The Parted Way

Chapter 3

One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

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The morning passed quickly; in the midst of a howling wind, I roused Liza from her bedroll. She met my eye with a determined frown, then asked.

"Are there any dried apples? I hadn't seen any."

"I'm not sure…maybe."

"Fine."

The fire had gone out sometime during the night. Seeing it as a wasted effort to rekindle it, we ate dry provisions, washed down by stale canteen water.

The dim light of encroaching dawn showed shallowly through the treetops as we packed our blankets and took it in turns to survey the ruins one last time.

Nothing was burning anymore; all that remained of anything was blackened husks and mournful memories; already fading neath the new shallow blanket of windblown powder.

"Come on Liza…It's time."

"Alright...I can't stand to look at this place anymore."

Despite her insistence, I take the cart first; with her falling into step beside me.
The razer snow stung as it rode upon the breadth of a howling north wind until finally, we reached the shelter of the tree covered roadway.

With a small pang of grief, I realized that this was the same side trail we had taken from the road the day previous. Dozens of footprints lead into it. Only four journeyed outward.

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Hours passed without a word between us; nothing to be heard beyond the distant whistling of the breeze, broken by the steady crunching monotony of our own footsteps. The scenery around us seemed to hold an immortal, unchanging aspect; impenetrable black trees and immaculate virgin snow as far as could be seen in any direction; as beautiful and terrible as all of creation in its way.

Even the ravens we're absent for a time; such a dreadful kind of serenity it was. It left me no recourse but to think.

I thought of home; of mother and her good-natured nagging; of father and his outlandish stories. I thought of warm bread, and the smell of wood stain; freshly cut pine stacked neatly by the doorway and church services held indoors.

Things that seem so far away.

Eventually, we do reach a break in the trees; they give way to vast pastureland on the left while the rightmost side of the road remains forested.
The remains of old cow fences dot the roadside here and there; half are fallen or deeply bowed in the center beams; clearly, they had been left unattended for decades.

The sky had cleared up somewhat since yesterday; piercing beams of sunlight shone through gaps in the cloud cover, filling the road ahead with their radiance, even as we walked yet in shadow.

"Are you warm enough? There's an extra coat in the cart."

"…I'm fine."
She replies

"Are you hungry yet? I'm not, but we could always-

"I said I'm fine."
She answers curtly.

As if on cue, I'm jolted to a halt as the left cart wheel catches on a stone. She doesn't stop to wait for me as I free the obstruction, and I have to run to catch up.

"…Do you know how to read?"
I ask, slightly out of breath.

Confused; she answers defensively.

"Of course I do. I'm not stupid!"

"Have you read many books?"

"…A few, mostly just poetry."