You can forget a song, but someone's death?

She fell onto the damp grass. Her head lightly hit a rock, and blood gushed from her nose.

"Daniel! Daniel!" she screamed with the last of her strength. "Don't leave me like this! I have no strength left. Daniel!" The boy walked quickly, not looking back. His shirt was torn, his legs cut by sharp brush, dried blood on his bruised knees. He was dripping with sweat. He wiped his forehead with his hand, leaned on a stick, and picked up the pace.

"Daniel!" The girl sobbed. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes dirty, her eyes bloodshot. After a moment, he stopped.

"Marta... I, I don't know what to do anymore... We'll die here!"

"No! You'll see! But help me! I'm stuck on a branch, give me a handkerchief, I can't get up on my own, I'm begging you..." He looked at her with sad eyes. Before him, he saw only fog, dark mountain trails, and snow-capped peaks.

"We have to find them!" Marta was terrified. She'd never seen such panic in the boy's eyes.

"Hug me, we have to stick together. Don't worry, at least we'll die together...

" "But I don't want to die, do you hear me?! I don't! How can you even say that?!!!" Silence fell... The girl couldn't walk up the hill alone, so she leaned on his backpack.

"I'm hungry..."

"I know! You think I'm not! Marta!!!!!

" "Daniel! What's going on? Don't yell at me! It's not my fault we got lost!" She burst into tears. "

I'm sorry. Be quiet, please don't cry." He put his arm around her, but she couldn't calm down. Tears mingled with scratches, with blood, staining more and more of her body and clothes.

"Don't tremble, it won't help. Are you cold?"

"No, but I'm scared of you."

"Are you scared? God! Marta, stop, come here..." Be quiet, it'll be okay, you'll see..." His voice broke. Give me your hand. Let's run for a while, or night will overtake us.

"But I'm so tired and everything hurts... Okay, let's run." They wandered for another hour and a half. The sun began to set.

"So, what now? It'll be dark soon! Daniel..." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I don't know what... We'll spend the night somewhere... Maybe we'll find a cave...

" "A cave? It's terrible... Help!!!! Help!!!!" she started screaming.

"Shut up, you idiot! No one will hear us here anyway!" She snatched his hand away, ran forward, and collapsed again. She rolled several meters down a steep hill. She lay on her stomach, breathless. She didn't move.

"Marta!" He flew to her immediately. "Marta! Wake up, can you hear me?" She opened her eyes. "Marta!" He hugged her. He pulled a slice of bread from his pocket.

"This is the last one, eat it.

" "No, I don't want it. It's your slice."

-Come on, eat!

-No.

-Eat, you hear me!!!! Eat! Eat!!!!! Marta!!!! Eat that stupid slice of bread, damn it!!!!

-NO!!!!!

-That's not it! He swung and threw her into the abyss.

"What did you... You did... Daniel!!!!!

" "I don't know... I don't know what I did, I don't know anything. Leave me alone, it's all my fault, as usual! Then it'll be my fault, your mother will take my mother to court. They'll even get arrested! Because that stupid trip was my idea. I hate myself!" The boy turned his head away. She noticed his jaw quivering, a few tears falling.

"Calm down. It's not your fault. It's hard for me too. Come here, come." He put his head on her lap and cried like a child.

"Shh, it's okay."

"Marta, I didn't mean it, I didn't want you to die because of me..."

"I know, but I'm not dead yet, silly." She smiled faintly through her tears. They spent the night in a rocky crevice. It was very cold, even though their bodies were practically touching. The boy woke up first. The sky was gray and darkening by the minute. There was no sun at all. Marta opened her eyes, but she didn't have the strength to get up. She lay there for a long time. Her mouth went dry. He noticed she was awake.

"So how was your sleep?"

"Stop...

" "What?" "

I feel terrible... Daniel, what's going to happen to us?"

"I don't know..." They heard the first rumbles of thunder. "

Oh my God, it's going to rain soon! I'm shivering and I think I have a fever—touch me."

"You're really hot. Jesus! What did I do!

" "You?

" "Yes, I am, it's all my fault!"

"No, don't blame yourself, I beg you.

" "Can you stand up?"

"I think so..." She knew she had to reassure him. She staggered and almost fell, but he steadied her.

"Wait, I'll take you in my arms.

" "No, you're exhausted yourself." "

Not at all, and besides, I'll throw away my backpack—there's nothing left in it anyway." They had only taken a few steps when the first drops began to fall. The rain was picking up, and a sharp wind had sprung up, making walking, even breathing, difficult. The boy set Marta down.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do it anymore!" He shouted, as he couldn't hear anything. Ten minutes passed. The downpour finally intensified. Their clothes were soaked through. Hail began to fall. It pounded so hard, stinging his eyes. Daniel felt nothing, not even pain or cold. He had only one thing on his mind—to protect Marta, to find the group. She, on the other hand, dreamed of only one thing—for it to be over, as soon as possible. A bed, warmth, sleep. She sat up.

"What are you doing!!!!??? Get up!" He tried to lift her, but his hands were so numb he couldn't feel anything.

"No... I can't do it anymore... Leave me! Please, keep going! Find them, I have a feeling the shelter is nearby. Tell everyone I love them, and hurry up." Bring some blankets and tea—I haven't had tea in so long..." She stroked his cheek.

"What are you talking about?! I'm not leaving you here!!! Never!"

"You have to! Don't worry, I'll lie here, everything will be alright, I need to rest. Come on, quickly, go!!!!!

" "Marta...

" "Daniel... Go!!!!!!!!" He hugged her, turned, and ran. Into this blizzard, into this futureless void. He turned once, and she waved at him. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but he no longer knew what he was doing... He ran faster and faster and faster...

In a dark, tobacco-smelling Viennese apartment, two men sat at a glass-fronted bench. They were sipping coffee.

"And what happened next?

" "I don't know... I only know that suddenly I saw a shelter... some kind of cottage. I felt dizzy. I knocked on the window and collapsed in front of the door. I fainted. When I woke up, I was lying under five blankets with a hot water bottle between my legs. Panic gripped me. "Marta, where is Marta..." They went looking for her. I started screaming. They took me away in a helicopter. We found Marta's body. Her lips were blue. She wasn't breathing. Everyone knew it was over, but I couldn't get through it. I kept hugging her, tugging her. I believed she would wake up. But she didn't... I still remember her eyes... so gray-green, almost like those curtains on the window, and later her mother's tears.... The funeral...

"Didn't anyone blame you for what happened?"

"No. I blamed myself.

" "How many years have passed?

" "Thirty-six..."

"One more question... Did you love her?

" "Yes, she was my friend."

"Well, how about something different?"

"No, I guess not...

" "Thank you..."

"Aren't you asking if she regrets leaving her there? Did I feel remorse? Did I want to kill myself?

" "No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't care; it won't bring that girl back."

"So why are you writing all this down?

" "To warn others.

" "About what?"

"Before leaving the group, or maybe even before leaving for the mountains...

" "That's sick, so many years have passed...

" "Yes. Could you forget about it?"

"No. I tried once, but it's pointless. I still dwell on those moments..."

"Exactly. And now you'll do it.

" "How? " "

Simply. You'll read this story and erase it from your memory, just like any other, as if it didn't concern you at all."

"You think..." "

I think.

" "But I probably won't be able to.

" "Then you'll learn. And you know what? She forgave you.

" "How do you know?"

"I just know, it was her wish that you go, that you save yourself.

" "Well, yes..."

The man was left alone. He remembered a song—he and Marta had listened to it together before they left. He put a CD in the player and listened to it for three days, over and over, until he forgot..."

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