Deepening Autumn and the Sound of Winter Preparations
The trees in the forest had turned shades of red and yellow, and as morning dew settled, their breaths increasingly came out as white puffs in the chill. The growing cold of the mornings and evenings reminded Akio of winters back in his hometown on Earth. He had no idea how harsh the winters in this world would be, but there was no harm in being prepared.
“Everyone, gather around. From today, we’re starting serious winter preparations.”
After breakfast, when Akio made this announcement, the children’s faces tensed slightly. They, too, could feel the deepening cold in their skin and instinctively sensed the coming hardships of the season.
“The most important thing is firewood. We can’t keep warm or cook without fire. After that, we’ll seal the gaps in this house properly to keep out the cold. And we’ll need warmer clothes.”
At Akio’s words, the children nodded with solemn expressions.
The first task was gathering firewood.
“Alto, Kenta, I’ll show you how to use the axe and saw properly one more time. Watch carefully and don’t you dare get hurt.”
Akio taught Alto and Kenta the basics of chopping firewood, starting with relatively safe deadwood and leftover scraps from the cabin repairs. At first, the boys were clumsy, but with Akio’s patient guidance and their natural aptitude, they steadily improved. Alto swung the axe with increasing accuracy, while Kenta, full of energy, pulled the saw with a steady rhythm.
“Good, keep it up. But never push yourselves too hard.”
Akio had them collect manageable deadwood and fallen trees near the cabin while he ventured a little further to cut down thicker trees for firewood. Ayane volunteered to carry the cut firewood to the side of the cabin and stack it neatly. Miko and Yume, imitating their older siblings, busily picked up thin branches and pinecones to make a pile of kindling.
Over the course of several days, they amassed a towering pile of firewood, enough to hide one side of the cabin. Looking up at the fruits of their labor, the children felt both exhausted and deeply satisfied.
Next was insulating the cabin. Akio mixed high-quality clay he had found earlier with dried grass and painstakingly sealed every gap in the cabin walls. The floor was also covered with a thick layer of dried grass that Ayane and the others had gathered and dried. That alone would dramatically improve the cabin’s heat retention.
Then came clothing. The children’s clothes were thin and worn in many places.
“Ayane, can you sew?”
“Yes, my mother taught me a little back in the village… but we don’t have thread or needles…”
Akio took out several rabbit pelts they had from earlier hunts. Fortunately, even without proper tanning skills, Akio had managed to dry them and make them reasonably soft.
“We’ll use these to make simple vests or shawls. As for needles… maybe I can carve some from bones. Thread… we’ll have to use strong plant fibers or animal tendons.”
After trial and error, Akio managed to carve a few crude bone needles from bird bones and twisted plant fibers into durable thread. With those meager tools and materials, Ayane deftly stitched the pelts together, creating small vests and shawl-like garments for each child. Akio also helped by patching up the children’s clothes using sturdy portions of his own worn garments.
“Wow, it’s so warm!”
Yume spun around happily, wrapped in her tiny fur vest, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces.
Their food supplies were also steadily increasing. In addition to smoked meat, Akio taught the children how to thinly slice edible mushrooms and root vegetables and dry them in the sun under the cabin eaves on clear days. Dried vegetables were lightweight and easy to store.
Alto was beginning to show a talent for selecting trap locations. Learning from Akio about animal trails and habits, he experimented with his own ideas, resulting in a higher catch rate than before.
Meanwhile, little Miko was making remarkable contributions with her keen eye. Drawing on stories she’d heard from the village’s old herb seller, she could distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous ones with surprising accuracy. Of course, Akio always made the final judgment with great care, but Miko’s knowledge greatly improved their foraging efficiency.
By evening, Akio and the children gazed at their growing firewood pile, the reduced drafts in the cabin, and the simple winter garments they had crafted with their own hands.
“With this much, I think we’ll make it through this winter, Akio-san,” Alto said proudly.
Akio nodded. “Yeah. But don’t let your guard down. The forest in winter can be unforgiving.”
That night, inside the unusually warm cabin, Ayane carefully stitched a small tear in Akio’s clothes with the bone needle and plant thread they had made.
“You’re always doing everything for us… so, even just a little…”
“… Yeah. Thanks, Ayane.”
Akio replied with quiet, genuine gratitude. In the firelight, Ayane’s cheeks seemed faintly flushed.
The footsteps of winter were drawing ever closer, but within their hearts, a quiet warmth and the growing confidence from overcoming hardships together had already begun to take root.
What do you think about this chapter?
