was nice. I was finding it a lot easier to talk to her in the dark, picking my way across the scree, without having to look at her blue eyes.
    â€œYou have been climbing a long time?” Alessia asked.
    â€œSince I could walk. And you?”
    â€œTen years.”
    â€œYour parents didn’t mind you coming all the way to Afghanistan to climb?”
    â€œIt is only my mother and I now, and this was not far for me to come. We live in Kabul. And I’m not alone out here.” She pointed toward the lights. “You know Elham, but did you meet Ebadullah in camp?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThey were sent to keep an eye on me and provide security for the climb.”
    â€œI thought they were locals.”
    â€œI’m certain they are, or were at one time, but they’ve been working for my mother since she arrived here.”
    â€œWhat does your mother do in Kabul?”
    â€œShe is the French ambassador.”
    I’d never met an ambassador, or an ambassador’s daughter. What do you say to this? I said, “No kidding.” Which I guess was marginally better than
wow.
    â€œShe has had this posting for two years now,” Alessia continued. “Before this, we were in Argentina. It was there that I really learned to climb.”
    â€œAconcagua?”
    â€œYes. The Stone Sentinel.”
    Aconcagua is one of the seven summits, the tallest mountain on each continent. At one time, I wanted to top all seven, but after Everest, I wasn’t sure about this goal.
    â€œIt is a simple climb,” Alessia said. “A walk up, really.”
    â€œTwenty-two thousand eight hundred and forty-one feet is a dangerous climb even if it is a walk up,” I said.
    â€œBreaking your ankle is the only real danger. It is like this.” She pointed at the scree.
    She was moving across the loose rocks remarkably well, with a light step. Not unlike a
shen
.
    â€œI saw a snow leopard today when I got here.” I couldn’t seem to stop myself from trying to impress her, which made me feel a little more sympathetic toward Rafe. She must have thought that all guys were idiots.
    â€œNo!” she exclaimed.
    â€œOn the cliff face. It was a long ways off. Zopa saw it too.” I’m not sure why I added this last part, but I suspect it was because I wasn’t sure if she actually believed me about Everest after Rafe’s comments.
    â€œI have never seen one in the wild. They are very rare here, but I’ve heard their population has increased because of the war.”
    â€œWhy would that be?”
    â€œThe war did not touch the Pamirs. The hunters were fighting, leaving the mountains in peace.”
    â€œThen I guess this is a good