Night had fallen. The mountains were cold, and the path was silent except for the crunch of snow beneath their feet.
Shiva and Vashu were exhausted. Their bodies ached, their stomachs were empty, and the shadows of the mountains stretched long across the plains.
"I… I can't walk anymore," Vashu whispered.
Shiva looked around. He spotted a dim light moving in the distance. Then the hum of an engine reached their ears.
"A truck!" Shiva said. "Quick, hide, and jump when it passes!"
The old truck slowed as it climbed a hill. The boys ran and leapt onto the back.
They fell inside.
The truck's cargo revealed itself: crates full of red, shiny apples.
Shiva's eyes lit up. "Food!"
Vashu hesitated. "But… stealing is wrong."
Shiva picked up an apple, smiled, and bit it. "Now I stole it. You didn't. Eat."
Vashu took the apple, hesitating at first, then slowly ate it. The sweetness filled him with hope for the first time in days.
They rode the truck a little longer. When it reached the edge of Shambhala village, they jumped down carefully.
Shiva rubbed his hands together. "Finally… somewhere to rest."
Vashu looked around. "Do you think anyone lives here?"
Shiva's eyes caught a small hut on the outskirts. Smoke curled from its chimney, weak but steady.
"Let's try there," Shiva said.
They knocked on the door.
It opened slowly.
A girl stood there. Her eyes were calm but wary. Her hair was long and dark, and her small frame carried the weight of years alone.
"Yes?" she asked.
Shiva stepped forward. "We… we are lost. Our parents… they're gone. Can you help us?"
The girl studied them. She didn't speak at first. Then she stepped aside.
"Come in," she said softly.
Inside, the hut was simple but warm. A small fire burned in a corner. Divyanshi motioned for them to sit.
"I am Divyanshi," she said. "And you?"
"I'm Shiva," the taller boy said. "This is Vashu."
The boys told her everything: the earthquake, the sliding ice, their parents disappearing, the hunger, and even the apple truck.
Divyanshi listened quietly. When they were done, she finally spoke.
"You are not the only ones who have lost everything," she said. Her voice trembled slightly. "I lost my parents when I was born. My village blamed me for the drought. My grandmother raised me… and then she died too."
Shiva whispered, "So… you are alone too…"
"Yes," she said. "But now… maybe we don't have to be alone anymore."
Vashu looked at her kindly. "Then we can stick together."
Shiva smiled faintly. "Three people are stronger than one."
Divyanshi's eyes filled with tears, but she didn't cry.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"You don't even know me."
Vashu shook his head. "We didn't know each other before today either."
Outside, the wind moved softly through the trees.
Three broken lives had finally crossed paths.
They were not just survivors anymore. They were a family.