The Wall

The weather turns cold and rainy at the end of August, and after a week, the protagonist decides it is time to move back to the hunting lodge. She packs everything and brings the animals down the mountain. She settles the cows and watches as Tiger rediscovers his favorite spots around the lodge. She goes to sleep and wakes to the cat pressing her nose to the protagonist’s face, happy that she is back.

Lynx and the protagonist walk back to the Alm to bring back the rest of their equipment. On one of their walks, the protagonist begins to worry about the winter ahead. Though she takes solace in the return of her routine, tending to the potatoes and milking Bella in the byre, the chilling weather fills her with dread. Before turning bitter, the weather grows nice for a brief time, and while it does, the protagonist enjoys the forest. She watches ants as they work together to build their colony, and feels bad at all the work they do.

October passes and the protagonist reflects on how much her life slows down in the forest.