The log cabin and the rock

There lived an old couple in a log cabin that they had built in their young years for them to live in at the border of the snow line. They had moved there after living a healthy, happy and successful life. Now, they lived alone as the man servant had died last year and his wife the year before. They had given up the luxurious life they lived for simple things in life. No electronic items and relied on nature for most of their daily needs. Once a month the man would go down the treacherous trek to the city for their supplies. They had water from the flowing stream nearby and in the winter, sun would melt enough snow in the day time for their needs. They were happy living their lives in solitude with little worries, remembering the good times they had together. It was the simple life they had always dreamed of...
It was winter time and although it was a mountaineering trek, winter kept away the best of the climbers. Their water needs were met by the melting snow on the roof during the day time which emptied through the gutter into a barrel and an underground tank. The cabin was by the mountain side, just off a cliff. Many climbers stopped by on the way to climb the face of the mountain and the old couple hosted them well. Often letting them sleep the night in the guest room.
This winter seemed unusually unforgiving. They had already consumed more than the usual firewood and it was still just December. One day the lady found that there was a splashing sound outside the dining room window. They went out to notice that the gutter had a leak in it and it was just before it emptied into the tank below. Most of the water was being wasted into the dirty snow on the ground and the tank was not being filled. They tried to fill pots with the water so as to save some water. Still they could not fill all the pots in the kitchen as they were exhausted from all the effort.
As they sat on the couch, he holding her hands, they remembered how, inspite of all the forces against them, from her family and friends to the distances between them, they were together today. They knew they will be delivered from this too. The problem was that they did not see a way out. In his young days, he was quite the handy man...he built most of the cabin himself. But now he could not climb up the ladder to fix the gutter. They waited on their, hoping and thinking of a way of deliverance from their predicament. She walked to the window to the front of the hoise, hoping to see a young climber who would surely help them out, for she wanted more life with her soulmate...or maybe she was contemplating something? She could not see in the glare of the snow or was it tears in her eyes. He was standing behind her...she didn't notice...he did and he wiped off the tear off her eyes and then kissed her. "Angel...we will get by this as we have got by through thick and thin. If by tomorrow there is no solution in sight, I will go down to the town and find a handyman to come fix the gutter." Comforting words, but she had deeper thoughts in her mind. How they always seemed to find some trouble in their lives. He hugged her tight, and she wanted to hide in his arms. She remembered the first time he hugged her 50 years ago...it was such a beautiful day that even the Gods cried (rains).
The day was coming to an end and he cooked for them as she set the table. It was their routine but she had something on her mind...as if going about it in slow motion. He noticed it from the other side of the counter in the kitchen. He was ever so positive as he had always been, and patient. They dated for a good few years before even meeting. But today, he knew that this was indeed something to be looked at urgently. If they didn't fix the gutter soon, they would run out of water in a few days and then there would be even tougher life. He thought maybe they could heat the top layer of the snow which was clean for their drinking needs...but that would burn off the firewood even faster. They had a quiter dinner than usual. There was no wind and the air was still. Seemed like a storm brewing.
It was a storm indeed, a big one. A storm that they had never seen before in all their time up in the cabin. It blew waves after waves of snow onto the hill side, depositing more snow on the roof than usual. They were not sleeping, just listening to the sounds of the cabin. It creaked like an old man's knees. It seemed the weight of the snow would crush down on them. It was a funny way of nature to tell that the end was near. If they survived the storm through the night, they still didn't have a way out fix the gutter. With so much snow, it would now be impossible to teeck the 25 kms to town and get someone to come fix it. Forget about any climbers coming up the trail in this weather.
They didn't sleep and as the hour to leave the bed approached, they were even more restless. The night was gone and the new day that brings hope was coming fast.
The sun rises early in the mountains at 5. But it was still just 7.45 am, 15 minutes from their time to get up. She wanted the night to continue for it meant that when they woke up, life would be again troubling them. He was just there, holding her as usual but visioning why he didn't make the gutters stronger. She left his side and got out of bed, he held her back. He wanted to carry her out today. The way he had done for all those years before his back trouble and she asked not to do it anymore. He just held her hand back and she knew what he was hinting at. She stayed and he got around to her side of the bed. He was a little clumsy but once he had her in her arms, she rested on her shoulders with the familiar ease. He walked to the dining room and put her on the chair. He headed to prepare tea breakfast. She just looked at him. She knew he would not let her know what was on his mind but today, every breath seemed forced for both of them. They had lived through some tough times and now this day, it seemed so small to them.
It was so quite this morning, no voices, no rustling of the trees and no sounds of the creaking old cabin....but wait isn't it a little too quite?
She stood up and walked to the window, he thought she was going to look for some climbers, but she was looking for the leak from the gutter. It had dripped on to the rock all of  yesterday but not today. What went wrong, or was the snow not melting at all? When he saw her peering to the roof, he came to her side, indeed no water from the gutter. They stepped out to see what was happening and even before the last step off the porch of the cabin, they realised that the tube from the gutter was making that familiar sound of filling the water tank. They were bewildered at what could have happened? They looked around if there was anyone who fixed the leak. He pointed out then...look...the hole in the gutter is not leaking. There was a rock stuck in the leak. Someone must have heard their prayers. The rock must have been on the roof all along,and when the storm hit, it must have been knocked into the gutter. She was smiling and he kissed her. She knew world works in amazing ways and this was a miracle that happened today.
You may not know but the solution to a problem may already be with you, you don't see it, that's all. Even a storm can solve your problems, make you see things in a different perspective, make sure you step out and look what it gave you...even if it is a rock.