White famine

Teo saw several bodies by the roadside during that journey, but the woman was the only one he witnessed die. She died quickly, without any dramatic flair. She simply fell and couldn't get up again. It was as if the earth had swallowed her soul, leaving her body empty. But could a soul penetrate this frozen earth? Teo wondered. Perhaps whatever was inside the woman had simply vanished. Her soul had faded, as all souls would. With some, the soul ignites quickly, glowing like a piece of paper thrown into a fire. With others, it burns slowly, turning to ashes scattered by the wind, as happened with that woman. If anything remained of that woman, it was the boy. Only Teo and Yoho remembered her. And although Teo knew nothing about her except how she died, he was certain he would remember her for longer than the boy would remember her when she was alive.