Everyone had woken up, surprised by the thick blanket of snow outside. After breakfast, I decided to head to the ranch to play, only to find our dog Chocola buried in the snow.
「…Really?」
From a distance, I noticed white powder spraying up like a fountain, and when I got closer, I saw the scene—Chocola had dug a hole in the snow, nestled himself inside, and looked like he was thoroughly enjoying it, as if he was in a sand bath.
「You… you can’t be serious…」
「Bark… kwuu.」
Chocola tilted his head and gazed up at me. Was he actually comfortable? Is that cozy for him?
「Waha! Shocola, only head!」
Mint was laughing as she gently patted the snow piled on Chocola’s body, packing it down. Well, if she’s having fun, I guess it’s fine. She won’t catch a cold… right?
「Just take it easy, alright?」
「Bark!」
But now I was at a bit of a loss.
I had planned to play with him, but here he was, in full relaxation mode, clearly intending to stay buried in the snow for a while.
「Ara ara. Chocola, aren’t you cold?」
「Did Mint do this? Or did he do it on his own?」
「Ufufu, it’s quite adorable, isn’t it?」
As I was contemplating what to do, Mother, Karen, and Grandma arrived, each offering their own remarks about the snow-covered Chocola.
「Well… he seems content like this for now.」
「Bark.」
「Shocola breathes, tummy bigger! Up and down! Fun!」
Mother chuckled as she looked around.
「Still, this snow is really something. I didn’t expect it to be this heavy.」
「But the Northeastern Gregorum region isn’t supposed to be that cold, is it?」
「It’s likely because we’re in the mountains. Even though this area is called the Forest, it’s not entirely flat. Compared to Sidera, this area has a bit more elevation.」
Karen thought for a moment and then nodded.
「Right. Judging from the terrain and ecosystem, it’s unlikely that we’ll have snow like this all winter. This is probably just an unusually heavy snowfall.」
「That’s good to hear. I’ll check with Ji Liz later too, just to be sure.」
It’s been nearly ten years since he settled the village in the mid-part of the Void Forest. He’d probably know more about the winter climate here than we do.
「Alright, since we’ve got all this snow, we should do something fun with it…」
If the snow melts in a few days, we should make the most of it now.
Snowball fight? Although if we do that, it might turn into a high-speed snowball barrage.
Snowman? Definitely. We’ll make one for sure, with Mint and maybe even the fairies.
Drawing in the snow? That could be great for Mint’s creative development.
「But first…」
With all this snow—about 15 centimeters at our place, but close to a meter just outside our property—it’s the perfect opportunity to try something I’ve always dreamed of as a kid but never had enough snow for.
Alright.
I glanced around at everyone and finally patted Mint on the head before announcing my plan.
「We’re building a kamakura!」
※※※
Mint, of course, didn’t know what a kamakura was, and neither did Mother, Karen, or Grandma. So I quickly explained it to them, and we got to work.
「Let’s make a big one!」
「Yeah!」
With a shovel in one hand, I pumped my fist into the air, followed by Mint, who didn’t really know what she was cheering for but still followed my lead. Mother and the others stood back, watching us with amusement.
「Sui-kun seems really excited.」
「Fufu, like a little child. He’s having a blast.」
「Hmm… maybe he really loves the snow.」
It seemed like they weren’t entirely sold on the idea yet. But trust me—kamakuras are seriously fun! It’s not just for kids, it’s for everyone!
「Alright, first, we pile up the snow and make a big mound!」
I gave the command.
Once they see the finished product, they’ll understand. We’ll make it so big, we can even have lunch inside!
Together, we began gathering snow, packing it down firmly to ensure it wouldn’t collapse.
「Sui, this, like that! Summer, we build near sea」
「Yeah, you’re right. But this time, we’re making a much bigger one with snow.」
「Got it! Mufuu!」
By the way, gathering all this snow also serves another purpose—clearing a spot for Pochi to eat. We need to shovel around the stable to expose the ground, otherwise, it’ll be difficult for him to graze on the hay.
So, with everyone working together, using shovels and carts, we painstakingly piled up the snow. When we ran short, we brought more from outside the property.
「Bark! Bark bark bark!」
「What’s up with you? Got tired of being buried in the snow?」
「Bark!」
Chocola, apparently curious about what we were doing, started romping around us. Or rather, he seemed to be running circles around us in excitement.
Chocola spun around us like a playful comet, occasionally brushing past us.
「You really are a carefree one, aren’t you? We’ll play after we finish this, okay?」
「Bark!」
「Although I have a feeling by the time we’re ready, you’ll be buried in the snow again.」
The snow mound was now taller than me. Toward the end, Mint sat on my shoulders to help pack the snow down at the top.
「Alright, next we dig it out, but unlike sand tunnels, don’t dig all the way through. We want to create a hollow space inside.」
「Okay!」
I drew the outline of the entrance with a branch, and then we began carefully digging with shovels. I demonstrated the technique, Mint mimicked me, and we worked in turns. As we hollowed it out, we also packed the walls tightly, and Mother and the others carried away the snow we cleared out.
「Fuwooo….Mint, inside snow!」
「Not yet, we still need to make it bigger. Big enough for everyone to fit.」
We continued digging, hollowing, smoothing, and packing the snow. Inside the cold white hill, we created a cozy, slightly smaller room.
—Back in Japan, when I was little, there was one winter where a decent amount of snow fell.
With a playful Chocola, Father, and I, we played in the yard.
To the young me, the snow seemed impossibly deep. I wanted to build a kamakura, so we tried, and Father helped me out.
Looking back, the snow probably wasn’t that deep at all. The yard at our old house was small, especially compared to here, so there wasn’t enough snow to make a proper one.
Of course, it didn’t turn out very well.
We only managed to make a small snow mound with a barely-there hollow, just enough for me to lie down and poke my head inside. But that moment—captured in a photo—still made it into our family album, which recorded all of our growth.
Photos don’t show what expressions the photographer had, but I remember. I remember it clearly.
Father was smiling. He looked so happy—pointing the camera at me, with my head stuck inside that tiny kamakura wannabe, and Chocola watching beside me.
「…Sui, what’s wrong?」
「Nothing. We’re almost there.」
The hollow complete, we flattened the floor, and for the final touch, we created a snow table in the center. A square, solid block of snow.
「Finished! Mint, go call Mother and the others.」
「Okay!」
Mint dashed out of the kamakura. I stepped outside as well, stretching my arms as I wiped the sweat from my brow. It was a masterpiece. It was enormous—something that would be difficult to build even in a snowy region.
Watching Mint run off and looking at the kamakura, I couldn’t help but smile.
Just like I did as a child.
And maybe, just like Father did, behind the camera that day.
Leave a Reply