Chapter 2 — When the Mills Went Silent

By January, the snow had buried the roads.

The river froze.

The mountain passes disappeared beneath white drifts.

And the wagons carrying wheat flour stopped coming.

At first, nobody worried.

The village still had supplies.

The baker’s shelves were full of beautiful white loaves.

People continued buying them.

But then the flour mill in the neighboring valley closed.

A second mill followed.

Then a third.

The merchants raised their prices.

One sack of flour cost twice as much as it had before Christmas.

Then three times.

Within weeks, the bakery shelves began to empty.

Mr. Caldwell stood inside his cold shop one morning, staring at his final sack of flour.

His wife entered quietly.

“How much is left?”

“Enough for perhaps twenty loaves.”

“And after that?”

He didn’t answer.

Outside, people were already lining up.

By afternoon, there was nothing left.

No flour.

No bread.

No deliveries.

Only snow.

Families began searching their cupboards.

Some had potatoes.

Some had dried beans.

Some had corn.

But many had very little.

Then Mrs. Whitmore remembered Eleanor.

“The widow,” she whispered.

Someone looked at her.

“What widow?”

“The one who makes that hard bread.”

Nobody laughed this time.

Three days later, Mrs. Whitmore stood outside Eleanor’s cabin.

She looked embarrassed.

Eleanor opened the door.

“Mrs. Whitmore?”

The older woman looked down.

“I need bread.”

Eleanor glanced behind her.

“How much?”

“For my family.”

Eleanor brought out two loaves.

Mrs. Whitmore reached into her pocket.

“I don’t have much money.”

“You don’t need money.”

The woman looked surprised.

“I’ll trade you.”

“For what?”

“Wood.”

Eleanor considered it.

“Deal.”

The next morning, three more families came.

Then five.

Then ten.

Eleanor began working before sunrise.

She ground corn by hand.

She sifted bran.

She mixed dough.

She baked until the little oven glowed red.

The bread remained dark and firm.

But nobody complained anymore.

Because it was food.

And food had become precious.