IC - Spring Hike

[sailingNeutrino]

For the last few weeks, Hiram had unpleasant dreams. As winter was drawing to its end, and spring loomed on the horizon, the artifact was growing restless, and conveyed its attitude through dreams, as usual.

It was still freezing most of the time, but already there were some partially sunny days which made people light-headed with anticipation. This morning was gray with clouds and light snow slowly falling.

[Samwell Turleton]

It was the kind of morning that made Hiram pull the covers tight to his nose as the breath curled up in the air above his bed in the cold morning. Dim gray light was coming in through the wood framed window. A thin layer of fresh snow covered the sill and a layer of condensation clouded the bottom half of the glass. It looks crisp out there but Hiram knows that spring is around the corner. Thoughts of festivals and gamboling villagers cheer him up a bit from his dour dream. I have all that I could want here - why must I have these restless dreams, he thinks.

One, two, get up, get up..., Hiram says encouraging himself into the cold morning. He quickly jams his feet into a pair of woolen slippers and makes his way to a iron stove with a small stack of wood piled to its side.

skrick...skrick....skrick goes the sound of the flint as a small spark nestles into a gossamer pile of wood shavings. The smoke teasingly rises out of the little nest as Hiram places it gingerly inside the stove. Gentle breaths into the spark give it life and Hiram stokes the flame into a fire. The stove begins to warm and he places his hands on the top of it as it does.

Ah, little joys...

The small cottage begins to warm a little and Hiram pulls a bucket of water drawn from a spring the day before from a counter. He places a small kettle on the stove with a little water and begins to warm it. He thinks about the tasks for the day, only briefly before grabbing another drinking cup and pulling a small bit of ale from the spigot of a cask in the wall. A little comes out into the cup but it is clear these are the last drops. Hiram tips it back and raps the empty cask with the cup.

Ah, little disappointments...