The Great Ski-Lift. Anton Soliman

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СКАЧАТЬ Let me first introduce myself, my name is Oskar Zerbi. One of my friends, a mountaineering enthusiast, told me about the station here. In fact, he told me about a ski resort here in Valle Chiara linked to the Great Ski-lift circuit-; he shook his head and added: - You see, I arrived yesterday and curiosity drove me straight to the forecourt where the ski lifts should leave from. Believe me; I was taken aback by the abandoned state. Moreover, I can hardly believe what I’ve seen so far can be a ski station.

      The manager had followed him, nodding in assent throughout; when Oskar finished talking, he said with a half-smile: - Mr Zerbi, what did your friend really tell you? - Maybe it sounds weird that the manager of a ski station asks such questions but reserving all judgment I must, in any case, admit that the cable car is to be considered... experimental for now.

      Oskar liked this version: he was finally extracted from a situation that felt very unreal.

      - My friend, who like I said, is passionate about mountains, mentioned this village by name. Now, I can't remember exactly if he used your station to climb up the slopes or to go down to the valley... But based on what I have seen up to now, this seems an important detail. – You’re quite right to emphasize this aspect. It is more likely your friend used our cable car to go downhill. You see, from what I can remember, there's not one person I don't know who has used the line so far. At this stage, we have only trialled the plant with testers.

      The manager paused a moment as if to better assesses what he was saying, before stating: - Starting this winter, our company has decided to open up to the public!

      - So I would be the first tourist to use the cable car?

      - Not quite. Let's say that apart from the test pilots, three or four people have gone up. Trustworthy people we...but, - his face took on a worried look, - I can't say anything else!

      Oskar thought back to his friend who as far as he understood, had not reached the plateau starting from here; now it seemed more likely he had used the cable car just to descend. Maybe he came across the plateau by chance and gone up from a more known lift station. Therefore, moving from one station to the next, he then descended to Valle Chiara. It would have been a stroke of luck: a Singular Event. He could then imagine a completely different impression of the valley compared to the previous day when the forecourt lay before him in the dying light of a rainy afternoon. Arrivals are emotionally different from departures, even when two spectacular events like sunrise and sunset are concerned.

      - I would like to ask you a question: you referred to a select group who used the station to climb, but I understood other people had used it also for descents.

      From the next room emerged a man bearing a jug of coffee and two cups on a tray.

      - That's right, - Said the manager with a serious look: - You see, Mr Zerbi, the cable car has just been completed. The lift station is made up of cabins that can carry two passengers without skis on their feet. He paused a moment, in an effort to explain more logically: - It's okay Mr Zerbi, it’s a fairly unpleasant situation. It´s possible that once the cable car is running, it may be misused to traffic people rather than help tourism.

      Oskar was astonished: - What do you mean? Are you talking about my friend by any chance?

      - No, of course not! I expect your friend made proper use of the lift after hiking at altitude. Maybe he was in a spot of bother. You see, I'm referring to another kind of person. I'm talking about clandestinos who sneak into our territory.

      He sipped on the coffee, then continued in a low weary voice: -Mr Zerbi, I became aware that during the tests the station was running at night, always in secret... and so refugees began heading into the valleys. Once dismounted they vanish promptly into the woods. I think they corrupted the operators in some way; the word in town was that Asian faces had been seen wandering in the valley.

      Now the manager's expression had turned irritated and after a moment's hesitation, he continued his version of events: - So, during the nights following this revelation we waited by the station and ambushed a couple of illegales. There were two Asians, perhaps Mongolians, who didn't speak one word in our language, so it was impossible to find out more about this trafficking in Valle Chiara.

      -What did you do?

      -Nothing. I let them go. Besides, what should I have done? Call the police? - He stood up, visibly embarrassed: - Mr Zerbi ... did you speak to Ignazio the hotelier about this particular initiative?

      - Yes. He mentioned a promoter who came from California.

      - That's right, a Californian. I reckon the man is a genius who not only wanted to honour his native village, but also designed an elaborate experiment to help develop the local area.

      - An experiment?

      - That's it! In my opinion, he studied the network problem in minute detail. Are you familiar with advanced sciences that analytically study reticulated systems?

      - Yes, a little. Actually, I should know more, seeing I graduated in engineering. Much of what we study at university is later forgotten.

      - An engineer, my congratulations. I’m just a lowly technician, but I’ve been curious about networks for a while. Interested but without any opportunity to take it further. Well, I think the ex-major behind this initiative was following a scientific project. Actually, I’m sure he can control it externally. As they probably mentioned to you, once the so-called connection was inaugurated, he resigned as Mayor and left Valle Chiara forever.

      The manager remained thoughtful for a moment, before adding: - I remember the inauguration day vividly, the Mayor was in a great hurry to leave as if he had other things to do. Maybe the work had overrun the scheduled deadline.

      The two remained in silence, whilst the man approached the window, which the melancholic winter light struggled to penetrate. Outside it was drizzling.

      - I feel we’re dancing around the main issue. I was telling you about the clandestinos to be reported. You will have understood by now that this ski station is not fully legit. The project has a vague name; it was officially approved as a ‘cable utility for transporting goods’

      - I don't get it; we're talking about Valle Chiara council project aimed at boosting tourism! Why all these mysteries?

      - I feel that’s the key to the whole affair. My dear engineer, listen to me carefully. The valley is too low down, skirting the large mountain ranges in altitude. Strictly speaking, a ski resort is not feasible here. -

      -Finally! We're getting to the heart of the matter. -

      -The Great Ski Lift circuit is too far from this Vallechiara. On the Sierra, there are thousands of villages, which have built their own lovely ski station to accommodate winter tourism. Over time, the villages started linking up and formed the valley circuits. In turn, the valley networks joined and created the Sierra consortia. There are already people muttering about –clutter. - Are you aware of these initiatives, engineer Zerbi?

      - I read something in a newspaper advert. Something about some places offering long traverses from one valley to the next if you had a kind of super-membership card.

      - Exactly! They are mountain ranges run by consortia that have connected the ski lifts. The professor hired me as manager of the Valle Chiara plants soon after becoming Mayor. He spoke about this Great Network and its future development. According to him, the Sierra consortia had continued expanding to the point of crossing national boundaries СКАЧАТЬ