Winter tightens its grip on Oakhollow, turning golden fields into frozen wastelands and silencing the once-lively village. Hunger gnaws daily, and rations dwindle as spring brings only false hope. Amid the bleakness, Finn watches his mother fade—her warmth dimmed by sickness born of scarcity. She hides her weakness, pushing food to her children, sewing despite trembling hands, but her cough worsens until she cannot rise from bed. Finn clings to hope for healers beyond the village, but no miracle comes. At last, Ma calls her family close, whispering love and urging her sons to be strong before her light slips away. Pa’s grief breaks like thunder, Liam wails in innocence, but Finn stands numb, crushed beneath a new weight. The villagers bury her with quiet prayers, yet the world feels emptied. Childhood ends in that moment; Finn knows the line between before and after has been crossed, and the void left in Ma’s absence can never be filled.