//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 Catastrophe // Story: Nueva-Delhi and the Snow Catastrophe // by oranzinispegasas //------------------------------// The wave was so powerful that it knocked everyone off their feet. For a moment, Nueva-Delhi felt herself spinning and twirling, almost on the verge of drowning. Along with the wave, she forcefully collided with the heavy steel gates of the factory. Struggling, Nueva-Delhi realized she couldn't swim and feared she might drown. Then came a deafening screech, followed by the sound of shattering glass. The second reservoir had burst. Water surged even more forcefully. Eventually, the gates gave in with a thunderous creak, parting ways. Nueva-Delhi felt the pull of a new wave carrying her away. Desperately, she tried to grasp onto something, but found herself once again in the nauseating carousel. What made things worse was that the wave carried not only living beings but also various objects. Nueva-Delhi dreaded colliding with them, especially the large and sharp ones. To Nueva-Delhi, it seemed like the torrent would never cease. She was tossed and thrown in different directions, colliding with several walls, acquiring bruises and scrapes. Meanwhile, the water seemed to be ever-increasing. Soon, this nightmare came to an end... *** Nueva-Delhi abruptly opened her eyes and coughed. Water rushed out of her throat like a fountain. The sensations were repulsive. Nueva-Delhi placed a hoof on her chest and continued coughing for a while. She looked up. A penguin in a white coat and a hat with a red cross stood before her, leaning in. "Can you speak?" he inquired. "Yes," Nueva-Delhi managed to rasp out with a hoarse voice. "Excellent," the penguin began jotting down notes. "I'll direct you to the hospital. They'll provide additional assistance. Can you manage to get there yourself?" He looked at Nueva-Delhi over the top of his notepad. Her head was still spinning, and she was shivering from the cold. After all, she had just bathed in icy water, and her limbs were trembling spasmodically. Nueva-Delhi struggled to stand properly. The surroundings were chaotic, with penguins rushing around providing first aid. There was widespread destruction, and crystalline deposits from frozen water adorned the buildings. Only now did Nueva-Delhi notice they were standing on a roof, overlooking icy streets below where some animals were trapped. How lucky she was to be swept onto the roof. Otherwise, who knows when she would have been freed. "Uh, miss?" the penguin prompted. "Oh yes!" Nueva-Delhi snapped back to reality and didn't want to burden the doctor-penguin with unnecessary troubles. Others also needed help. "Yes, of course. No problem." The penguin nodded, tore a sheet from his notepad, and handed it to Nueva-Delhi. She took it, and the penguin smoothly slid down from the roof. Nueva-Delhi looked at the sheet. It had an address and the doctor's name written on it. A gentle breeze blew, penetrating Nueva-Delhi's soaked body to the bones. She shivered, shook her shoulders, and started moving forward. Her attempt to descend from the roof wasn't as graceful as the doctor-penguin's, resulting in a knee bruise to accompany the cold. Nueva-Delhi sniffled and got back on her feet. Her throat was terribly scratchy, and her head was still spinning. She sat down for a moment, deciding to wait until the dizziness subsided. In this condition, moving was perilous, and she had time to reflect on what had just happened. Things were getting stranger. First, the rebellion, the factory management's negative attitude towards them, the new technologies... And, in the end, why did the reservoir burst? Was it intentional? Did someone deliberately break it? But they surely knew it would harm not only the factory but also the common residents. Or was it just an unfortunate accident? Why on such an important day for the factory and the city? Suddenly, she heard a cry for help. Nueva-Delhi immediately stood up and looked around. For a second, she thought she might have imagined it. She listened more attentively, twitching her ear. The cry echoed again, coming from the north. Nueva-Delhi slowly moved in that direction. Walking was incredibly challenging as her hooves slid on the ice, causing her to fall several times. Finally, she managed to reach the destination. A well was just a few steps away, and the cry was emanating from inside. Nueva-Delhi approached the well and peered in. Someone was struggling in the water at the bottom. In the dimness, only bright green eyes were visible. The trapped one seemed to have noticed Nueva-Delhi. "Help me!" he shouted louder, scratching the walls with his claws. "Please, I beg you!" "Of course," Nueva-Delhi replied immediately. She snapped back to attention and began scanning her surroundings for something long. The well was made of stone but lacked a cover or bucket, which complicated matters. The poor soul was fortunate to fall into this particular well. Nueva-Delhi circled around the well area. Empty buckets, uprooted fir trees, Christmas baubles... And then luck struck. She found a long garland torn off a house. It was torn, but despite that, it was still long enough. Nueva-Delhi wound the garland into a coil and approached the well. The trapped one had started worrying that she had forgotten about him, but when he noticed the horse's face appearing, his eyes immediately lit up with joy. "I found a rope," Nueva-Delhi said. "Great," came the reply from the well. "Lower it down here." Nueva-Delhi wanted to comply immediately, but then she froze. If she did that, he wouldn't be able to climb up. He was currently in the water and, obviously, his paws were slippery. He wouldn't be able to grip the garland. Something else was needed... "What's the matter?" the trapped one asked anxiously. "This won't help you at all," Nueva-Delhi said. "We need to think of something else." "What are you talking about?" persisted the one stuck in the well. "Wait," Nueva-Delhi replied shortly. She stepped away from the well and looked around. There was a tree growing nearby, its long branches hanging directly over the well's abyss. An idea struck Nueva-Delhi's mind immediately. She approached the tree closely and threw the end of the garland. She wanted to toss it over the branch, but it took her a few attempts. Only the fifth attempt succeeded. Nueva-Delhi let out a hoarse cry of joy and cautiously lowered the end of the garland into the well. "The end of the rope will appear soon," she shouted. "You'll need to tie it around yourself." Half of the garland disappeared into the well at that pace, and Nueva-Delhi felt a slight tug. The one stuck in the well grabbed hold of the end and started wrapping the garland around himself. Nueva-Delhi waited. "Done," came the shout from the well a moment later. Nueva-Delhi had to exert all her strength. The victim turned out to be heavier than expected. With each step, it became increasingly difficult. But Nueva-Delhi persevered, and soon, grey cat paws emerged from the well. They clung to the well's edge. Nueva-Delhi made another effort, and following the paws came the ears, and then the face. "Alright, you can let go now," the cat shouted. "I'll manage from here." Nueva-Delhi released the garland. The cat untied it from himself, and it quickly spun through the branch and fell to the bottom of the well. The cat agilely climbed onto the edge of the well with all four paws and shook himself off. Nueva-Delhi needed time to catch her breath. The cat stood on his hind legs and put his paw on his chest. "You saved me," he said. Nueva-Delhi waved it off. "It's nothing!" "Not at all," insisted the cat. "I owe you." "Don't talk nonsense," Nueva-Delhi insisted. "It's nothing." "Why do you downplay your achievements?" the cat asked and sat down, dangling his legs. "I don't know," Nueva-Delhi replied. They were silent for a while. "I'm Vasilly," the cat suddenly said. Nueva-Delhi looked at him. "I'm Nueva-Delhi," she introduced herself. "I came to see the factory," she said with a smile. "I wanted to see the factory, and here I am... Taking an icy shower and catching a cold. And you?" "I'm a plumber," Vasilly replied. "I oversee the pipes at the factory. The pipe burst just as I was tightening the valve. Next thing I knew, I was here, right in the well." They fell silent again for a while. Nueva-Delhi sighed. "I need to get to the hospital," she said. "I'll escort you," Vasilly replied immediately and jumped down to the ground. "I'd appreciate that," Nueva-Delhi said with a smile. They moved forward along the street.