When There Is Nothing Left But Love

Nora turned to me and queried, “Scarlett, if we indeed get to go home this time around, what would you want to do most of all?”

What did I want? That question lingered in my mind as I continued trudging forward, deep in thought.

There wasn’t any food I was especially craving. After a moment’s pause, I concluded, “I want to see the person I miss most, give him a hug, and apologize to him face-to-face.”

Nora seemed taken by surprise. Then she curiously pressed, “Is it somebody you’re in love with?”

I gave her a faint smile but declined to reply.

Night had fallen when we finally reached saw signs of human life. The village we’d arrived at was located in quite a rural area of the mountains, and perhaps due to its inaccessibility, there didn’t seem to be many inhabitants around.

From the number of lamps we’d counted shining in the dark, there were probably thirty to forty households scattered throughout the village.

“Let’s find a place to hunker down for the night,” Nora suggested, already making her way towards the door of the nearest cottage.

“Woof! Woof!” A dog suddenly rushed out into the yard and began sounding the alert at our sudden intrusion.

We clung to each other, terrified. Fortunately, the dog was leashed to a rope. It strained against its tether, barking continuously.

The owner of the cottage had evidently heard the ruckus. Out stepped a middle-aged man with tan, weathered skin.

of us understood what he was trying to say. After a while, Tabitha gasped. “We might have unknowingly crossed the border into

journey we’d made, crossing peak after peak, hadn’t brought us any closer to home. We’d even

tongue threw us all into disarray. Upon seeing our confused faces, the owner of the cottage seemed to further mistake our intentions. He waved his axe at us threateningly in a bid to chase us off his

young woman, approximately sixteen years of age, ran out of the cottage just then.

a while. He then

turned toward us and gestured. Uncomprehendingly, Tabitha made a few

if he understood. He did, however, let us into

stripped down within. Its clay walls were caked with soot, doubtless from the fire that was burning in

sort that farming villages would have used decades ago. The lamp burned dimly at a bare fifty watts, probably to save on electricity costs. Shadows filled the

fact, a tent stitched together out of gunny sacks. There was dust everywhere. It turned

small heaps of blackened dirt that covered the

from a cabinet and placed

to gesture furiously. He seemed to be inviting us to

front of us. The food was steeped in chili. Nora recoiled ever

Tabitha exclaimed rather adventurously. She had more of an

day, we dug in rather gratefully. The flavor of the pickled onions, spicy

we’d really tasted anything. The pickled onions

a corner. They gazed

them. Along with her hand signals, she deliberately spoke a few

that we were here to borrow a device to