64 The winter is coming

[Extra chapter with mature content is excluded]

After finishing our morning ritual in the pond, I and Silvie leave the pond and return to the house. There's nobody home when we arrive there, so after putting our bathing equipment at home, we leave the house again after locking the door, to go to the forest where Silvie ever sees the cocoa tree before. I also borrow a machete from Silvie to use during our trip in the forest. It can be used to open the path, cutting the bushes or defend ourselves from wild animal's attack in the forest. Like usual, I always bring my backpack with me while Silvie brings a basket with food for our lunch later.

We take the road that we use before when we go to the forest earlier but when we arrive at the place where I kill a wolf before, we take another direction. While we walk in the forest, Silvie asks me a question.

"Ikki…you haven't seen our village temple, right?"

"Um, is that temple to worship The God, mother earth Gaia that you told me before?"

"Yes, there's also our village vault. It's on our way there, would you like to stop by and see it?"

"Sure. Since it's located in our direction, why not?"

"I'll show the way then. Let's go Ikki"

Silvie grabs my hand and we both walk holding each other hand to the temple Silvie mentioned before. It takes a while before we arrive at the village temple located deep within the forest. The temple itself is not big, just like a small cabin house but the vault that Silvie mention, located behind temple building is a big one. Build over wooden stakes with half meter height, makes this vault building at least safe from flood if there's a flood in this forest. There are some stairs if you want to enter the vault. A well also made behind the temple for water supply. The door also looks sturdy and made from thick wood with the iron chain as the lock. Fences also build around the temple and vault which makes this place looks more like a small fortification

"What is kept inside the vault Silvie?"

"Wheat, kentang, grain, dried meat, some spices, some blanket and some weapons I guess. It would be our village escape destination if something bad happens to the village"

"Wouldn't the wheat and grain kept in the will get rotten if not used for a long time?"

"Every six months the inventory will take out to make a festive here and replaced with a new inventory"

"Festive? In here?"

"Um, every villager residents will come and we have a party in here. This festive made to worship Gaia and as the mark of changing season"

Oh right, I have to ask her about the climate in this place. Is this like my country Japan which have four seasons or maybe like the tropical place with two seasons?

"Is that means you only have two seasons here?"

"That's correct. We only have two seasons here. Rain season and Dry season"

"So you don't have winter season in here"

"Winter season? What is that Ikki?"

"Oh, in the place where I come from, we have four seasons. Winter is the last season in a year besides spring, summer, and falls. If winter season coming, there's snow everywhere"

Silvie titled her head when hearing the word 'snow', well, that's natural for people who never saw snow to not know what is snow.

"Snow, what is that Ikki? Is that some kind of food?"

How should I explain about snow to Silvie? There's no book in here nor video to shows what is snow to Silvie.

"Hmm, how to explain it….Well, do you ever see fog, Silvie?"

"The white things which floating in the air when the temperature is cold?"

"Yes, snow is something like fog, only it's more solid and colder. You know cotton that we pick in the valley on our way when we return from the beach?"

"Yes I remember that"

"Just imagine all land covered with that cotton for illustration of snow"

"Everything covered in white"

"Exactly! That's how condition when the winter season is coming"

"That's sound beautiful…I wish I can see that beauty with my own eyes"

Ugh, if possible I also want to take you back with me to Japan, Silvie. Show you the snow, buying you chocolate that you like, unfortunately, that's impossible, I never find the cave where I come from again although I've tried so hard to search it.

"Hahaha…but in winter season you must prepare thick clothes because of it so cold outside the house"

"Mmm…is that means we can't take a bath outside as we do in the pond?"

"Nope, even the water is frozen in winter season"

"I think I'm glad we don't have winter season in here. Because I can't take a bath in the pond with Ikki in winter season"

"Hahaha…only you can think that way, Silvie"

Silvie only smiles bashfully while we continue sightseeing the temple from outside. I must praise Uncle John Harvard idea when building this temple because this temple can act as shelter when something bad happens to the village and force the residents to evacuate from the village. It's quite a thinking in the world like this.

After satisfied sightseeing the temple and vault from outside, I and Silvie continue our trip. While holding each other hand, I tell Silvie about each season in my country, Japan, besides winter season that I told her before. Silvie looks enthusiastic listening to my story about my country, especially when I mention spring season when sakura flower starts blooming and Japanese do hanami tradition. She will ask if there something that she doesn't understand and I patiently explaining it Silvie. Since we're not in rush, we walk leisurely in the forest while chatting.