Chapter 35: Second Winter Activities
Year 0002, XI-XII Month: The Imperium
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Winter: House Expansion
The distant winter winds howled outside, but within the walls of a certain house in Maya Village, warmth and activity flourished. Despite the bitter cold that had settled across the land, the residents worked diligently, their labor generating enough heat to keep the chill at bay as they constructed the interiors of the second floor.
The framework had already taken shape—sturdy columns, robust beams, and carefully placed joists formed the skeleton that would support the planned mezzanine. Today's focus was the staircase, positioned strategically near the right side of the main hall, just outside the bottom bedrooms. It would serve as the vital artery connecting the first and second floors.
*Dugk! Dugk! Dugk! Bzzzkk! Bzzzkk! Bzzzkk!*
The rhythmic percussion of hammers striking nails and saws cutting through wood created a symphony of industry. Everyone involved had gathered either around the staircase or in its proximity, while a support group busied themselves preparing nourishing snacks for the hardworking builders.
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Reminiscing the Previous Year
Not long ago, August had been the sole inhabitant of this house, his footsteps echoing in empty rooms. Then came Gel during the latter half of the previous winter, making them the most tenured residents. August, having lived his entire life in this village, naturally claimed the title of eldest resident, while Gel held the distinction of being the first newcomer to settle here.
As they assisted with the construction, August and Gel reminisced about the past. With his remarkable strength, August primarily handled the heavy lifting—his capability of dragging half a ton beast with ease was remarkable, and was now being used to hoisting massive timber beams like a stack of sticks.
"Isn't this wonderful?" August said to Gel, his voice warm with appreciation. "It was just you and me during winter last year."
Gel's eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Right, now we have so many people with us. It's become livelier and more fun, even when we're trapped indoors." She gestured toward the bustling activity around them. "And we don't even have to worry about rationing our food anymore—the harvest was plentiful, the meat stores are full, and the root cellar is filled to bursting!"
August nodded, a relieved smile crossing his face. "I remember having to cut our daily food rations. I truly hadn't expected company for the duration of winter back then." His expression brightened. "Now we can eat lavishly until spring arrives. Thank the gods we expanded the root cellar, or we might have faced hunger this season."
Angeline fell silent, her thoughts drifting to her mother. If she had survived, all three of them would have been together now. The absence ached, a hollow space in her heart that could never truly be filled. Yet the sorrow passed quickly as she returned to a more cheerful demeanor, grateful to the gods for allowing her to live, and to the boy before her who had rescued her from a grim fate.
Shaking herself from her reverie, she focused on the present moment.
"Yes, and I am thankful for you, Gus!" she declared suddenly, her smile radiant but offering no explanation for her gratitude.
August's brow furrowed in confusion. What had he done to deserve such praise? Unbeknownst to him, every person beneath this roof harbored similar sentiments toward him.
"Umm... what for? Did something happen?" he asked, perplexed. "Uhhh, you're welcome, I guess?"
Gel offered no clarification, merely turning away with the ghost of a smile playing on her lips as she returned to her tasks, leaving August standing in bewilderment.
"Boss, boss, hey, boss man, can you hoist it up, please?"
The call snapped August from his momentary trance. He had forgotten he was holding a massive timber frame for the staircase, along with the several hard working uncles waiting for him to position it.
"Oh, right!" he exclaimed, carefully lowering the beam into place as the others rushed to secure it.
The work continued relentlessly throughout the day, pausing only for meals and necessary breaks before resuming the next morning. This had been their rhythm for weeks, and it had paid dividends—they had completed nearly 85% of the upper floor construction. All that remained was installing the wooden balustrades for the mezzanine and adding doors and furniture for the bedrooms.
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Stage Two Completion
Three weeks later, they lounged around the central hearth, the construction now 95% complete at least for the first two stages, only the third stage remains. Only the beds and additional furniture for the upper two floors remained unfinished. The house now stood 27 feet tall, having gained 12 feet with the addition of the second floor. The center smoke turret reached even higher, bringing the overall height to an impressive 32 feet.
Despite the grueling work, August somehow found energy for his daily exercise regimen. Most peculiar was his morning ritual of jumping into the snow, half-naked, then diving deeper into the frigid powder—a practice known only to Gel until recently.
When the others witnessed this for the first time, their faces registered shock and concern. Many initially suspected that exhaustion had driven him to madness, but Jonathan, Gel's father, reserved judgment. Experience had taught him that August's unusual behaviors typically had sound reasoning behind them.
"Why is he doing that?" Jonathan asked his daughter, his expression a mixture of confusion and worry.
Gel laughed lightly. "Oh, Daddy, he does it every winter morning, right after he completes his morning routine. When I asked him about it, he said it was 'to keep the spirits up!' and that it helps with muscle soreness."
Jonathan exhaled a cloud of warm breath into the cold air. "I see; I knew there was a good reason behind it," he murmured, newfound respect glinting in his eyes.
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The Expansion Debate
By the following morning, the other children had eagerly joined August in his cold immersion ritual—all except for the newcomers, Adam and Isabel Peerce, who were still adjusting to their current village life. Even some adults had tentatively tested the method, reluctantly admitting that it indeed seemed effective for reducing muscle aches.
The full exercise regimen, however, remained a bridge too far for the older residents. Their weathered minds hadn't yet wrapped around the concept of deliberate physical exertion beyond practical work. They watched from windows, shaking their heads in bewilderment as August led the children through movements that seemed utterly foreign yet somehow purposeful.
As winter deepened, the house stood as a testament to their collective effort—not merely a shelter from the cold, but a home transformed through shared labor and growing bonds. The second winter in Maya Village promised to be vastly different from the first, marked not by isolation and scarcity, but by community and abundance.
And at the center of it all stood August, unwittingly becoming the heart around which this new community pulsed—a fact apparent to everyone except himself.