022 ┃ Let It Snow

"First, I hope you remember this is just my interpretation after looking at the drawings, so it might not be entirely accurate…" warned Spud.

"Just get on with it," Dawn complained.

"Alright. The story is about a very greedy man, a merchant or something like that. He was very wealthy, but nobody in the village wanted anything to do with him. One stormy night, an old man with a sack knocked on the merchant's door, seeking shelter. He told the merchant that his sack contained thousands of magical gifts and if he allowed him to stay the night, he would give him one. The merchant agreed, and took a magical gift from the man's sack. He instantly gained the ability to control fire at will, igniting the fireplace with just his hands. The merchant begged the old man for more gifts and even offered him money, but the old man refused, saying he could only take one.

"That night, while the old man slept, the merchant stole his sack. He took the gifts for himself and filled the sack with stones so the old man wouldn’t notice. With all the gifts, he became very powerful. He could fly, manipulate the elements, heal wounds, and such. With so much power, the merchant began using his magic to become a tyrant. But then one day, the old man returned and revealed his true form. It turned out he was actually a god and decided to punish the merchant for his greed. He took away all the magical gifts and distributed them throughout the land. In the end, everyone on the island had the ability to use magic except for the merchant."

When Spud finished his explanation, he eagerly awaited Dawn's reaction.

"Oh," was all she said.

"What do you mean, 'Oh'? Don't you have anything else to say?" Spud asked, inquisitively.

"I don’t know what you want me to say. An entertaining story, I suppose, but that's it," she confessed, scratching her head as she tried to think. "What does this have to do with your second theory?"

Spud tilted his head, looking at Dawn in bewilderment.

"I thought it was evident," he cleared his throat. "Conclusion number two: The god that the island's inhabitants believed in is real."

Dawn leaned toward him, incredulous.

"Wait, what? How did you come to that conclusion?" she questioned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It sounds crazy, right? I'm not entirely sure either, but look," –Spud opened two books. Both showed illustrations of the god– "It's the same character in both books. It’s also the same one from the temple sculpture and the one in a painting at the lake house. His face and religious symbols are everywhere, in many books," the boy argued.

"But that doesn't mean he's real. Maybe the island's people were just very religious," Dawn countered.

"Of course, that’s a possibility. But if we agree that magic existed, it’s quite a coincidence that religious books explain its origin, right?" Spud said, still hopeful.

Dawn sighed, looking skeptically at the book.

"People are crazy, Spud. They invent gods to explain what they don't understand," she justified. "Moreover, if it were true, why would that god let the island's people die?"

Spud pondered for a few seconds, trying to find a rebuttal.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that... It's still a developing theory, it's natural to have gaps," he defended.

"If you say so…" Dawn replied jokingly. Her gaze shifted to the window behind Spud. She abruptly stood up and approached it for a better view. "Look!"

Spud followed her lead and looked out the window. Outside, hundreds of snowflakes were gently falling, gradually turning the ground white.

"Wow, it's amazing... I think this is the first time I've seen snow," Spud explained, fascinated.

"The snow came early this year," she muttered to herself, but Spud pulled her toward the door.

"Let's see it up close, hurry!" he exclaimed with excitement, dragging her along.

Once outside, Spud couldn't contain his enormous smile. Like a little child, he knelt down and began to play with the snow.

On the porch, Dawn's expression of wonder turned to one of concentration.

"Winter is coming soon. We should gather provisions and preserve what we can..." she began, but was interrupted by a snowball hitting her face.

Spud laughed heartily at the face she made.

"Sorry, I guess my aim is too good," he joked, still laughing.

Before he could react, a snowball hit him squarely in the face. Now it was Dawn's turn to laugh.

"What were you saying?" she teased, smug.

"You'll see now," Spud warned with a laugh, forming another snowball.

Within moments, they were playfully throwing snowballs at each other.

Spud sat on the ground, exhausted. They'd been at it for at least an hour, throwing snowballs, building snowmen, and making snow angels. Even Lion, who initially seemed reluctant, ended up playing with the falling snowflakes.

It hadn't stopped snowing the entire time, so now the ground was covered with more than a few inches of snow.

"Giving up so easily? And here I thought I finally had a worthy opponent," Dawn teased, snowball in hand.

"I... I didn't say I give up," the boy stuttered, shivering from the cold.

Dawn approached him and crouched beside him, concerned.

"You're shivering. We better go inside before you get sick," she advised with a motherly tone.

"I'm fine," Spud assured, shaking the snow off. "But I'd do anything for a hot bath right now."

Hearing that, Dawn's eyes lit up.

"I just remembered a great place. Follow me," she said, taking Spud's hand.

"What? Now?" he asked, surprised by her initiative.

"Don’t worry, it's less than a half-hour away. We'll be back in time for lunch. Come on!" Dawn cheerfully exclaimed, running ahead with Spud trailing behind.

When they arrived, Spud was somewhat disappointed. They were on an inhospitable path, and in front of them stood an old, moss-covered house, shrouded in plants. Tall wooden fences on either side of the house obscured whatever was behind. Though the snow made it appear more beautiful, it was just an abandoned house.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked, puzzled.

"You'll see," she simply replied, leading the way inside.

Spud followed, pushing away the overgrown plants to keep up.

"Why all the mystery? Just tell me," Spud complained, trying not to trip over the foliage inside.

Dawn remained silent as she guided him through the ruins, navigating around collapsed walls and old bones. Soon, they were outside again, but the view had changed. Before them was a large body of water adorned with rocks, statues, and even waterfalls. The surface wasn’t frozen as one would expect given the cold, and the area was veiled in a light mist rising from the water.

Realizing what it was, Spud's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Hot springs?"

"Exactly," the girl announced as she moved to stand right in front of the water. She turned her head to look at Spud with a mischievous smile. "Wanna take a bath?"