Linda On Ice

Linda and Mia walked out the door of their hotel into the brisk cold of the winter air. Linda's hair whipped up and she clutched her scarf closely. Mia hadn't been kidding when she said it would be chilly. Linda looked over at Mia who seemed un-phased by the freezing breeze.

"Brrrrr, why is it so COLD," Linda said between chattering teeth.

"Well, it IS Park City after all," Mia said teasingly. "Don't worry, after a while, you'll hardly even notice it."

"You'd better be right. I don't want my tail to fall off from frostbite."

Taking a walk down main street, the sidewalks were lined with cute little bistros, local shops and some of the cutest locally designed jewelry. And Mia was right. After her fur had been given a chance to raise, it was like wearing another layer of clothing. However, Linda was much too enthralled by the local culture to give that a second thought.

"This place is so beautiful," Linda exclaimed as they walked together. "The snow-covered mountains and the cute little shops are so fun. How did you find this place?"

"Well, my parents used to come skiing here all the time," Mia said. "They would stay for weeks at a time and always drag me along even though I hated skiing. At first, I really hated Park City but when I became a teenager, my parents gave me the option to go skiing with them or see the city by myself. I thought anything would be better than going skiing with my parents AGAIN so I decided to look around the town. I instantly loved all the shops they had here and got this beautiful bracelet made from raw amber. I like to wear it every time I come here."

"Oh, can I see it?" Linda asked, excited.

"Sure," Mia replied. She held out her wrist and Linda gasped when she saw the bracelet. Strung on a black, leather cord were bright, golden pieces of amber, no two shapes exactly the same. Inside, she could see glistening flakes which made the entire bracelet sparkle in the sunlight.

"Oh my god, it's so beautiful!" Linda cried. "And it looks so good on you too."

"We could find you something like it," Mia said.

"Oh, no," said Linda. "Amber has never looked very good on me. But I do love jade. I used to have an old Jade necklace but I accidentally cracked it two years ago. I always wanted to get another. Do you know of anywhere that might have Jade?"

"I know there's a Chinese shop down the street. They probably have some jade stuff."

"Oh good," Linda said, clapping her hands. She was so eager that she didn't notice that Mia had stopped.

"Um, Linda-?" Mia said, but Linda carried on.

"I hope they have some bracelets or rings too because- HRK!"

Linda suddenly felt her paws slipping and flung her arms out in a panic. A loud screech came from her claws which had instinctively extended, scraping across the ice. Her tail poofed out abruptly and her teeth clenched. She had gotten so wrapped up in talking that she didn't she had walked right onto an ice-skating rink.

"AH! Help me," Linda shouted.

"I didn't know you had claws," said Mia.

"Mia! Just help me!"

"Oh my god, your tail looks SO funny," Mia chuckled.

"MIA!"