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.

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

after peak, hadn’t brought us any closer to home. We’d even gone so far that we were in another

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

age, ran out of

conferred with the man for a while. He then grew noticeably calmer and lowered the axe in his

toward us and gestured. Uncomprehendingly, Tabitha made a few hesitant motions with her hands

He did, however, let us into his

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

have used decades ago. The lamp burned dimly at a bare fifty watts, probably to save

fact, a tent stitched together out of

heaps of blackened dirt that covered the tent

two bowls from a cabinet and placed them before

continued to gesture furiously. He seemed

bowls in front of us. The food was steeped in chili. Nora

think it’s supposed to be a starting dish. Shall we try it?” Tabitha exclaimed rather adventurously. She had more of an appetite

The flavor of the pickled onions, spicy with a hint of

been a few days since we’d really tasted anything. The pickled onions thus thoroughly satisfied our

daughter squatted in a corner. They gazed at us with curiosity and awe, mixed with a tinge of

in her attempts to communicate with them. Along with her hand signals, she deliberately spoke a few basic

daughter came to understand that we were here to borrow