A family was what Lloyd had ever wanted. A person to love and a person he could rely on. A person that could share his burden.
This goal of his, which was so deeply wanted, seemed to haunt him in his dreams.
Every night, when his consciousness was gone, a woman appeared. She was pretty, extremely stunning. Her wavy pink hair cascaded down all the way to her waist. Her eyes were a captivating emerald green. Her prominent nose bridge was accompanied by rosy, pink lips.
But what caught his attention the most was her gorgeous, bright smile. He never thought that a person would... look at him in that way. A smile that was only for him alone.
The dreams came in snippets. In one, he was with her and his little sister running through a green field. In another, they shared a picnic. Sometimes they were simply together, laughing and playing.
Each image was so detailed and vibrant, he couldn't help but feel immersed. So each time he awoke, he was hit with a gut-wrenching disappointment.
Oh, how he longed to see her in person, but alas, he knew it was too good to be true.
…
Lloyd woke up in a cold sweat as his wooden door creaked open, letting in a gust of cold air and the faint scent of snow. A small figure hopped in, her green wool sweater slightly too big for her tiny frame. Two neat pigtails bounced with each step, like rabbit ears in the wind.
"Brother!" the girl's clear voice rang out, her bare feet padding against the wooden floor. Nora, who was only nine, wobbled her way to the frail man sitting up in bed.
The man, Lloyd Driack, quickly composed himself. His messy black hair fell over sharp yet soft features, and the comforter draped over his shoulders failed to hide how thin he had become. He was undoubtedly handsome, his features still striking even through exhaustion. His ocean-blue eyes still softened when they met his sister's.
"Nora," Lloyd said. His face softened into a small smile as he closed his book.
She grinned and held out a small bundle wrapped in cloth. Inside was a piece of cornbread, crumbly but intact.
"Here! A gift."
Lloyd clenched his hands into a fist while his lips tried not to form a frown. Winter here was harsh. Six inches of snow covered the fields, and hail could arrive without warning. The crops were barely surviving. In the pantry, there were a few sacks of rice, one crate of cabbage, and spinach that was already starting to wilt. They hadn't had meat in weeks.
And now his sister was offering him the last piece of cornbread.
He shook his head. "I'm not hungry, buddy. You eat it."
His stomach growled, but Nora didn't back down. She stood "tall" with a firm expression. "No! Nora's not hungry. Brother should eat it!"
He let out a quiet laugh. "How about we split it? Big brother's not hungry either."
The kid pursed her lips before nodding. He tore the bread in half, slipping her the larger piece.
"Did you brush your teeth yet, or do you need help?" he asked.
"No. Nora's a big kid now! My teeth are squeaky clean." She gave him a toothy grin with pieces of bread still stuck in her teeth.
He ruffled her hair. "Alright, big kid. Play with your toys while I make breakfast."
Lloyd got up and opened his door. The kitchen was average-sized, with a sink in the corner, cabinets up top, and a barely functioning fridge. It smelled faintly of wood and char. He opened the fridge, taking out yesterday's old rice and some spinach. He heated it up, added some soy sauce, and washed the spinach before plating.
Nora climbed into her chair and started eating as soon as he set the plate down. Lloyd just drank water and watched her eat. The human body could last about seven or so days without eating. Not that he would starve himself for that long, but he could manage.
"I'm heading to the field," he said. "Stay inside and keep warm."
"Hm! Nora listens to brother."
A faint smile on his lips, he reached across for his old jacket. When he walked outside, the cold penetrated his skin. Up front, there was supposed to be a decent-sized garden, but instead, it was covered in snow and sludge.
Lloyd fetched the rusty old snow shovel that had been worn down smooth at the handle from years of manual labor. His arms were numbed by the cold, and he felt a slight sting when he shoveled. Hours passed. Lloyd panted when he finally reached the soil, breath forming in white clouds that stuttered from between his blue lips. The crops were mostly gone, leaving behind wilting spinach and frozen stems. At least there was some White Russian kale as well, old reliable. But it was fucking kale at the end of the day.
When he came back in, night had settled. Nora was curled up on the couch with her stuffed rabbit. He brushed snow from his jacket and headed to the kitchen.
The cupboard was almost empty. He took the last cabbage, the saved carrots, and one beet. Cutting them into thin slices, he dropped them into a pan with a bit of soy sauce. The rice was steamed on the stove.
Soy sauce was honestly the only thing that made eating bearable.
They ate under dim lighting. Nora clutched her bowl, cheeks puffed up as she chewed. Lloyd watched her with a smile. His sister was the only reason he kept living. After all, he had made a promise to their parents. Winter was unforgiving, and the fields were dying, but her smile was enough to keep him going.
After dinner, he got her into bed. She protested but soon curled under the blankets. Without heat, they relied on layer after layer of fabric to keep warm.
The village he was living in was isolated from the rest of the world, living in silence. There were occasional visitors coming over, especially in the summer, but none in winter usually. There was internet, but to get any service meant trudging upward a tall hill and waving your phone (if you even had one) around like an idiot. For some reason, the elders in his village believed that the internet was the pure evil and would corrupt anyone using it, besides them of course.
He went to his room shivering. He laid down and was asleep within minutes, not knowing how much the next day would change his life.