A Ray of Hope

Life on the farm was dreary for a while after the attack, the people of the village had seemingly lost all hope in the future. Families were rapidly leaving, afraid that if they remain there they will inevitably starve over the coming winter.

The atmosphere at their household was no better, especially now that Johannes was unable to do any work due to his injury.

Haruki questioned to himself whether it would be best for him to leave again to relieve some of their burden, or if there was any way he could help improve the situation.

Johannes had told him that the village still had a couple weeks worth of work to do in order to finish the fall planting before winter arrives. However, with the future looking so bleak and there not being enough Rindwyr left to pull the heavy plows, nobody wanted to continue the work.

If they couldn’t finish their planting for the fall, then even in the best-case scenario of everyone surviving the winter their harvest for the next year would be reduced. This could steam-roll into a problem that could take several years to recover from.

And who knows? If their village was raided once, it could always happen again at any moment.

These were all things that Haruki took into consideration when thinking about whether he should leave.

After a couple days he decided to talk with Johannes and Lillianna about it, venting everything he had been thinking about to them.

“...So, what do you two think? It’s your call; I’m willing to head back to the farm I was staying at immediately if you want me to.”

“I don’t want you to leave again, Haruki.” Lillianna placed both of her hands around one of Haruki’s. “With uncle being injured and me having to look after him, we both need you here.”

“She’s right, son,” Johannes added. “You’re always free to leave, but if we were to lose you now, that would only make things more difficult for us.”

Haruki couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of happiness, this was the first time he had ever felt truly needed by somebody else. He just wished it could be under better circumstances.

“So please, Haruki, won’t you stay?” Lillianna pleaded.

Haruki held both of Lillianna’s hands firmly. “Of course, I’d be glad to stay and help.”

She hugged him. “Thank you, Haruki.”

Haruki wanted to bask in the warm, pleasant feelings of being accepted by these two, but he could only think of the trials that awaited them in the winter.

Even if I stay here, how much of a difference can I make? Can I really help Johannes and Lillianna?

Haruki felt the soft skin of the girl who was still holding onto him, and looked across the room at the smiling face of the kind man who had saved his life just a few months ago.

I can’t let them down! If I’m going to stay here, I swear that I will help them in one way or another. Just like they saved me, I will save them… along with the entire village!

***

The next morning Haruki was already out on the fields by sunrise. The past few days the other farmers had given up on finishing the fall planting, so there was nobody else out there.

He carried a mattock in his hand, a tool with a pickaxe blade on one side and a flat, hoe-like blade on the other. He began slamming it into the earth, ripping apart and loosening the top layer of the soil.

He did this all day, until he couldn’t move his arms anymore. In a whole day he only managed to till as much land as a pair of Rindwyr pulling a heavy plow could do in a few minutes.

Nevertheless, he returned the next day and did the same thing. And then the day after that. And the day after that.

The first people to notice his efforts were, of course, Lillianna and Johannes.

Lillianna begged him to stop wearing himself ragged every day for so little, but Haruki wouldn’t give it up.

“Somebody has to do something,” he kept telling her. “Even if I don’t get it all done before winter, every meter I plow means another meter of wheat we can plant for next year.”

After a few days of doing this, Rudolph and his father Sven also noticed Haruki out working the fields.

“What’s that neighbor boy doing out there?” Sven asked. “He’s not gonna get anything done plowing by hand like that, he’ll just work himself to death.”

Rudolph just stood there silently, staring out into the field at Haruki.

“Father, I’m going to be borrowing the plow,” Rudolph said.

“What? I won’t permit ya’ to use any Rindwyr, we have to keep them fat until it’s time to butcher them.”

“I won’t be using any Rindwyr, the plow is all I’ll need.”

“What do ya’ mean, son?”

Rudolph didn’t reply, he just went into the barn and picked up the plow with one hand, slinging it up onto his shoulder. He carried it out past his father and onto the field.

“Haruki! Stop wasting your time like that, I’ll help you do it faster.” He dropped the plow down onto the ground beside Haruki.

“Are you gonna go get a couple of your family’s Rindwyr to pull it?” Haruki asked.

“You don’t need those beasts when you have me.”

Rudolph picked up the rope attached to the plow, wrapping it around his chest and under his arms, then tied a knot to form a loop.

“No, seriously… we can’t pull a plow without any farm animals.”

Rudolph didn’t say anything, he just started pulling the plow through the dirt at a walking speed.

Haruki stood there, dumbfounded at the sight. Rudolph was pulling the plow with the same strength as two male Rindwyr. He didn’t think such strength was possible.

Could Rudolph secretly be magic? Lillianna had once said that she was the only person she knew about around here with magic blood in her, but this guy has to be descended from a giant or something!

“Come on, Haruki! I need someone to steer the plow for this to work!”

Haruki snapped out of his trance and ran up behind him, steering the plow as Rudolph pulled it.

They worked the rest of the day like this, Rudolph seemingly never tiring from the task. Haruki was just glad to give his arms a bit of rest after swinging the mattock for the past few days.

The two of them were getting the fields plowed just as fast as if they were using animals. Soon enough, other people from around the village began to gather and watch them as they worked.

Even Sven couldn’t believe the sight he was seeing, that his son was capable of such a thing.

“Well Sven, how about it?”

Sven turned around and saw Johannes walking over to him, his arm resting in the homemade sling. The two men stood side-by-side as they watched the boys plow the fields.

“The one Rindwyr we still have at my place is male, and I believe one of the Rindwyr you folks managed to save is also a bull,” Johannes said. “If you’re willin’ to work with me, we can lend them to the neighbors and get another plow goin’. It’ll help the village’s recovery come spring.”

Sven sighed. “Fine, fine. If it’ll help out the village, I’m willing to set aside the one Rindwyr until the planting season is over.”

“That aside, look at those boys go!” Johannes laughed. “I never woulda’ believed it if I weren’t seein’ it with my own eyes!”

“That boy Haruki, have ya’ decided to keep him at your place for good now?” Sven asked.

“Hmm… as long as Haruki’s willin’ to stay, we’ll gladly welcome him.”

“How about your niece? Are ya’ intending for Haruki to marry her?”

“Well, that’ll ultimately be up to Lilly now, won't it?” Johannes replied.

The people of the village continued to watch the two young men as they plowed the fields in their own unique way, the determination of the duo rubbing off on them.

The two youths were shining brilliantly in spite of their difficult situation, like a lone ray of light piercing through a cloudy sky.