For a brief moment, Anne had regained her energy and she walked with confident strides, once again enjoying the wild and unfamiliar beauty around them and the thrilling sense of owning her life for the first time. Alice too seemed revived. Anne had tied her scarf over her head, so that her loose hair was covered now, and she had tightened her corset a little, for her back craved the support, but she still felt free as a bird and courageous in a way that she never had before.
But as they toiled on and on, their spirits began to sink again. A vast, grey layer of clouds had covered the sky, so that they could no longer see or feel the low winter sun. Without its rays colouring the moors, the land seemed bleak and hostile. Anne was trembling with cold, fatigue and hunger. The eggs and apples had proven scarce nourishment for their circumstances. Alice did not complain, but she looked grim, and Anne knew that the past months had weakened her sister, and that she was suffering more than herself.
“Wait!” Alice suddenly shouted and Anne turned to look at her. They had stopped several times throughout the day because Alice needed to relieve herself. But this time, the girl merely rested her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Her arms seemed to tremble. After a few deep breaths, she looked up at Anne. “I think we should rather go back, Anne,” she said breathlessly. “We’ll be more likely to find another farm along t’ road.”
Anne peered into the distance, but she could see neither the farm house nor the road anymore. They had come a long way and were at a higher section of heathland. She dreaded the idea of having to walk back after all this toil. She did not know what lay ahead, but she knew it was a long way back. “We can’t go back there. They’ll set their dogs on us.”
“We can join the road elsewhere. But we’ll never find owt if we’re trapped here after dark. We’ll be forced to stay out.”
“We still have some time. I’m sure there will be another road soon.” And she turned and began to walk again.
“Anne!” Alice shouted behind her, but Anne walked on stubbornly, to show that she would not argue any further, and when she looked back at last, her sister was following quietly, her expression grim.
Yet after a while, Anne became aware of how ribbons of mist were filling the valleys, light mist at first, but thicker later. Slowly, it crawled up to where they were, until they were engulfed by it, and their view of the landscape around them became unclear.
“Such fog,” Alice commented in a small voice, and Anne felt irritated.
“Let’s hurry,” she muttered, and though her legs were heavy, she picked up the pace. They definitely had to find a road now.
“Anne, not so fast!” Alice shouted. Anne turned, trying not to look desperate, for her sister’s sake. Alice, on the other hand, looked absolutely spent. Her face was gaunt and her breathing heavy. She stopped walking and rested her hands on her knees once again. “One moment, please,” she gasped.
“Just try! Come on!”
“I don’t think I can go much further, Anne…”
“Yes, you can.” And without a second glance, Anne turned and began to walk again, clenching her teeth. There was no choice. They had to find that road she had promised. She heard Alice stumble after her, and she marched on, without looking back.
And still the fog was thickening, and where she had been able to make out the next slope before, she could hardly see a few yards ahead now. Anne struggled to suppress her ever more desperate fears.
And then Alice voiced them: “We’ll never find a farm like this.”
Anne spun on her heel. “Shut up!” she snapped, spitting the words at Alice with such fierceness that she felt ashamed the moment they came out of her mouth. Alice looked at her shocked. Then Anne burst into tears.
Alice’s expression softened, and she walked over and wrapped her arms around her little sister. “It’s okay…” she whispered.
“Oh dear Alice, I am sorry,” Anne cried.
“No, Anne, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have whined like that.”
But Anne shook her head and hid her face in her sister’s shoulder. “It’s all my fault. We should have gone back. Like ye said. But I was too stubborn. And we’ll never find owt in this fog, and it’s all my fault. Oh, forgive me.”
Alice tightened the hug and then she stepped back and held her sister’s shoulders. “It’s not too late, my dear. We can follow the same way back. If we can at least reach t’ road, surely someone will pass by, and they can help us. We’re going to be alright.”
Anne nodded quietly, sniffing and wiping her tears.
And off they went, no longer running away, but rather trying to be found – desperate to be found. As they walked, Anne tried to feel brave again. But her feet were sore, and the fog was so ominous that she could only despair. She thought of their room at home, how warm and comfortable it seemed now, with her sister by her side, both of them huddled under the blanket, and how comforting the knowledge that father and her brothers were in the other room. What if they would never see home again? She felt the sting of fresh tears in her eyes and quickly wiped her face, before her sister would turn and see.
They seemed to walk on endlessly, though for how long and how far was impossible to tell. Was the fog becoming thicker? Or was it getting dark? Anne had lost all sense of time, and with the sun not visible, all she could tell was that their vision was getting ever worse. The white all around them was turning to grey. She no longer cared about her dress getting entangled in the sturdy heather plants and just gave it a fierce pull whenever it happened, ripping the rim. All that mattered was getting back to the road. Shouldn’t they have reached it already? She dared not ask.
Suddenly her foot got caught behind a branch and she fell forward, landing hard on the cold ground with her arms stretched in front of her, a heather plant scratching her face. For a moment, she considered giving up and having a good cry. But instead, she pressed her lips together, balled her fists, and scrambled up to her feet, just as Alice reached her to help her up. They had to keep going. They had to be found.
“I’m sure we’re almost there,” Alice encouraged.
Anne just nodded, and began to walk again, as if she had never needed the encouragement in the first place. She heard Alice catch up and her sister took her hand. They walked side by side, holding on to each other for courage. It was indeed getting darker. There were noises around them that were strange and unfamiliar. Howling. Screeching. The rustling of things moving in the bushes as they passed. Had they been there before? They now barely saw the outlines of the ground before them.
And then they saw nothing. The sun had gone down.
“Alice…” Anne gasped, squeezing her sister’s hand. She looked around, but all was dark.
“It’s alright, Anne.” Alice said in a small voice. “I’m sure we’re nearly at t’ road.” But she could hear in her sister’s voice that she knew what Anne knew: They should have met that road long ago.
But as they toiled on and on, their spirits began to sink again. A vast, grey layer of clouds had covered the sky, so that they could no longer see or feel the low winter sun. Without its rays colouring the moors, the land seemed bleak and hostile. Anne was trembling with cold, fatigue and hunger. The eggs and apples had proven scarce nourishment for their circumstances. Alice did not complain, but she looked grim, and Anne knew that the past months had weakened her sister, and that she was suffering more than herself.
“Wait!” Alice suddenly shouted and Anne turned to look at her. They had stopped several times throughout the day because Alice needed to relieve herself. But this time, the girl merely rested her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Her arms seemed to tremble. After a few deep breaths, she looked up at Anne. “I think we should rather go back, Anne,” she said breathlessly. “We’ll be more likely to find another farm along t’ road.”
Anne peered into the distance, but she could see neither the farm house nor the road anymore. They had come a long way and were at a higher section of heathland. She dreaded the idea of having to walk back after all this toil. She did not know what lay ahead, but she knew it was a long way back. “We can’t go back there. They’ll set their dogs on us.”
“We can join the road elsewhere. But we’ll never find owt if we’re trapped here after dark. We’ll be forced to stay out.”
“We still have some time. I’m sure there will be another road soon.” And she turned and began to walk again.
“Anne!” Alice shouted behind her, but Anne walked on stubbornly, to show that she would not argue any further, and when she looked back at last, her sister was following quietly, her expression grim.
Yet after a while, Anne became aware of how ribbons of mist were filling the valleys, light mist at first, but thicker later. Slowly, it crawled up to where they were, until they were engulfed by it, and their view of the landscape around them became unclear.
“Such fog,” Alice commented in a small voice, and Anne felt irritated.
“Let’s hurry,” she muttered, and though her legs were heavy, she picked up the pace. They definitely had to find a road now.
“Anne, not so fast!” Alice shouted. Anne turned, trying not to look desperate, for her sister’s sake. Alice, on the other hand, looked absolutely spent. Her face was gaunt and her breathing heavy. She stopped walking and rested her hands on her knees once again. “One moment, please,” she gasped.
“Just try! Come on!”
“I don’t think I can go much further, Anne…”
“Yes, you can.” And without a second glance, Anne turned and began to walk again, clenching her teeth. There was no choice. They had to find that road she had promised. She heard Alice stumble after her, and she marched on, without looking back.
And still the fog was thickening, and where she had been able to make out the next slope before, she could hardly see a few yards ahead now. Anne struggled to suppress her ever more desperate fears.
And then Alice voiced them: “We’ll never find a farm like this.”
Anne spun on her heel. “Shut up!” she snapped, spitting the words at Alice with such fierceness that she felt ashamed the moment they came out of her mouth. Alice looked at her shocked. Then Anne burst into tears.
Alice’s expression softened, and she walked over and wrapped her arms around her little sister. “It’s okay…” she whispered.
“Oh dear Alice, I am sorry,” Anne cried.
“No, Anne, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have whined like that.”
But Anne shook her head and hid her face in her sister’s shoulder. “It’s all my fault. We should have gone back. Like ye said. But I was too stubborn. And we’ll never find owt in this fog, and it’s all my fault. Oh, forgive me.”
Alice tightened the hug and then she stepped back and held her sister’s shoulders. “It’s not too late, my dear. We can follow the same way back. If we can at least reach t’ road, surely someone will pass by, and they can help us. We’re going to be alright.”
Anne nodded quietly, sniffing and wiping her tears.
And off they went, no longer running away, but rather trying to be found – desperate to be found. As they walked, Anne tried to feel brave again. But her feet were sore, and the fog was so ominous that she could only despair. She thought of their room at home, how warm and comfortable it seemed now, with her sister by her side, both of them huddled under the blanket, and how comforting the knowledge that father and her brothers were in the other room. What if they would never see home again? She felt the sting of fresh tears in her eyes and quickly wiped her face, before her sister would turn and see.
They seemed to walk on endlessly, though for how long and how far was impossible to tell. Was the fog becoming thicker? Or was it getting dark? Anne had lost all sense of time, and with the sun not visible, all she could tell was that their vision was getting ever worse. The white all around them was turning to grey. She no longer cared about her dress getting entangled in the sturdy heather plants and just gave it a fierce pull whenever it happened, ripping the rim. All that mattered was getting back to the road. Shouldn’t they have reached it already? She dared not ask.
Suddenly her foot got caught behind a branch and she fell forward, landing hard on the cold ground with her arms stretched in front of her, a heather plant scratching her face. For a moment, she considered giving up and having a good cry. But instead, she pressed her lips together, balled her fists, and scrambled up to her feet, just as Alice reached her to help her up. They had to keep going. They had to be found.
“I’m sure we’re almost there,” Alice encouraged.
Anne just nodded, and began to walk again, as if she had never needed the encouragement in the first place. She heard Alice catch up and her sister took her hand. They walked side by side, holding on to each other for courage. It was indeed getting darker. There were noises around them that were strange and unfamiliar. Howling. Screeching. The rustling of things moving in the bushes as they passed. Had they been there before? They now barely saw the outlines of the ground before them.
And then they saw nothing. The sun had gone down.
“Alice…” Anne gasped, squeezing her sister’s hand. She looked around, but all was dark.
“It’s alright, Anne.” Alice said in a small voice. “I’m sure we’re nearly at t’ road.” But she could hear in her sister’s voice that she knew what Anne knew: They should have met that road long ago.
