Ancestral Findings (genealogy Gold)

Morning began with mist that curled along the hill like breath. Ewan rose before the light had gathered in the glen, pulled on his woolen jacket, and crossed the yard to the byre. The cow turned its mild face at his step, warm air puffing from its nostrils in the cold. He set the pail, pressed his forehead to the flank, and listened to milk ring the tin. The sound was small and steady. On mornings like this, it steadied him. Inside the cottage, peat smoke climbed through the hole in the roof and drifted out into the white air. His mother, Mairi, crept around the hearth. She broke an oatcake in half and set one piece by his bowl. The fire finally caught and sent a clean orange through the room. Ewan's younger brother, Fergus, slept in a heap near the warm wall, face hidden in his blanket. Isla, thirteen and quick with her hands, sat near the light and mended a tear in her apron with tiny, neat stitches. Alasdair, their father, coughed from the bed corner. The cough had a deep rattle to it, making Mairi look up