family.â
âIâif I have to.â Kate trembled, just thinking about it!
âAw, donât worry,â Uncle Ollie said. âI wish I could go with you girls, but Iâve got a project going in my workshop. Should I send along your Aunt Molly as a chaperone?â
Aunt Molly laughed. âA great one Iâd be! Iâd probably tumble right down the hill.â
âWell, maybe I couldâ¦â Kateâs mother started the sentence, but didnât finish it.
âCould what, Mom?â
âWell, itâs been years since I skied,â her mom said, âbut Iâm willing to give it a try. To help Sydney out, of course.â
âWoo-hoo! Weâre going skiing!â Sydney began to squeal, but Kateâs insides suddenly felt squishy!
Less than an hour later, she and Sydney arrived at the ski lift, along with Kateâs mom.
âLetâs put our skis on before we go up,â Sydney instructed.
Kate didnât have a clue how to do that, but with help from her mom, she got the long, skinny boards strapped onto her feet.
âNow what?â she asked. She wrapped her scarf around her neck as the cold wind sent an icy shiver down her spine.
âNow we go up!â Sydney pointed up the hill.
âAnd we have to go upâ¦in
those?â
Kate felt sick to her stomach as she looked at the little chairs.
âOh, itâs a lot of fun,â her mother said. âSomething youâll never forget as long as you live.â
âIâm sure youâre right about that!â Kate said. Somehow she knew this whole experience was something she would never forget!
âThis is the coolest ski lift ever!â Sydney said. âLike something out of the past. Itâs so cute.â
âCute?â Kate shook her head. âDoesnât look cute to me. Looks scary.â
She stared up at the contraption, trying to figure out how it worked. After a minute or two, she relaxed. âItâs really just a pulley system, isnât it? I know how pulleys work, so we should be safe.â
âSee! You just have to look at this like you do one of your science experiments, Kate,â her mom said. âIâll help you into a chair, then Iâll be in the one right behind you.â
âLetâs do it the other way around,â Kate implored. âYou two go first and Iâll follow behind you.â
âNo way!â Sydney laughed. âIf we do that, weâll turn around and youâll still be standing on the ground. We need to make sure you actually make it to the top of the hill.â
After a groan, Kate agreed. âJust help me, okay?â
âOf course.â
A few seconds later, Kate was in one of the chairs, rising up, up, up into the air.
âWow!â she hollered, her voice echoing against the backdrop of snow. âItâs beautiful up here!â She looked around, mesmerized. Everything was so whiteâ¦so perfect. âI canât believe I never did this before. Itâs so fun!â
She reached inside her pocket and pulled out her tiny digital camera. Unfortunately, she quickly learned that taking photos from the airâespecially when the ground was covered in glistening white snowâwas almost blinding! She put the camera away and held on for dear life.
When they reached the top of the hill, Kate carefully scooted off of the chair, doing her best not to fall as the skis slipped and slid underneath her. It was so hard to balance!
âNow what?â she asked, as Sydneyâs feet hit the ground.
Her friend offered a playful grin.
âNow
your mom and I teach you how to ski.â
âI canât promise Iâll be a very good teacher,â Kateâs mom said, looking down the hill. âItâs been awhile since Iâve done this. Skiing is a little scary for me, too! Iâm pretty wobbly!â
âIâm sure we can teach Kate what she needs to learn