Destiny

In a crisp autumn perched on the slopes of the White Mountains, a modest one‑room schoolhouse holds a class of restless children. Among them is thirteen‑year‑old Paul Burton, slight and shy, whose dark hair and thoughtful eyes set him apart from the boisterous crowd. The day’s dull routine is broken only by the cold wind rattling chestnuts and the quiet ache of a boy longing for escape.

When a cruel classmate threatens him, Paul invents a flimsy excuse—refilling the bucket of water at the spring—to slip away from the looming torment. His older brother Ham, a silent observer with an unnerving knack for reading thoughts, shadows him, hinting at a deeper mystery that watches over the brothers. As Paul reaches the bubbling spring, the simple act of fetching water becomes the first step on a path that may shape his fate beyond the schoolyard.