Reordinate the Fate

Fifth Destination: Snowy Mountain Peak

At the end of the day, they begin to see snow on the tips of the leaves of every tree they passed. "Do I need to turn on the heater to keep you all warm?" Will points to the heater button in the camping car.

“I think no. It's still not that cold in here. I can handle it."  Risa responded. The girl can see every drop of melted snow falling being reflected by the sun, makes it shimmering. Looks like the most precious gem.

Little long way after, the road seems to be covered with light snow. "Be careful, Max." Will warned the driver.

Risa looks out the window and sees the colors such as green, brown, and white mixed together well. The three colors decorate the scene in balance, side by side with the blue afternoon sky. "Can we pull down the window?" asked Risa. Without replying, Max pressed an auto-connect button on the driver's door.

"Oh my God!"

Stevan jumped from his sleep when he feels the glass of the window he was leaning back moved down slowly. Before he gets his eyes opened completely, cold air feels like slapping his cheek, “Max! Are you crazy?"

"Risa is the one who asked for it."

Cliff holds his laughter at Stevan's annoyed face. Meanwhile, Risa said, “I want to feel how cold the air outside is. That's all.” Risa creates a big smile which makes Stevan speechless for a moment, “Alright. I’ll let it pas, just because you're my friend.” said the boy softly at the end -friend- word.

Risa cupped her cheeks with both hands as she feels the cold temperature on her face. "Very cool." She said. It's still a kind of temperature that people can be overcome with.

An hour later, the light blue color shown by the sky changed to a dark blue. "Is the sun already about to set?" Risa observes the sky while looking arround and sees the landscape which have turned white. Only the brown from the tree trunks are another color on the way they can see. Pine trees grew well up there, side by side with some trees without leaves.

"There's still time until it really sets." Max explained, “The sky above here looks darker. This is due to the difference in the reflection of sunlight and the effect of the color bias that our eyes receive when we see the entire white snow. But this color will last a little longer in the sky, at least until the tents and bonfires is finished built today.”

★★★

"We're here."

"Here?" Stevan throws back Max's words questioningly. "What do you mean by here?"

Risa looks out of the window which had been closed again because it was too cold, exactly fifteen minutes before the camping car turned and stopped at a large field with snow on it. It was a wide grass-field before it is covered with snow. "This is our campsite?" Risa asked too.

"Yes."

Max's short answer makes everyone open the door and going down from the car. Stevan and Cliff hissed together and quickly put on their warm jackets and headgear. Will himself has used it since he was in the vehicle, while Max doesn't seem feeling too cold to put on a jacket and the warmth clothes.

Risa steps on withered grass mixed with snow under her boots. The girl casts her gaze around seeing the state of their fifth destination's camping location. The broad field arched and trees grew outside the arch. Not as thick as the trees on the green mountain before, there are large spaces between each tree that allowed Risa to see something something running between it.

The other four men gathers in the trunk and unloaded the camping equipment one by one. Everything they need to make a comfortable stopover for the next four days and three nights. Max opened his mouth and started giving directions,

"Let's start building tents and create the warmth fire."

★★★

"Where's the long stick?"

"Where are all the pegs?"

"This is a different tent from before!" Risa exclaimed when she realizes the tent she spreads wide over the snow looks more round than the tent they had before. “Max, I don't know how to install it. Can you help me here, Max?" Cliff speaks up loudly afterwards.

Max, who is about to open the charcoal sack, giving the task to Stevan, then he approaches Cliff and Risa who are in charge of setting up the tent. "There is any instruction paper to build this, right?" Max crouched beside them. Both of them shook their heads together. “No? Okay then, let me teach you."

Max takes the iron that was in the tent bag and began to combine the flexible shiny object to form a long metal stick. "You can do the same thing. We need 2 long stick.”

“This tent is pretty different from before. The material is waterproof and more airtight. The finished shape will also be different. It is very well adapted to camping in cooler areas. So we can stay warm all night in the tent.”

A few moments later, after fixing a pair of long irons across each other, it seems that the iron being bent to lift up the top of the tent properly. Max really giving many directions to complete it in under an hour.

“Wow, this is so big! So amazing! You know, this is remind me to the eskimo's special houses,” Risa stopped talking and humming to think, because she can't find the right words. Just then, Stevan stands behind her, "Igloo?"

"THAT’S IT!"

Risa points to the origin of the voice with an excess iron flexible rod for the framework of the tent. "Geez! Be careful with that thing!” Stevan takes a few steps back, exclaiming and raising his palms. Just like he is mugged by a sharp object.

Risa quickly lowered it, "Sorry, I did it on reflex."

Risa is right, the tent is very similar to an igloo, the traditional built of the cold area people who are covered by the ice all year round, many people know it as the eskimo. Their tent is the same height as the standing Cliff and also very wide. Maybe it can fits 7 people to sleep pressed together. So, it’s very fit for the five of them. “Max, do we have to set it up it using a lighter? I tried it, but looks like this way will take a little longer.”

Risa and Cliff follow Max who leaves with Stevan. Not long after that, They can see boxes of iron were forming and inside them filled with charcoal. "You're right, we can't set the fire up with a lighter in this low temperature." Max seemed to think, “I got it! Wait a minute!"

Max pressed the unlock button on the car key while moving towards the camping car. Shortly thereafter, he comes back and brings the cigarette's lighter that was given before, "Thanks to the forest guards earlier." Max quickly rubbed the two pole-shapped of firewood for a little time, then deftly ignited one of them.

Max throws the wood into the charcoal and do the same, taking another pair of firewood, and so on until three pieces of burning wood came in and heated up the pile of charcoal. “Now you can put in the firewood one by one. Don't let the coals get burn ‘till lost.”

"The metal sheet won't burn, right?"

Stevan said from Cliff's back, “Of course not. It is special iron which is heat resistant. How can we contain a fire with something that can be melt of with the fire, Little Boy!”

Max snorted, “Don't act smart like that, Stevan. You also asked me the same thing a while ago.” Cliff snapped back at Stevan and sneered, "Listen to that, Lazy bum!"

"Why are we using charcoal, Max?" Risa points towards the enlarging fire.

Max replied, “This charcoal absorbs and makes heat last longer in each firewood block. So the fire can continue to burn even though the temperature drops extremely. The charcoal also scatters the heat out. So the warmth we receive will be much.”

Risa nodded her head in understanding.

“Will, Cliff and Stevan. Can you guys find wood to sit like some of that we had yesterday? Get rid of the snow covering the long log first, then lift it over here, or cut some of old trees if nothing is on the ground. I told you how to distinguish it.”

The three nodded, Stevan pointed to Max and Risa, "Then, what are you going to do?"

"I will install the heater and Risa," Max pointed to the girl next to him with his thumb, "She will arrange the equipment and things into the tent, also put a cable light-lamp on the surface of the tent, considering that there is no tree here that can be used to hang the lights."

Risa nodding quickly and feels relieved that her job doesn't have to be done alone or together with Stevan. It’s not only because they will be together for a long time doing same thing just both of them, but the boy seems like didn't understand anything about camp. Turning on the heater will absolutely be tricky if they are left alone.

Oh, but isn't Stevan surprisingly good at cooking and using the electric stove? Could Stevan turn on the heater too and Risa doesn't know about that? There is so much that he doesn't know about his friend if it's true.

Ah! But what's the benefit of thinking randomly like this.

Risa shook her head spontaneously. "What's wrong?" Max asking and surprised Risa who was in her daydream for a moment. "No. Nothing." Risa shook her head once again and Max shrugged carelessly. After that, Risa immediately turns around and walking faster to follows Max's steps towards the camping car.

★★★