Excerpts from
The Huskies are Howling
By Charlotte Blay
Now she could see the hazily outlined ruins of the deserted houses. Seen from this side they were faint silhouettes in the snow at the foot of Thumb Mountain. Grandfather’s house built of wood and peat was just across on the other side. It would be like coming home, even though grandfather wasn’t there. She looked around for bear tracks, but there weren’t any. She breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment the huskies began to growl and howl in a frenzy. A large yellowish shape reared up to their right. Nannavina saw the polar bear snarling and baring long yellow teeth as it roared.
For a couple of seconds Nannavina was rooted to the spot. Then she started cracking the whip, her yells ringing in the frozen landscape.
The bear let out another angry roar and trotted after them in the tracks left by the sledge. Panic gripped Nannavina when she saw that the bear was gaining on them, even though they were hurtling along at a furious speed.
Translated by Gaye Kynoch
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