The Mountain Inn – Part 1: Snowed In

The bus left Georgia at the end of the road in a whirl of snow.

She stood in the white dusk with her backpack and a map that no longer made sense. Somewhere ahead was a small inn, booked months ago, listed in a guidebook as remote, rustic, wonderful. The road behind her was already vanishing under drifts.

A lantern bobbed through the flakes. A man in a thick indigo coat appeared, holding a snow shovel. "Georgia-san?" he said. "I am Haruto. Please. Quickly. The road will close tonight."

The inn had six rooms, a low wooden hall and a stove that glowed red. Georgia, thirty-three, a nurse from Auckland, was the only guest. Haruto was thirty-six, quiet, with a lean, thoughtful face and a gentle formal English he'd learned from old textbooks.

"Dinner," he said, setting a clay pot on the table. "Nabe. Please excuse the simplicity."

It was a stew of vegetables and mushrooms and tofu, hot and fragrant. She ate three bowls. He watched her, pleased, saying nothing.

"I can't believe I'm here," she said.

"The road will open in a week, perhaps."

"A week?"

"Is that a problem?"

She thought about it. She had spent four years nursing through the pandemic, every shift a battle. She had come to Japan to stop being useful to anyone for a while.

"No," she said, slowly. "It's perfect."

The days passed in a hush. She slept under thick quilts, soaked in the outdoor hot spring while the snow fell on her shoulders, and learned to make rice balls in the kitchen. Haruto taught her to carve a wooden spoon. In the evenings they sat at the low heated table, feet tucked under the blanket, and talked in a patchwork of English and gestures.

"Can I ask you something?" said Georgia, on the fifth night.

"Yes."

"Why do you live here? Alone?"

"I was not alone," said Haruto, quietly. "My wife passed away. I stay because she loved the snow."

Her heart ached. "I'm sorry."

"No. It is a good place to remember." He looked at her. "And now it is not so quiet."

"Green?" she said.

"Green," said Haruto, with a puzzled smile. "I do not know it. But yes."

Continue the story: Part 2 – Hot Spring Moon.