64 The winter is coming (1/2)
[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?”