Reordinate the Fate

Fifth Destination: Shivering

Risa carrying two backpacks on her shoulders, two more each in her hands, while she backpacked her own nicely on her back. Meanwhile, Max brings the heater alone. "Isn't that heavy, Max?"

The man does not deny it, "Of course."

"Should I help you then?” Risa looks at her own hands which is already full of backpacks. More than that, five bags is heavy enough for her. Risa mocking herself that acted like nice helper, she won’t be able to help Max however. Luckily, Max answers with shaking his head, “I can lift it myself. Please open the tent cloth-door for me.”

Risa walks a few steps faster and hugged one of the backpacks then unzipped the tent with her empty hand.  "Thanks." Max takes off his own shoes -that he still wears instead of boots- and put the heater in the middle of the tent. "How do I turn on the heater?" Risa put five bags around the corner ot the tent at the same distance, then hurried over to Max.

"We have to take some things outside the tent." Again Risa following Max.

"What 'things' do we need to take?" asked the girl.

Max takes another metal sheet that was still leaning against the outside corner of the tent entrance, gives one of them to Risa and grabs another one for himself. Then Max approaches the equipment bag beside the tent entrance and took a kind of tongs. "Tool for take out some hot charcoals." Max said it before Risa needing to ask.

Then the man holds out the heat-resistant gloves, “We'll bring some hot charcoal inside. Be careful.” Max puts some charcoal on to his metal sheet and Risa's after that.

They go back in and Max pulls out some kind of things that become the layers in the heater. "Put it all in there." Risa obeyed and  drops all the charcoal on the bottom layer of the heater, and so does Max. “Now can you please get some ice out there? The one that's spread all over the ground. Try not to pick up leaves and soil. Only the ice.”

Risa just nodded and when she returns, Max has already replaced back -Risa didn't how many pieces- the layers over the heater. "Put it in here." Risa pushes in all the ice to the heater and Max closes it with something like a sieve, then a layer of cover. "Done."

"What was that?"

Max explains, “This heater also has an air humidifier system. The charcoal is used as heating, and the ice will melt because of the heat of the charcoal, then heat will continuing up until it finally evaporates into the air because of the spread of heat all over inside the heater that will happens after this.” Risa nodded her head. Max continues, “This type of portable heater may seem quite complicated, but it's one with simplest technology that comes in handy. The matter is just that we have to change the charcoal and check the water in it all the time.”

"I will do it then." Risa patted herself.

Max smiled, "All right then, full-of-excite girl."

★★★

Risa and Max sit comfortably at the entrance of the tent, Max with his legs crossed and Risa with her arms hugging her knees. The other three have not returned yet, while they have finished what they had to do. Max looked around, "We have to get some food, at least for tonight."

Risa turns her head to the man, "What can we get here? Is there anything to be picked and hunted?” The girl moved her toes that still can feels the cold air even though it is already covered by the boots, also bring her palms together in front of her mouth and let out a warm breath. Risa feels little bit freezing. Only her back gets warmth from the heater inside the tent. The temperature outside and inside is like black and white, very contrasting.

“I don't know if we can fishing and find anything meaningful in the water, but for the fowl, I think there are only black geese here.” Risa looking around, "If we're not getting any food, It doesn’t mean we can't eating anything, right?"

Max shook his head, “I don't know. We have instant food just in case we need it,” Max rises to his feet, "And I think tonight is instant food." Max pointed to the forest, “I will take a walk around here. Do you want to join me?” Risa hets up, "But, the campsite?"  Max immediately pointed to three people who together raise and bring a long large log. "So, do you want to come?"

Risa closes the tent cloth-door and nodding.

★★★

Max waving at the three people who is approaching them and turns around another side, and so does Risa. The two of them entered the row of cypress and pine trees. Risa seems to see around with her eyes excitedly, "It's like Christmas."

"If it really looks like that, it means the people lived here in this mountain area will celebrate Christmas every day." Max responded.

"This mountain has ice all over the season?"

Max nodded, "This mountain has eternal snow."

Risa tightened her jacket, "Then it must be very cold if I have to live here in a long time, even though it's very beautiful."

"That's right."

Risa observed how seldom Max speaking, then she takes initiative to talking another topic so that their walk won't be deep in silence, “How could the previous mountain has no snow while this one has eternal snow? Though both are located in one area, even the distance is close if we talk about mountains. "

Max opens his mouth to explain, “Even though it's close together, this mountain is about one and a half or two times taller than the previous one. The temperature drop based on the thermal gradient may not apply precisely to this mountain. You can feel it was so cold at some point so we closed the window of the camping car earlier right?”  Risa nodded. "That's the extreme point change."

“They say it snows here all year round, but the sun shines to this snowy mountain too, so does the wet rainy season that comes every year. So I think that it’s true it’s icy here everyday, but the snow can be thicker and thinner over some period based on the main season or the weather in a day. At least that's according to my logic.”

“One more thing, the merchants down there said, there aren't many houses up here. So actually, almost nobody celebrates Christmas all year round here. Those who own the buildings here tend to leave them and come back just for vacation on the holiday.” Max closes his explanation, “I personally would like to have a stopover in this area. Slight air pollution and no urban crowds, even if this peace have to be repayed by spending hours down just to buying groceries and daily necessities.” The man chuckled.

Risa looks again at Max who seems so excited when she asked the question just now, then the girl asking again, "So, are we looking for a black geese now?" Max shook his head, “There is little chance to get the catches if we are looking for it when tired. We won't get focus. Even if the color was is different from the white of snow, it will be very difficult with tired eyes and a rushed feeling.”

Max continued, "We have to do the hunting in the best conditions with a large amount of patient, especially in areas that is unfamiliar to normal human body conditions, like this area."

"I see,"

"Yeah, you see." replied Max.

Risa shook her head, "It's not about your explanation."

Max returned Risa's gaze, "You," The girl pointed at Max. “You seem really excited when you talk about things related to journey and adventure. So much different from the way you are before talking about eternal snow. So that's the best way to makes you to talk. Just talking about yourself and your hobby.”

"Why do you want me to talk about something that is not important?" Max changed to ask Risa something. The girl immediately think for the perfect reason. She repeatedly opened and closed her lips again when she felt that something she will says is not quite good reason.

When she finds an reason that feels the most right, Risa opens her mouth again, but Max precedes her, “If you're going to say that you don't like situations that feels so quiet and calm, sorry for making that kind of situation between us, but I think I've heard the same reason from you before.* Risa closed her lips tightly again.

“So? Any reason? No reason?” Risa hissed in annoyance and shook her head to replied Max in the end. She doesn't have any good reason. She doesn't even understand why she wants Max to talk to her so badly other than because the situation always be silent if they are left just both.

"I don't know," Risa sighed, "I just want to make you talk a lot. At least become closer with me.”

"Why?" Again Max asked 'Why'.

"I told you I don't know the good reason." Risa touches and closes her ears automatically with both of her palms when a very cold wind blows against her face. It is so cold that she feels like she is about to freeze. Max realizes it and stops moving, “Is it that important to be close to me? I think we are close enough to be partners during this ‘escape’ journey.”

Risa shook her head strongly, "No... Not just in this trip!"

"Then?"

Max stands straight in front of Risa and lowered the girl's hands from her ears. After that, he grabs the hood that was sewn with the warm jacket Risa's wear and put it on Risa's head. Strangely, Risa feels herself petrified when Max approached her, and as soon as the mysterious man put on the hood, her heart seems to pump all the blood faster with its beat.

"Let's go back before you get cold." Max walks back to the tent, becomes far from Risa who ist still little bit fall in silence.

After a time, Risa touches her leftside chest and clenched her fists. She closes her eyes for a moment before opens them again, create a bitter smile, and in a whisper to herself. She recanted her careless and mocked herself. “How stupid you are. When is this thing started growing? Why are you start liking that mysterious man?”

★★★