The Golden City

Through the watery blur of her frost-numbed eyes, Njoro could see lights.
A golden glow shone through the blue monotony, and she didn’t know if this was a clear sign of her passing between the worlds for a final time as the woman Njoro from Lhasa - or if it was an actual light source back here in the material world.
Every cell in her body was cold as the grave, and she could barely move anymore, yet the view of the light gave her a final energy boost to crawl across the dry snow in its direction.
As she got closer, she could see that the light came from behind a tall gate set in an entrance to a tunnel leading underground, beneath the surface of the ice.
With the last of her strength, she got up on her feet and stumbled towards the gate – into her death, her rescue – or both.
The enormous metal doors of the gate were wide open, and just as she saw that the light was coming from further down the tunnel beyond, she fell.
She felt so endlessly tired, and just as she drifted off, lying in the cold snow, she thought she could hear voices.
And then there was nothing.