Thaw

Last night, I was wandering a mountain pass in China and came upon a small village with a single road. It was summer, but the snow never thawed and glacial ice stood 5 feet tall, obesely blocking the road. There was an old white farm truck caught in the center like a fossil and I knew it was my only way home. I began chipping down until I saw road, hoping if I freed a perimeter around the car, the separated ice would melt away from the mass.
But I got distracted by a young girl who was being forced to marry the village prince. She was so optimistic. Commenting on all the things she could do: theater, shows, take walks along the hillside. She thought she might love this place, but I looked around and saw how ugly and poor it was. The hills were brown and filled with old cars, barbed wire, junk.
I went to eat at a diner, but when the check came I couldn’t figure out the tip and kept asking pat to help me with the math. The waitress laughed at me and I told her to FUCK OFF! YOU’RE NOT GETTING A TIP NOW! and when I left I decided that I had wasted too much time not digging out and it was time to get back to work. The road was covered with horse shit – it was like cleaning out a stall. Horse shit and snow. It was so heavy, but I needed this road. I grabbed a shovel and began scraping and throwing. A little boy helped me and then suddenly a little girl and the three of us were deep in our work, shoveling snow and finally I looked up to find the sun had thawed the rest.