The next morning they got up bright and early to pack the last of their belongings. Furniture had already gone into storage a couple of weeks ago so they had been sleeping on a makeshift bed and eating on the floor.

The weather outside was beautiful. It had snowed a couple of inches overnight and the sun shone brightly overhead. As they made one last check of the apartment to see if they'd left anything Katya remembered there was one last box left.
She knew at the back of her mind that she didn't want to take it with her but the whole place had to be cleared out and not a single thing was to be left behind. If she ignored it then they'd probably get in trouble by the landlord who owned the apartment.

"You go on ahead to the car, I've just got to get something." Katya called to Jacob as he headed out of the front door.

"I thought you'd packed everything?"

"I won't be long."

Katya made her way to their old bedroom and went into the cupboard in the corner of the room which was used for storing her shoes and bags. At the top sat a cardboard box covered by a white blanket. She moved the blanket over and took a quick look inside. It was heavy and contained some childhood memories which she wished she could forget but knew she had to carry with her for the rest of her life to remind her how strong she had become.
She shivered at the sight of a photograph which looked up at her. She placed the blanket back over the box and left.

The journey in the car took four hours. The city was behind them and the countryside just ahead. It excited Katya to start a new life surrounded by woodland and water rather than buildings and sky scrapers.

Once they were settled in she would be starting her new job at the pre school in the town nearby. She loved teaching. Ever since she was a little girl she always thought of herself as someone her friends looked up to. She'd help guide and teach them new things. When she left college she went to uni to study to become a teacher and excelled.

Back in Stockholm she taught children around the ages of four and six and again she would be teaching that age group.
She couldn't wait to meet the children and decorate her classroom with their drawings. Jacob needed to find a job fast. He had qualifications to be an electrician so that would be the sector he'd most likely go into.

As he drove the car she looked at him and smiled. A new life together would be the best thing that would ever happen to them.

It was midday when they reached the forest which lead to their new home. Hundreds of pine and spruce trees covered in snow welcomed them as they drove up the small road towards their land.

"This is our new home baby." Jacob squeezed Katya's hand as she smiled.

They passed the mailbox which was about 2 kilometres away from the house and laughed in delight. When they wanted to get the mail at their apartment they only had to step outside of the front door. At least they'd get more exercise. They pulled up on the gravel driveway and looked up at their new home. Katya almost leaped out of the car and ran towards the door.

"Hold on you don't have the key!" Jacob reached into his pocket and threw them into her hands.

She'd only seen the inside of the house briefly last night on their laptop so she was eager to see it in person. It was as delightful as she thought it would be. When she opened the door a smile spread across her face.

The kitchen was through an archway to the left and the lounge was to the right. The hallway was small and the stairs leading to the second floor were only a few yards in front. It was cosy and that's what she was looking for.

After she had explored the house she helped Jacob unpack. It took about two hours and they were exhausted when they were done. A huge van containing all of their furniture came soon after they got there and helped unload their items.

When everyone was gone they went outside and sat on a wooden bench facing the sea. It was quite warm and the snow had begun to melt so they admired the view. Ahead of them was a large island which you could reach by boat Jacob told her. There was an old boat in the boat house that the previous owners left but it wasn't in very good condition so they threw it in with the price. Jacob said that he could fix it as his father used to design boats when he was younger and taught Jacob.

He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. She faced him and kissed him back.

"We're gonna be so happy here."

"I know we are." She rested her head on his shoulder as they looked at the view.

After an hour of relaxing they decided it was time to go inside and settle into their new home. As they got up from the bench Katya noticed the grey house she saw before hiding behind a bunch of trees. She decided she would go and take a look at it the next day whilst Jacob went out to look for work.

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