08-05-2020, 02:28 PM
When they met her back at four, the cart was ready. It was a simple farmer's cart, pulled by two horses, with boards on two sides to keep things from falling off, a bench on top of it in the front, and open in the back. Tobias gestured for her to sit in the back, between several baskets and boxes and her own luggage and Tobias and Alice sat in the front. And off they went.
It was a long journey, and soon Tobias had to light the lantern on the left corner of the cart, for it was getting dark. By day, Abi might have seen how they rolled past woods and fields and sometimes across long stretches of wild, desolate moorland. The cart moved slowly, for though there was a wagon track, the road was poor, and there were constant ascents and descents, where the horses could only move slowly. The wagon shook and bumped a lot as it passed over the often rocky path, which had to be even more tiring in Abi's position. Whenever they were on higher ground, they were entirely exposed to the cold, biting northern wind, which seemed to roar and shriek. Alice wrapped her thick woolen shawl tighter around her body.
The couple were silent for most of the trip, though occasionally one of them would comment on their surroundings, so randomly that it seemed to derive from nothing but politeness. They would exchange a few trivialities, before going back to long stretches of silence again. Neither of them spoke to Abi, although occasionally Alice cast suspicious glances in Abi's direction, especially during the awkward conversations.
At some point, when they were passing through some woodland on a hill, Alice asked her husband to stop. Tobias did, and helped her off, while Alice held her pregnant belly. "Don't go far," he told her, but Alice did not respond, and disappeared behind some trees. Tobias turned to Abi. "If you have to go, you best do it now as well. It will be another hour before we reach home." He took his bag from the cart and began searching through it.
It was a long journey, and soon Tobias had to light the lantern on the left corner of the cart, for it was getting dark. By day, Abi might have seen how they rolled past woods and fields and sometimes across long stretches of wild, desolate moorland. The cart moved slowly, for though there was a wagon track, the road was poor, and there were constant ascents and descents, where the horses could only move slowly. The wagon shook and bumped a lot as it passed over the often rocky path, which had to be even more tiring in Abi's position. Whenever they were on higher ground, they were entirely exposed to the cold, biting northern wind, which seemed to roar and shriek. Alice wrapped her thick woolen shawl tighter around her body.
The couple were silent for most of the trip, though occasionally one of them would comment on their surroundings, so randomly that it seemed to derive from nothing but politeness. They would exchange a few trivialities, before going back to long stretches of silence again. Neither of them spoke to Abi, although occasionally Alice cast suspicious glances in Abi's direction, especially during the awkward conversations.
At some point, when they were passing through some woodland on a hill, Alice asked her husband to stop. Tobias did, and helped her off, while Alice held her pregnant belly. "Don't go far," he told her, but Alice did not respond, and disappeared behind some trees. Tobias turned to Abi. "If you have to go, you best do it now as well. It will be another hour before we reach home." He took his bag from the cart and began searching through it.