The second victory

"The Jeep slid dangerously on the icy surface and Sergeant Willis got out to put on the chains. As he fastened them, Major Mark Hanlon jumped onto the road and, through his binoculars, began to scan the mountains. It was then that he saw the skier, a tiny black and motionless figure. A moment later, he began to move, gaining speed, in a flurry of snow – a terrible, death-defying dive down the perilous slope. Hanlon watched him, holding his breath, waiting for the fall. But the skier emerged further ahead, faster and faster, until he could finally see the grey of his uniform, the green chevrons of the Alpenjager Regiment, the rifle slung over his shoulder between his shoulders, and the gleam of the polished barrel of his pistol. An Austrian soldier, armed and in combat uniform. Yet, the war had ended months ago..."