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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Long</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Storied</strong> <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Jose</strong> <strong>Montoya</strong> 86warm on noses <strong>and</strong> foreheads, the crowd <strong>of</strong> churchgoers from the Camp bounced <strong>and</strong> slid their way toa field <strong>of</strong> drifted snow edged by a tall hill that rose up from the farml<strong>and</strong> like a single, gleaming whitebreast.<strong>Jose</strong> <strong>and</strong> Eudora <strong>and</strong> the others struggled to the top, dragging sleds <strong>and</strong> stumbling <strong>and</strong> sweatinginto cold air. <strong>The</strong> view from the top was sweeping, rolling fields <strong>and</strong> lesser hills covered in white likesheets in beautiful disarray. <strong>Jose</strong> <strong>and</strong> Eudora held h<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> looked out <strong>and</strong> then down; the hill theyhad just climbed seemed impossibly steep, the bottom impossibly far away. <strong>The</strong>y climbed onto thesmall wooden toboggan that <strong>Jose</strong> had carried up. Eudora wanted at first to be in front, hanging over theedge <strong>of</strong> the hill <strong>and</strong> looking straight down with nothing to hold her but love. After a moment <strong>of</strong>thought, however, she changed her mind <strong>and</strong> her position, snuggling up against <strong>Jose</strong>'s back <strong>and</strong>clutching him around his waist. She didn't want to see what was coming, <strong>and</strong> instead decided that shewould hold onto love to keep her safe <strong>and</strong> shielded.<strong>Jose</strong> started the toboggan inching forward towards the lip <strong>of</strong> the hill, to the encouraging taunts<strong>of</strong> the rest <strong>of</strong> the group. <strong>The</strong> front <strong>of</strong> the sled hung over the edge momentarily, balanced betweengravity <strong>and</strong> the weight <strong>of</strong> the couple, until an inch more <strong>of</strong> movement allowed the laws <strong>of</strong> the world toassert their full force. <strong>The</strong> nose <strong>of</strong> the sled tipped, <strong>and</strong> down the hill they went.<strong>The</strong> pair accelerated quickly. Every minor bump on the face <strong>of</strong> the hill became a ramp, liftingthe two briefly into the air <strong>and</strong> causing them to cling more tightly <strong>and</strong> yell with delight as they bumpedback down. <strong>Jose</strong> in the front wished that he could see more <strong>of</strong> the trip, but the speed <strong>and</strong> the glare fromthe snow were forcing him to squint to the point where he could see almost nothing. Eudora waspressed tightly against his back, <strong>and</strong> nestling closer with every bump.<strong>The</strong> bottom <strong>of</strong> the hill was close <strong>and</strong> the flat expanse <strong>of</strong> the field was tilting up to meet them. Afinal dip <strong>and</strong> bump, larger than they could see from the top, waited patiently <strong>and</strong> then launched the twoon their little toboggan sailing into the air. <strong>Jose</strong> felt Eudora squeeze him even tighter as she leaned into
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