The hill seemed treacherous and ever-expanding as Ryan stood up at the top, his sled held firmly in his gloved hands pinched in between the board and the handles. His breath furling out in front of him as he stared down the hill and at the bump at the bottom a slick and icy trail carved from other sledders that week the sheen layer of ice was noticeable even in the vast darkness as the snow turned grey the further Ryan looks. The faint glow of the street lamp provides little light. He looked to his side the pompoms on his sister's worn pink and purple toque hitting him in the face, the snowflakes flung onto his face and melting instantly as Tim, his brother, stood to the side waiting for him to go down.
“Today Ryan, you can do it.” he encourages. “This is the year you go down on the bump, it's not even that big.” Tim crossed his arms over his green snow jacket, bits of reflective material shining every so often.
Ryan looked back again at the darkness; the bump was barely visible but looked huge. He shook his head and took a step back from the carved trail. “I don’t think I can do it, Taylor said she almost broke her tailbone going down.” Tim rolled his eyes and scoffed. Light snow started to fall around them. “Oh, please, Taylor’s accident-prone. You do it properly and you’ll be fine.”
Ryan sucked in a breath, letting the air furl out into the air like a dragon’s breath. He nodded and kneeled on his board, the toes of his feet dug into the soft snow behind him.
“Okay.” his voice was quiet as he slid on the board, his hands on either side before pushing off and speeding down the hill. Ryan’s sled sped up and when he hit the bump, Ryan felt weightless before crashing down back on the fluffy snow. His sled swerved and he lost control crashing into a half-made snowman, the middle part tumbling off and falling with a thud as soft snow became exposed. Flopping onto his back, Ryan laughed, his face cold and hair damp as he could hear Tim come running down the hill, almost tumbling down himself. “Are you okay?” He asked panting Ryan could only nod through his laughter, his stomach starting to hurt from the action. “Did you see the air I got!” he shouted, the sound of his joyous voice echoing off the hills. Tim plopped down beside him, suddenly laughing with him.