Inside an abandoned mansion, in one of its decaying corridors, a strange whirring of gears began to echo.
Following the sound, one soon reached a wall, where there was, standing out from everything around it, a strange metal door. It drew attention in the decadent environment for maintaining a surprising integrity, while the walls around it had faded colors and were crumbling to pieces.
Until, ceasing the work of the gears, it began to move silently.
"How cold it is!" Upon opening a small crack, Seven exclaimed, surprised by the wind rushing through the mansion's interior.
However, even as he complained, with a slight smile, he played with the vapor coming from his mouth.
It seems winter is getting closer and closer... They were still in autumn, but with the end of the season drawing ever nearer, the temperature had been dropping more and more in recent days.
Because of that, he had more appropriate clothing to deal with the change, wearing a heavy coat, as well as thicker boots and pants. They weren't new, something evident from the faded color, the worn fabric in spots where it suffered friction, and the various patches, but even so, they were comfortable.
Pushing the door against the wall until he heard it click into place, Seven stepped out of the bunker. Stopping in the middle of the corridor, he checked both directions before turning his gaze back to the bunker's interior.
"Come on out!"
After a few seconds, two people began to appear on the stairs. That's when, upon seeing one of them, a warm smile spread across Seven's face.
Finally, after so long, this day has arrived, Yuliya...
Leaning on Father, Yuliya climbed the stairs with slow steps.
Seven still remembered when she fell ill, more than 3 years ago, forcing her to stay still inside the house recovering, but that was changing today.
"No need to rush, one step at a time, daughter." Calling her attention, Father tried to keep a gentle pace.
"Uh-huh."
Nodding her head, Yuliya gripped Father firmly, trying to contain her agitation.
Seven, observing that scene standing beside the door, noticed something about his sister and held back a laugh.
"Pfft."
Hearing that, Yuliya, furrowing her brows, turned to him.
"What was that?"
"Nothing..." he said, averting his gaze.
"Hmm..."
Even though she was still suspicious, staring into her brother's eyes, after a few seconds, she ignored him and went back to climbing the stairs.
Seven, watching her from the corner of his eye, was still holding back.
Even as the oldest, she still acts like a child... Below her eyes, darker than usual, Seven noticed bags marking her pale skin. Just like a child, the excitement for today's day kept her from sleeping...
With a lighter heart, Seven watched her climb the stairs, already revealing much of her body.
More than him, his sister had extra layers of clothing to protect from the cold, like a gray scarf and a wool hat, and besides that, drawing quite a bit of attention, she wore a gas mask covering her mouth and nose.
Seeing that, with a skipped beat, his smile faded, but before it could disappear completely, shaking his head, he spoke with a slight smile.
"How are you feeling today, Yuliya? Going out of the house after so long?"
Raising her gaze, she replied in a muffled voice.
"I feel great!"
Though it wasn't possible to see her expressions because of the mask she wore, from her cheekbones and her gaze, it was possible to perceive her joy.
Seven, who had a fixed gaze on his sister and a simple smile—
"If that's the case, maybe there's room for a little bet today? What do you think?"
—changed to a mocking smile and half-moon eyes.
"I—"
But before Yuliya could respond, a shout came from inside the bunker, from Leon.
"Let's bet on who works the hardest today!"
Something immediately answered by Victor.
"Why bet? In those last days we went out with Isis, you worked the least, so why do you think you'd be able to compete with Seven and Yuliya?"
Surprised by the sudden accusation, Leon turned to his brother in denial.
"What? That's not true! Isn't it, Mia?" he said, turning to his younger sister, who startled at being called.
"Eh?! Well... that's kind of true, Brother Leon, if I remember right..." she said, placing a finger on her chin, "when we went to gather the medicinal herbs, your backpack had the least, or even when we collected the roots of that plant, you took the smallest amount..."
Stuttering, Leon began to stammer.
"Gulp! Well... that's..., but...."
Defeated, as he tried to find an escape, a voice from the end of the line saved him.
"Come on, no reason to dwell on that now, because today is a new day, so maybe a bet isn't such a bad idea, since I've never competed with sister Yuliya."
Isis, with an animated expression, cast an implicating glance at Yuliya, who, widening her eyes slightly in surprise at how she had acted, took a moment to respond.
"...Well, well, it seems someone wants to start tasting defeat, just like Seven experienced so many times?"
"I didn't lose that much! — As everyone passed by Seven, he closed the door. — Actually, I think I'm two victories ahead of you, sister."
Moving to the front of the line, they continued walking through the mansion's corridors.
"No way, I'm the one ahead! Even counting the rabbit, I must still be twenty or thirty victories ahead of you!"
"That's not true! I'm not that far behind you!"
"So you're losing, just a little closer?"
As the two argued about their last bets, the group continued walking through the mansion's interior, but as soon as they reached the entrance hall, the conversation between them ceased.
Passing by the crater in the middle of the entrance hall, they went to the exit and passed through the two large doors.
In line, the group quickly headed into the forest, entering it.
In the lead, Seven guided everyone along a trail between the trees, passing under branches almost leafless and bushes apparently lifeless.
Even more leaves have fallen since yesterday...
With most of them fallen on the ground, a beautiful tapestry varying in shades of yellow and red stretched throughout the forest. The few that remained on the plants, already yellowed, clung tightly to the branches as they were swayed by the autumn wind blowing through it.
Seven, looking through the empty branches of the trees, now much more visible, could see the old city buildings that just a few days ago were covered in green vines, but that now stood bare, with the vegetation already in hibernation.
Amid that environment, they continued walking for a few minutes until they exited the forest.
Arriving at a stone path, they were right in front of a large greenhouse connected to three smaller ones. Besides them, some brick structures were linked to them, where, climbing a small staircase, they entered one.
Walking through the empty interior, they approached two large doors, which Seven began to push until he opened a small gap, from which a mass of hot air began to leak, enveloping them.
"Come on, get in quick, before the cold wind comes in here."
Having opened just enough to enter, he stepped aside for his family to pass, with them rushing through quickly.
"How hot it is in here!" Leon exclaimed excitedly.
— Clack —
Finishing closing the doors, turning to him, Seven agreed:
"Really, it's even hotter than the bunker, even though we have a heater there..."
Even with the outside temperature low, thanks to the glass and the way the place was built, it maintained a pleasant climate inside.
Because of that, Yuliya could help comfortably...
Looking at her, Seven saw her remove the various layers of clothing she wore, with Father's help, due to the pleasant climate of the place.
Once she finished removing the last coat, while Father folded them, Yuliya moved away from the group. Approaching the stairs leading to the center of the structure, she stopped at the beginning of them and, with a distant gaze and a melancholic smile, turned to the large tree in the center of the place.
"Every year it's like this... you don't lose a single leaf..."
Even though winter was near, the giant hazel tree had leaves of strong colors, as if it were still at the peak of summer.
Illuminated by a cold autumn sun, its leaves shone as they met the rays of light, in shades of dark green and some lighter ones showing a life that wasn't in the surrounding beds, full of dead plants.
Observing the tree, her gaze lowered to beneath the canopy.
There, even though darker due to the shadow the leaves cast, a few rays of sun still passed through.
One of them, descending from between the leaves, illuminated near the trunk of the tree, where there was a woman.
She wore simple clothes, but had fiery red hair the color of fire. She was facing away, but, sensing something, she turned to the entrance, revealing a face full of scars, but with a welcoming smile.
Yuliya, almost as if only wind came from her mouth, a murmur escaped her:
"Mom..."
But in the blink of an eye, she disappeared, leaving a headstone surrounded by vibrant-colored flowers.
"It's been a long time since you saw this place... your favorite, isn't it?"
Bringing her back to reality, she heard Seven, who was standing right beside her, already without the heavy clothes he wore.
Also looking at the tree, he admired it.
Smiling with her eyes, which were slightly wet, she agreed.
"Yes!"
***
Some time later, covered in sweat, Seven dropped a large basket on the ground, raising a cloud of dust in the process.
"Aff..." With a sigh of exhaustion, he stopped there.
With heavy breathing, his clothes were soaked with sweat and covered in dirt, from soil mixed with sweat to pieces of dry plants caught in his shirt, pants, and hair.
Leaning on the basket, he used one hand to wipe the sweat dripping from his forehead, which had been bothering him for a long time, but which was soon replaced by more due to the stifling climate of the greenhouse.
While recovering, catching his attention not far from him, he saw Mia, Victor, and Leo kneeling on beds.
"Stop throwing dirt in my bed!"
"You stop throwing soil in mine!"
While Mia and Victor shared one, Leon was alone in another. The three, with fire in their eyes, argued as they pulled out every kind of dry plant they found, throwing them into the corridors alongside the beds.
"Ha— they're taking the competition really seriously..." he said, almost laughing, but stopped because he was too exhausted.
Cleaning the beds, they were getting everything ready for the next year, when they would return to cultivate there.
Watching them work with such energy, Seven sighed.
I wish I could be competing with them...
Amid that fierce dispute, with such speed as they pulled things out, the dry soil began to form a thick cloud of dust around them, but it didn't seem to bother them.
With a tired smile, Seven realized he would have to fetch his pile of dirt again soon.
"Seven!"
Called, he turned his head to his sister Isis, who was waving one hand to get his attention, while near her there was a mountain of dead plants, with the bed she stood on already completely clean.
"Well, let's go..." he murmured to himself.
Throwing the basket on his back, he headed toward her, but without even waiting for him to finish approaching.
"There's this one that's mine and that other one from Yuliya to pick up!" Isis warned, before turning her back and running to the next bed.
"..."
Left alone, Seven began to gather the piles while murmuring:
"It's not just those three who are excited..."
But, stopping to gather, he looked at his sister. Not much different from the three youngest, she cleaned the bed she was on with animation.
Leadership suits you well, Isis...
Finishing gathering there, Seven went to the next one.
Not far from him, Yuliya, kneeling on the soil, pulled dead plants near her and threw them into the pile.
"How's it going, Yuliya?" he asked, stopping near her.
She, with heavy breathing, seeking as much air as possible through her mouth and nose, already without the mask, raised her hand, asking for time.
After catching a bit more breath, while emptying the air from her lungs, she replied:
"Good!"
At the same time, she began to change position, sitting on the soil to rest.
"I'm just a little out of shape," she said, while wiping the abundant sweat dripping from her face with a hand that trembled from exhaustion.
Besides that, covered in soil to the point where her skin tone changed slightly, she was completely dirty, from clothes to hair, but looking at the top of the greenhouse, she had a tired smile and eyes that still sparkled with animation.
"..."
Observing her in silence, Seven, smiling, looked around at the bed she was cleaning.
"It looks like you're going to lose the bet unfortunately, you haven't even moved to the second one! Lucky for you I'm not playing..." he said in a teasing tone.
Surprised, Yuliya turned to her brother.
"Eh? What did you expect? Isn't it obvious, I have to give them some advantage, otherwise it would lose the fun." As she spoke, she shrugged mockingly.
"Ha! We'll see if that's true in the—"
"—SEVEN!"
Interrupting the conversation, someone called Seven with a shout, making both him and Yuliya look startled in the direction of the sound.
"I have no more place to throw the dead plants!"
But they were relieved to realize it was just Leon, who, right after speaking, turned his back to get back to work.
With a complicated look, Seven put his hand on his head.
"I think I need to be faster..."
With a slight smile, Yuliya agreed, while returning to work.
"Yes."
Having finished gathering what was there, he put the basket on his back and set off for the outside of the greenhouse.
Passing through the exit door, he closed it quickly before continuing to walk.
In a short time, leaving the structure, he reached a staircase, where he was hit by the cold outside wind, but without caring, he stayed there feeling the icy breeze hit his body.
"And to think that now this is refreshing me..."
But that's why I couldn't participate... since if this hit any of my siblings, they would get sick... Although he didn't know what the temperature was, he was sure it was close to zero.
For having to carry things outside, they would go through constant thermal shocks, something that could easily make them sick.
"Well! I guess I better keep working...."
Finishing descending the staircase, he crossed a small stone pavement until reaching near the forest.
As soon as he arrived there, stopping near a basket similar to the one he carried, he looked around, searching for something among the trees.
"Father?" he called in an uncertain tone.
After a few seconds, a voice answered him, coming from deeper in the forest.
"Here."
Following that voice, he entered amid the plants until reaching a small clearing, where Father was gathering, with an improvised rake, several piles of dead plants.
"You can throw it on this one."
Pointing to one of them, he indicated the smaller one, which was mostly composed of leaves and small branches.
Approaching, he began to empty what he had while talking to Father.
"What are all these for?"
"I'm setting up composters to make fertilizer for next year."
Finishing emptying, he stopped for a moment observing the mountain of organic remains.
"Hmm..."
Gathering more leaves, Father began to pile them into a new mound.
"How's the work inside the greenhouse?"
"Good — he said with a smile as he remembered — Leon, Mia, Victor, and Isis are going full throttle, cleaning bed after bed, and Yuliya, even with difficulties, is giving it her all!"
"That's good, if we keep this up, we can head home earlier."
Hearing that, Seven stopped there, with both hands behind his body, a little restless, while observing his father work.
Stopping, Father turned to him.
"What's wrong?"
Lowering his gaze, Seven, a little indecisive, asked:
"Father..., if we really finish early, can we go to the school?"
Finding the question strange, he replied:
"Can you? I see no reason not to allow it, just ask that you return quickly, because the days are getting shorter."
Shaking his head, Seven explained:
"...You didn't understand, I mean all of us, including Yuliya."
Stopping work, Father turned to Seven, with the same always-expressionless face, but looking through it, Seven noticed he was more serious.
"The school isn't close, that's a long trek for her to walk, since her health is still fragile."
"Yes, I know...., that's why I wanted to ask if you could carry her on your back, so she wouldn't get tired."
After a few seconds of silence, when he was about to respond, shaking his head, pausing for a moment, he asked:
"Why?"
"I wanted to take her to the school, because it was always a place where we had a lot of fun..., all of us. Since I thought it would be boring for her to go out just to work and come back..."
Falling silent again, returning to work, Father agreed:
"...I understand, we can go, but only if we finish the greenhouse before noon, because even carrying her, I can't walk fast, to avoid the risk of hurting her."
A big smile growing on Seven's face, he thanked him.
"Thank you, Father!"
Turning his back, with a surge of energy, he headed back to the greenhouse.