On a lonely road, in a forgotten stretch of country, a worthless cart is pulled by a tired old horse. The man that drives sits solidly on the wooden bench, his shoulders are wide and strong but slump as if they have bore the weight of mountains. His eyes are dark and the shadows around them display his exhaustion. As tired as he is, he continues to scan the horizon, his body does not move, but he takes in his surroundings quickly.
The land around the cart is barren and gray. In the distance down the road, the man can make out the dark silhouette of a mountain range. The edge of the known world. No human had crossed to the other side, and as far as the man knew, no one planned to make the trip any time soon. Least of all him. The other side didn’t concern him, but his destination lay at the foot of them.
A gentle sniffle could be heard amidst the rags and baskets in the cart. A toddler’s voice quietly drifted up and towards the man.
“Dada?”
“Yes, love?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Me too. We are close.” The girl was silent and the steady creak and shift of the cart filled the space again. “We are close.” The man’s voice sounded unsure, but his gaze fixed on the horizon. You could see the desperate hope in his eyes.
“Can you see it, Papa?”
“No, not yet. But I can see the mountains.”
“D’ere are mountains?” The girl’s voice in the cart became louder and a shifting of rags and bundles could be heard as she emerged and sat up to look at the land ahead of them. “Ohhh, I see them!” A small hand pointed at the road ahead. “Rin, Rin!”
A groan could be heard along with the shifting of the cart, a boy emerged bleary eyed with drool running down his chin. The girl continued to poke him in the shoulder as she excitedly pointed off in the distance.
“Rin! Rin! Rin!”
“I’m up. I’m up.” He coughed as he started to sit. He pulled his head to one side and a soft crack was heard in his neck.
“Mountains, Rin.”
The boy squinted as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he looked off into the distance, following his sister’s finger. “Wow, Sprout. Yeah, those are mountains. They sure look big, don’t they?”
“Yeah, Rin! They look so huge!” Sprout turned to Rin and excitedly jumped on his lap. “Have you ever seen mountains that big, Rin?” The boy laughed and a soft chuckle could also be heard from his father.
“Sprout, you’ve seen as many mountains as your brother.”
“You never seen mountains afore, Rin?” Her eyes grew big as she stared at her brother.
“Nope. These are the first.” Rin peered over the cart’s front bench. “They are massive.”
“Massif?” Sprout’s voice was small.
“Massive. Means really big. They must be really big, Sprout.”
“You have no idea.” Their father said from the front. He turned and spat off towards the side of the road. Soon a wind blew from the direction they were heading, it was cold and it cut through the measly clothing the small family wore. Rin pulled his sister close and she shivered against him.
“Is it cold d’ere, Dada? By the mountains?”
“Yes it can be cold there.” He drew the reins in and the old horse slowed to a stop. “But in the summer, it is just as warm as anywhere else.”
“Is it warm d’ere now?” Sprout asked hopefully. “I’m so chilly.” She turned her small head and buried into her brother’s chest. Rin pulled a blanket up and covered her small form as she huddled against him.
Her father chuckled again as he shifted his weight and slid off the driver’s bench. “No, sweetheart. It won’t be summer again for some time.” Even as he said this a single small white flake drifted into his field of vision. The man looked up and disappointment crept across his face. He walked to the back of the cart and removed a small sack of grain along with the empty bag for feeding. As he turned to walked towards the front of the cart he called his son’s name. “Rin.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re up as soon as Daisy’s finished.”
“You got it.” The boy tried to separate himself from his sister which caused her to whine. “Dad needs to rest, Sprout. You can cuddle up next to him.”
“Daddy!”
Rin crept over the front of the cart and made himself at home on the driver’s seat. He looked up at the flat gray sky with a grimace that matched his father’s. “Snows coming, dad.”
“I saw that.”
“How much farther?”
“Not sure, maybe a day.” Their father stood next to Daisy and gently patted her side as she ate. He looked at the meager bag of grain and shook it. His thoughts were as oppressive as the dark mountains ahead of him. He turned and looked up at his son. “Hopefully a day.”
“Get some rest, dad. I’ll get us there.”
“Take it easy on her.” He peered into the small grain bag. “She’s going to be hungry soon, and there’s almost nothing left.”
“Okay.” The man tied up the bag and walked towards the back of the cart. Soon, the small wooden cart shifted as the weight of the man fell upon it’s back. Sprout let out a soft squeal of delight as she launched herself onto her father’s lap.
“Daddy!”
“Hey, Sprout.” He did his best to shift their belongings and find a place to rest. His hammers and tools took up a large portion of the cart, those were too heavy to move.
“You guys all set?”
“Ready when you are, Rin.” Rin flicked the reins and Daisy began the last leg of their journey.
“I’m hungry, daddy.”
“Me too, baby. Rin you hungry?”
A snort of laughter came from the boy and he didn’t turn back. “Uh, yeah.” A few moments passed and their stomachs all rumbled with near desperate hunger. They’d been on the road for almost two weeks and what little food they had found on their journey had been finished more than a day ago. All that was left was a pathetic amount of grain for Daisy and a few strips of dried meat that the father and son agreed to save for their smallest family member. Their father prayed that they were close. The desolate landscape around them yielded nothing this time of year and the coming storm had frightened off any kind of wildlife.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a thin, dark brown, piece of dried meat. He ripped the strip into two small pieces.
“Here, love.” A small white hand emerged from the bundle on his chest and took the meat.
“Thanks daddy.” He brought his chin down to his chest and kissed the top of his daughter’s head.
“You’re welcome.” He could hear her chewing her food and feel her tearing off little bites. Soon her hand emerged again, a small piece of meat left in her hand.
“Here daddy. You eat some.” He could see her eyes staring up at him from under the blanket. Small white flakes began to drift and rest carefully on the rough wool. “Take some. I don’t need any more.”
“That’s okay, I’m not that hungry.”
“But you said…”
“I know, but I want you to have it.”
“Maybe Rin wants some?” She went to turn towards where her brother sat, but he answered before she could ask.
“Listen to dad, Sprout. Eat up.”
“M’okay” The hand disappeared and soon the father could feel her chewing the small morsel. A sigh escaped from the father as he tilted his head back. Soft flakes fell into his beard and on his face. He was warm enough in the back of the cart that the snow felt like a relief. He even opened up his mouth and waited to catch a few on his tongue.
The journey so far had been hard, but he was proud of his two little ones. Sprout had been so courageous and Rin had been so strong. Together, they helped each other. What more could a father ask for? He only hoped that he would not let them down. He only vaguely knew of their destination. Rumor of this place could not be confirmed or denied, and because of this he was scared.
He was scared that they had abandoned all they knew, travelled all this way, only to find disappointment or worse…
His daughter’s voice broke his thoughts.
“I miss mommy.” Sprout burrowed into her father’s large form and he wrapped her up in a blanket and his arms. He let out another large sigh. It was becoming routine, and he wasn’t sure how much longer it would be before wistful thoughts became emotional breakdowns, but for now he merely agreed.
“I miss mommy too, Sprout.” He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of his daughter against his chest. With his big strong hands he gently rubbed his daughters back through the blankets as he spoke again. “I miss mommy too.”
“Do you miss mommy, Rin?” Sprout asked. The only sound that answered her was the flicking of the reins and the whisper of cold wind. She tilted her head up and looked at her father, but before she could speak the man answered her.
“He misses mommy too, baby.” He whispered to her. “Let Rin drive, he’s got a long way to go.” A rough hand rested gently upon the girl’s head and she felt her father pull her closer. She closed her eyes and let the rock and sway of the cart lull her to sleep. Her father closed his eyes, but before sleep took him he lifted one arm and placed it upon his son’s back. He held it there until Rin moved. Several moments passed.
Rin eventually straightened his back and rolled his shoulders. He seemed to be more attentive and alert. He tried to hide what he did next, but his father could see it clearly. After he rolled his shoulders, he quickly lifted one hand from the reins and wiped the tears away from his face. When the silence threatened to take Rin’s thoughts to darker places, his father spoke softly from where he lay.
“I love you, Rin.” 
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