Day Four Hundred Twenty Six #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

We have the mountain behind us and it is well after dark. We pushed on through to be out of the pass and well below the tree line before settling in. The exertion of walking kept us warm through the snow and ice.

The view before me now has captivated my attention. I’ve completely forgotten the sights and sounds of the day that got us to this point. The port city stretches in both directions along the coast. So many tall buildings and all of them intact. The ravages of the great destruction are strikingly absent.

However there is one disappointment- nothing is visible in the harbor. I mean to say, we cannot even see the harbor much less any ships.

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Day Two Hundred Fifty Three #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

We have retaken our place beside the lake from which we caught some trout, so long ago, the trout that Elijah seasoned with the hazelnuts which were discovered by Clarissa.

Elijah thought it good to take one more day to prepare before launching into the city on our next quest.

So, after a lunch of fresh trout (without hazelnuts) we climbed up out of the valley that cradles the lake in order to get a closer look at the city.

We had to go a considerable distance to rise above the tree line and gain an unobstructed view.

Its wall appears intact, though the skyline beyond is not what I remember. Hit by the fire from heaven?

Day Sixty Three #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

We have dropped down back into the tree line on this side of the ridge, and thankfully the uneasiness has not returned.

Our path has leveled off and is widening with every mile passed. Ahead we see a vast valley pushing the forest to the sidelines. Lyle wasted no time in launching his drone for a better view of what lies beyond the horizon. I put mine up, but just to keep an eye on our immediate location.

We halted when Lyle’s drone sent back visuals of a village at the end of the valley we are traversing.

Lyle maneuvered it through all the streets in sight, and nothing. Not a single soul.

Night came on, but no lights below.

Day Sixty Two #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

I confess an uneasiness throughout the day. It was a very narrow path, I mean like walking a tight rope in places. No view has any depth but that which is ahead or behind. To our sides are nothing but trees. And that is the source of my uneasiness for I felt as if our every step was under surveillance from that quarter.

The birds were markedly quiet also, a fact that bothered Lyle even more.

That all changed after the trail took a climbing switchback, crossed a stream, and rose above the tree line. The weight of oppression fell off all of us at the same instant. And the sing song between Rufus and Clarissa continued loud and clear.