ABSTRACT
Friday in Herzberg was glorious. Bright sunshine streamed into the room while outside birds chirped in a rich cacophony Yawning and stretching, Goodman surveyed the scene below. A comfortable layer of snow lay over the valley and the gende slopes of the sur rounding hills. Figures on skis were already dotting the trails. Dressed warmly in Peter Werner’s sweater and knickers, he added as a final touch a down vest and multi-colored ski hat. Johanna was waiting for him in the lobby. Meyer had not checked out, but the stocky blond youth was again nowhere to be seen. They would try the ski areas. With chocolate bars packed into their pockets, they cleaned off the Porsche and fol lowed a van to the ski touring area. In a large cabin with a great open fireplace, they rented skis and poles. Hot coffee and chocolate were served in earthen mugs by young girls in billowing peasant skirts. Equipment in hand, the dozen or so people in the cabin gradually moved outside again, fastened their skis, flexed their poles and milled about chatting in groups of three or four. Goodman was able to fasten his skis to his boots without difficulty, but w hen he tried to stand up he fell sideways, landing not-too-gendy on his shoulder. Jo hanna stifled a laugh, but none of the others paid at tention. They had all been novices at one time or an other. Goodman wiped the snow from his face and, following Johanna’s directions, lifted himself by shift ing his weight while bending his knees in a series of jerky maneuvers. With a determined expression on his face, he stood upright once more. But the feeling of pride was not too long-lived, for as soon as he tried to move forward, he fell again. The whole process of standing up had to be repeated. After several more
attempts, he was finally able to propel himself forward without constandy winding up on his back or belly. Much to his relief, the others in the group avoided any comments.
