At this moment I look up and see the lone tree in the middle distance. One that has strayed away from its companions up on the shore and set down its roots in the shallows of the lake, as if it is a child that has been ushered forwards to paddle. There are a handful of people crowded around taking photos, and with the backdrop of the mountains and the clouds now breaking up overhead, the little tree looks lost and vulnerable.

Charmed that such a kindred spirit should emerge on my horizon, I venture closer to examine the tree in more detail, taking in the rustic knots in the bark, the freshly uncoiled leaves of dazzling green, and the jaunty way it bows reverently to one side, as if curtseying to Mother Nature. It is the lone pawn that heads out to confront a queen, the bugle player on a battlefield, as brave and foolish as any soul that dares to face the world alone.

I understand then that I have a choice: I can see myself as lost and alone, or I can find the courage to step out and accept the hand that I have been dealt. Isn’t that what Evangeline would do? Isn’t that what Anna and David have wanted me to do all along?

I continue walking until I reach an impassable section of the lake. There is a fallen tree not far from where delicate waves are tickling the shoreline, and I sit down on the bleached husk of its splendidly decaying body. Only a few weeks ago, I would have been uncomfortable to be this close to death, but Kit has made me remember that life goes on, that old makes way for new, that a future can be altered but not destroyed – he has managed to turn his face towards the sun and let shadows fall behind him, and now I am finally starting to believe that one day, just maybe, I might be able to do the same.

Thanks to this place and these people, I am starting to find ways to be less bitter, and less afraid. I was fearful that being around horses would be too painful, but my desire to spend time with Tui was strong enough to carry me through. I started this trip by only giving away the tiniest pieces of myself to those around me, and now I want to scale one of those distant peaks just to scream from its tip that I have a sister – and that she is the best and bravest girl I know.