Alaska Heart Read Free Page A

a series of questions to send to sled-dog16. I indulged in daydreaming that we sat across from one another, mugs of hot cocoa wafting steam between us while I asked and he answered. He was right. It would be easier to call him and conduct an official interview as I would for any other story. Something about that notion, however, made me feel as if I’d be turning a corner—one I wasn’t ready to face.
    After emailing the questions, I spent another two hours drafting my Denali proposal. Fresh excitement built as it all took shape. I visited a few sites online to garner preliminary information. Then I sketched an opening paragraph, just for fun. The pictures I found were unbelievable. I itched to hike over the pinecone-ridden trails, crisp air filling my city-scarred lungs.
    As I marveled over these photos, each one drawing me deeper into nature’s perfection, a ding snapped me back to real time.
    sled-dog16:
    Got your questions. Answering them right now while lazing in my favorite recliner. Want photos too?
    Could someone be deemed adorable purely by the way he phrased an email?
    gaia-girl706:
    I’ll take anything you’re willing to share.
    sled-dog16:
    Anything?
    gaia-girl706:
    Anything about Denali.
    sled-dog16:
    Damn. ☺ I tried.
    Can I ask you a question?
    Uh-oh. A question. Where was this going?
    gaia-girl706:
    As long as I have the option to not answer.
    sled-dog16:
    Always.
    gaia-girl706:
    Ask away then.
    sled-dog16:
    What are you wearing right now?
    Laughter overpowered the TV’s volume as I read sled-dog16’s question. Looking down at my sweats, I made a decision.
    gaia-girl706:
    Who said I was wearing anything right now?
    My response was so Meg-ish that I had to laugh. Hanging with her did give me a window into what worked and what didn’t when it came to men. I usually had no desire to test my observations, but with sled-dog16 it was different. We would never meet, never fall head over heels in love with each other. Never mean so much to each other that when one of us did something supremely stupid, the other was left to live with a huge hole where her heart used to be.
    No. With sled-dog16 it was fun and games. Nothing heavy. Just the way I wanted it.
    sled-dog16:
    Naked in NY. I like it. I’d do the same, but it’s too cold for casual nudity in Fairbanks.
    I’ll have these questions answered in about an hour. That okay?
    gaia-girl706:
    Perfect. Thanks again.
    sled-dog16:
    No, thank you. I’ve got a good image of a naked writer in my head now. Very inspirational.
    gaia-girl706:
    Depends on which naked writer you have in your head.
    sled-dog16:
    Had to spoil it, didn’t you? Now I can’t get a naked Edgar Allan Poe out of my head.
    Later.
    Funny guy, that sled-dog16. What else was he?
    I shut down my laptop, watched a TV documentary about the psychology of a killer, and got seriously freaked. Another reason to not meet Internet “friends” regardless of how humorous they were in their emails.
    After a hot shower, I dragged my laptop into the bedroom and got under the covers. Felt inclined to keep a kitchen knife on the nightstand after the documentary, but didn’t. Instead, I busied myself reading sled-dog16’s responses to my questions.
    The man was thorough, adding personal anecdotes about his trips to Denali to the factual details. He had supplied me with enough information to write a kick-ass article. Even if Evelynne didn’t pick my proposal, I would have to write the story anyway. The pictures sled-dog16 supplied—none that included himself—called to me, demanded to be made into something for Gaia readers to experience.
    I dreamed of Denali all night and woke the next morning to the sound of a black-capped chickadee whistling on the fire escape. When I padded to the window and opened it, the bird hopped over. I kept a jar full of seeds in my bedroom for feathered visitors. The chickadee ate the seeds from my cupped palm and then skittered off. What could I get to eat out of my hand in