text: The wind howled as Nikolaus opened the door and emerged from the snow. He had returned from hunting and brought back two things: a rabbit and a disappointed look on his face. His kids, Heidi and Rendall jumped with joy; it was finally their turn to eat. When Nikolaus would catch food, the parents would eat. Then the next time he’d catch food, the kids would eat. Their mother, Edlin, told them to calm down and reserve their energy. But they couldn’t get over the fact that they would finally be able to eat something bigger than a rat. While Edlin was preparing the rabbit, Heidi and Rendall bickered about who would have the bigger piece. The squabble escalated into a fistfight that saw Heidi victorious. Rendall said that he let her win in a last attempt to save what was left of his dignity. At the dinner table, which looked like it could collapse at any second, Rendall surrendered part of his half of the rabbit to Heidi. She was salivating at the sight of the rabbit. Despite having the smaller piece, Rendall was still happy with his piece of the rabbit, but he still had to deal with Heidi’s bragging. By the couch lay Edlin and Nikolaus. Edlin talked to Nikolaus about how they could live a better life if they weren’t so disconnected from society. Nikolaus gave her the same response every time they talked about it; other people aren’t to be trusted and all strangers were evil. Nikolaus had just fallen asleep. Edlin pulled a bird encyclopedia from under the bed and snuck into the living room. She lit her lantern and sat on the couch. Edlin forgot how to read, but was still entertained by the detailed illustrations of birds. From the hallway, she heard a loud creak coming from the floor. She tried to find a place to hide the book, but it was too late. Nikolaus was horrified by what he had just seen. He couldn’t believe that Edlin was reading a book made by a stranger. He hit and berated Edlin before lighting the book on fire with the lantern and throwing it into the fireplace. Edlin, being powerless, could do nothing but endure the punishment. The next morning, Heidi played with her new wooden horse toy-- a toy that she was supposed to keep secret. But she couldn’t handle having to keep it secret. She wanted to play with it. It was the most beautiful toy she had ever seen. Enchanted by its beauty, she completely forgot that she was supposed to keep it secret and went to brag about it to Rendall. At the time, Rendall was helping Nikolaus make arrows. Nikolaus noticed the horse and instantly began scolding Heidi for playing with a toy made by a stranger. He snatched the horse from her hand and burned it in front of her eyes. She ran away crying to her mother. Rendall sat at the dinner table, admiring his deck of skat cards. When Edlin gave him the cards, he was distracted by them while she was explaining that they were to be kept a secret. Despite not knowing how to play skat, he was fascinated. Just looking at them was amusing to him. Rendall wanted to show his father. Nikolaus was furious when he saw the cards. He chastised Rendall for playing with cards made by a stranger. The cards were ripped and burned before his very eyes. He couldn’t believe what he had seen. He was horrified and confused. Enough was enough. Nikolaus gathered the family to find out how they received the items. While Heidi and Rendall bawled their eyes out, Edlin provided an explanation. She confessed that while Nikolaus was out hunting, a trader visited their house. She was able to buy toys and sweets for the kids and a book for herself. But she never told him that the price was her body. Nikolaus was seething and lectured them for what felt like years. Each insult harsher than the last. Nikolaus woke up the next morning, grumpier than usual. He waited for Edlin to bring him his breakfast as she usually did, but it never came. He stood up and looked around the house. His family was nowhere to be seen. He realized how severe the situation was and he lied down on the floor sobbing, for he had lost everything. His wife and kids had left him. The only people who weren’t strangers to him were now gone. Was it his fault? He was trying to protect them. But that was the reason they left. A few months had passed. Someone was knocking on the door. Nikolaus ignored it, hoping that whoever was knocking would leave. But the knocking persisted. Nikolaus knew that it wouldn’t stop until he opened the door. He grabbed his gun and readied himself. As soon as the door opened, he fired. But what lay in front of him was the most horrifying thing he had ever seen: his wife’s corpse. His kids surrounded and mourned their mother. Nikolaus had just made the greatest mistake in his life. He had killed his wife in front of his kids. He killed one of the only people who wasn’t a stranger to him and traumatized the rest. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He had to be dreaming. But his children’s screams were too real. He couldn’t live knowing what he had done. He pointed the gun towards himself and pulled the trigger. Several years had passed. The kids had just been released from the psychiatric hospital. Every month they visited their old house. Beside it lay their parents’ gravestones. They always gave their mother flowers but spat on their father’s gravestone. They now prosper with society. They don’t know which life was better: the one where they are isolated and controlled but have a family, or the one where they are wealthy but have to live with the death of their parents.