A small ravine was the destination we had been heading toward for four days now. We hoped everything we would need for a fresh beginning in life we carried with us. As the sun descended behind the mountains, the remaining sunlight sparkled on the snow. It would have overwhelmed me if I hadn't worn sunglasses. I remembered my mother telling a story from her childhood. She had lived in a village around a river precisely known as The Blind Man's River. The sun would reflect the snow so radiant that if you weren't careful, you could go blind. My father stopped and took off his glove before grabbing the GPS that hung from his neck. Pressing a button on the device, it beeped, then he peered down at it for a moment. "The map indicates a cavern coming up, we can make camp for the night there." "How far ahead?" My youngest sister Rebekka asked. My father glanced at the map again. "Not far, maybe two kilometres." Then he began moving again, and I followed behind him again. The snow was getting harder to trudge through as it collected on my snowshoes. Partially turning, I watched the rest of my household. After hours of hiking, my youngest brother lost the spring in his step. Nevertheless, I envied the four-year-old's energy and his innocent wonder. My mother had done her best to keep our lives pleasant when nations fell around us. It was difficult, to keep eight children's attention to their homework, and I was sure she had superpowers. I was the eldest, with five girls and three boys in that order. So I became her support, as our father spent long hours at work trying his best to contain the suffering, but what he saw shook him Nothing could disguise the look my father had every time he came home from work. In this new classification of war, he was the first line of defence. Arriving home mentally exhausted left him in a rotation of eating, sleeping, and fighting day after day. My family was one of the lucky ones, the ten of us could endure it entertained at home, and my father still had work. Fwoosh! A pine branch laden with snow fell on my poor brother. He stood in shock for a second before the cold dance triggered. Mother rushed over and started helping him brush off the snow. Hanna, the second child, and Ariela broke down in laughter. I could also feel a chuckle coming, although instead, I watched my other siblings laugh at the expense of our brother. Even though I watched them grow, I could hardly tell Hanna and Ariela apart. The two years between them did not make them less like the twins they were together. "Is everything alright?" My father called back, having paused in trail breaking, for we had fallen behind. "Just fine! Az had a branch fall on him, despite that he is fine!" My mother replied as she brushed the last of the snow off Azariah. "Mommy, how much longer? I'm tired." Isaiah, the baby of the family, whined. Mother looked up to ask Father, but he had gone ahead, and the only thing I could see of him was the path he left for us to hike. She sighed and picked up the rope for the sled she pulled and walked forwards, my brothers trailing after her. The remainder of us started onward again. I fell back as Hanna raced past me with a yelp as Ariela chased her, for Hanna had dropped snow down Ariela's back. The time to walk these two kilometres seemed to have passed in a flash. You can fall into a comfortable pace and walk forever alone with your thoughts. Thoughts I did my best to concentrate, as I could fall into grief and remember the life I had before. People I left behind. Two months ago Nimble hands wrinkled with age held a sewing needle steady. Quick, precise movements weaving the fabric together with thread. Her practice was evident in the way the quilt seemed to come together alone. "Savta!" I begged her. "Please! You must come with us!" My hands shook from how tightly I held them together. I felt as if I had already lost her, and in my heart, I knew I had. Savta paused her work for a moment and took a sip from the teacup that sat perched on the table next to her. She had made it herself some years ago. It stood in the living room, surrounded by beautiful quilts. "I am old Shalom, this house is all I have left of my life before the fall." "But you have us!" Savta smiled at me, her hair falling in a silver halo around her face. "I know. That is why I must stay. I will only slow you down. Go now, you must hurry." I knew she was right, I could hear the crack of gunfire and the screams as men in hazmat suits pulled families apart coming from the next street. They had already gone through the towns around my farm, but the fact that we lived twenty-five miles from the nearest one gave us the opportunity to pack up all the supplies we had saved. I glanced back one more time at her sadness, almost overwhelming. "Goodbye, I love you." Present-day I stopped just sort of the twins, who I had nearly been distracted by the memories. "Dude. Bucky, look." Ariela aka Wawa said, nudging her twin Hanna aka Bucky, as they nicknamed themselves. Looking up, I could see why they had halted. Our group stood in front of a beautiful cavern. A frozen stream with only the smallest bit of ice-cold water trickled down as the spring thaw started. Its walls protectively rose around us, and I could see several flat areas in which we could set up tents. Father had already unhooked the sled and now was shovelling a base for the first tent. I trudged up, unhooked the pack from the frame on my back, and set it beside the sled. Grabbing another shovel, I started on my own base a few feet away. The twins, having placed their packs next to mine, snatched the trapping equipment from the sled. They left to set them up, I hoped they had luck trapping something, as that would be future meals. While I could trap, Bucky and Wawa were much more skilled at the art. My talents lay with archery, the deer I had taken down last week was plenty enough meat. We needed the furs the twins brought in for clothing and blankets. As the rest of the household joined us, more of the camping site came to life. Bekka and Az started collecting wood for a fire. Mother took out the flint and tinder, so the fire grew as more wood was added. Tobias, together with Isaiah, got out the tent tarps and began to unfold them. The inviting smell of a good hearty stew filled the air by the time Father and I had set the tents up. A tripod hung a big pot over the fire and meat with veggies cooked inside. Wawa and Bucky had arrived back at camp now. After having set the traps up, they started skinning yesterday's catch. Our two dogs would get the meat, while Mother and I made what we needed from the furs once the tanning had been completed. Looking around at my family, happy and healthy, with no stress or fear on their faces. I felt hopeful for what the future held for us. As my mother always said, Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, and Today is a gift, that's why it's called Present.