8. When We Are In Need Today

Elias frowned and unbuckled the strap. The pouch was heavy, far heavier than it should have been. He opened the drawstrings and tilted it toward the firelight.

He looked at the stranger. The old man wasn't looking at him. He was looking past Elias, toward the corner where Clara lay, her eyes wide and reflecting the firelight. 8. When We Are in Need

He waited, his heart hammering against his ribs. Then, another thud, lower down this time, followed by a wet, sliding sound against the wood. Elias frowned and unbuckled the strap

They had been in the valley for six months. They had come for the promise of open land, of a place where a man could breathe without inhaling the soot of the mills. But the valley was a jealous host. It had locked them in early with an October blizzard that had never truly lifted, and now, in the dead of what they guessed was February, the flour barrel was a hollow drum and the tallow was nearly gone. He looked at the stranger

Elias sat back on his heels, staring at the pile of food. It was enough to keep him and Clara alive for a month. More than enough.

Clara’s eyes flickered open, wide and dark with a sudden, primitive terror. In the wilderness, anything at the door in the dead of winter was either starving or dying.