The Final Stretch

Since that day, Abel was nothing more than a shell of his former self. The ambitious boy that tried to make the best out of the situation he found himself in, who always looked for a silver lining in the darkest hour, was now nothing more than an emotionless husk who survived on instinct alone. 

And it was like this for weeks, almost months, in fact, as he continuously wandered through the forest, stopping only to eat and sleep, with nary a thought in his mind. 

That was until he caught sight of something. Something that triggered a core memory of his from long ago when he first arrived to this god-forsaken forest. The dead eyes he harbored for so long lit up for the first time in ages as he ran to the dirt path he spotted.

It wasn't exactly the first time he found one, but the others would usually lead to either a dead end or back to the river. But this one, this one was different. His eyes traveled along the trail, and sure enough, it led to what looked like a clearing, but unlike the others he'd found before, it looked much larger, like it was more than just that.

There was only one way to find out, so off he went, running down the trail as fast as his tired body could, realizing just how cold the ground was as his feet kicked off the dirt path.

C'mon, please let this lead to the main road, he thought to myself, really hoping it wasn't another dud. The trail was a lot longer than it seemed, but the closer he got to the exit, the harder he ran. 

Pushing himself to his limits, he finally made it through the exit. When he did, he couldn't believe his eyes, as what was before him was none other than the main road he come on so long ago.

Overcome with relief, he fell to his knees, crying from the overwhelming joy of making it this far. Unfortunately, his joyous moment was cut short, as a gust of cold air caused him to recoil into his tarp, which by this point had worn down into a tattered makeshift cloak.

Winter was fast approaching, and he didn't have the time to celebrate, not yet at least. Despite having a road to follow, he still new it was going to be a considerable amount of time before he made it anywhere near home.

He held on tight to the tarp-turned-cloak as he made his way down the road, already imagining the look on his parents face when he showed up despite all what he'd been through. Though he was excited, his speed was hindered by his exhaustion as well as the bone-chilling cold.

But his destination was there, he could practically see it now! All he had to do was push forward!

Mom, Dad, I'm coming!

***

Walking along the path back home brought me back to my senses. For awhile there, it felt like I lost myself, but now, knowing I just had to keep moving forward, I felt at ease, once more.

Despite it being straightforward, it still took time to traverse. I would sleep in bushes and shrubs at night to avoid the cold best I could while traveling when the sun was out. It was only two days later when I finally reached the lake that I had seen on our way over here.

Noticing how dirty and thirsty I was, I decided it would be a good idea to give it a visit. I even thought about washing my clothes, but knew that was probably not a good idea in this kind of weather.

As I ran over to the lake's edge, I got to see just how messy I really was off its reflection, my face covered in dry blood and dirt, thick enough that I could pick at it until it fell off. Not wanting to waste anymore time, I took my clothes off in a hurry, feeling the full brunt of the winter air on my bare body.

After drinking a bit from the lake, I looked down at it, knowing if I hesitated, I'd probably not want to go through with it. With that in mind, I closed my eyes and jumped in, feeling the cold water engulf me.

I washed and scrubbed myself as quickly as I could before it was too much for me to bear, surfacing as soon as I felt like I did enough. After shaking the water off, I took one more look at my reflection, feeling satisfied at the improvement.

After putting my clothes back on, I felt much better, like I was ready to take on the world. With renewed vigor, I set back off, knowing getting home was just but a matter of time.

***

The last few days were like the first, walking down the road, hiding out in some brush at night to fight off the cold, and trying to ignore a rumbling stomach. There weren't as many critters roaming around anymore, especially now that winter was upon us. Even if there were, I didn't want to eat one, despite how hungry I was. I knew the kind of mess it made whenever I did, and the last thing I wanted was for my parents to see my face covered in dry animal blood.

The only event that was worthwhile on this last stretch home was seeing a man on a horse pass me by. I tried to ask him for help, despite being hesitant at first, especially after what happened last time.

I tried waving down the man as he approached, hoping he'd stop, and for a moment it looked like he was. But as soon as he got near, the horse he was riding reacted to me the same way animals typically did, galloping away despite his rider's orders. I had almost forgotten I had that kind of effect on horse and other critters. In the end, nothing really changed as I continued trekking forward.

I looked around to see just how much further it was, hoping for another landmark to give me an idea of just where I was now. That's when I saw it, not too far in the distance, the fields that belonged to the village. Sure, there weren't any crops at this time of year, but the large patches of soil, as well as the fence that surrounded them, were definitely the same ones I saw last time!

Almost there! C'mon, Abel, you can do this!

With my goal practically in sight, I hurried it up. I could definitely make it there by tonight if I tried hard enough. At least, that's what I thought before I saw small white flecks floating down from the sky. Snow.

I held out my hand to grab a few, and sure enough, they turned to water as soon as they landed. Usually I'd be excited about the snow, but snowy days usually meant freezing nights. I wasn't sure if I could survive if I had to sleep through that.

There's no time to waste! I have to get home, now! I picked up the pace as much as the weather and my empty stomach would allow.

Please let me make it on time!