Somewhere In The Forest

Simple

It was the same as every other day, the snow coated the land in the white, thick quilt, laid layer by layer over the past few days. To be honest, I hate the cold, hate the mud that now covers every path and clearing, and hate the endless winter here. How you could hate something you've known since day one seemed odd, but who cared anyway? No one. That's how this town functioned and would continue till the end of its time.

I turned away from the gust of wind, blowing a sharp puff of cold straight into my face. I clutched the bag in my hand tighter while speeding up my pace towards home. A few people walked the same path, cloaks covering their faces as they swept past. Today was especially fierce, the wind whipping everything with its blowing snow.

The cobblestone steps up into the cottage were coated in a thin layer of ice, just waiting for me to slip up one day. I clutched the railing despite my skin's protest at the nearly burning sensation from the cold. The three tiny steps were now easy for me to navigate despite the layer of ice, as I had to walk them at least a few times a day no matter how cold it was.

The wooden door swung open with a slam against the wall, I winced at the crash it made before slamming it shut with my body weight.

"Sorry!" I called out apologetically, kicking my boots off on the rug so the snow didn't track it anymore.

"Did you get the vegetables?" My sister asked, coming around the corner from the kitchen expectantly. I raised the bag up in response, handing it to her while undoing the clasp at the front of my cloak.

My sister was a lot like me, curt, tough, and fiercely loyal, but looked nothing alike. While I looked exactly like our mother, curly brown hair, ghostly pale skin, and built like a dainty willow tree she was a copy and paste of our father. Nearly pitch black hair, tanned skin, and an hourglass figure, her hair was also nearly to her waist while mine was cut shoulder length to help keep it out of my face.

"Hopefully she gave us a nice variety this week instead of just beets" she sneered, glancing at me with a teasing look before disappearing into the kitchen. I chuckled softly, shaking off the last of the snow stuck to my hair and legs before following her.

"Did your suitor come to serenade you today?" I jeered, leaning against the wall while Miriam pulled out a carrot from the bag her smile dropped immediately at my jest. She whirled her head around, glaring at me,

"That is not a good joke Fawn! You know Joseph is only trying to be polite and help us." She turned her head back around, chopping off the top of the carrot with too much force.

"Oh yes, definitely not interested in gaining your favor at all with his daily visits with extremely hard-to-find flowers" I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I took my place beside her, washing off the next vegetable she planned to cut up.

"He is only being nice after our... loss" she sighed, going back to a gentle steady rhythm while cutting the rest of the carrot before tossing it into the pot.

Our parents had died only a few months ago, they had gone to hunt and never returned, and their horses had amazingly found their way back home a week after they'd left. Joseph and his father had gone out to look for them only to come back with their cloaks, confirming they had both frozen to death one night.

"He has always had an eye for you Miriam, it's always been evident since we were young" I responded, choosing to ignore the sensitive topic.

"I am not saying it to get you upset, I think Joseph is a fine man and you should acknowledge his interest in you instead of brushing the poor man off." I was even-toned, trying to portray I was serious instead of just jabbing at her. She didn't respond for a long moment, continuing to chop up the next vegetable I handed to her,