Frozen Among the Ivory Plum Blossoms
Why was there a plum blossom tree?
A young man's thoughts mingle with the quiet atmosphere, completely unspoken. The back of his clothes soaks in liquid from the frigid, mushy lake water under him. Like small hands, the icy water steadily climbs its way up, sending a chill down to his bones.
Why is it so cold?
A sigh struggles to escape the boy's lips as his breath turns into a white fog of condensation before his eyes. Though to the boy, it adds nothing to the scenery before him. The sky above holds layers of nothing but clouds in which the clouds tell a forecast of nothing but relentless showers of soft snow.
Snowflakes flit through the air, falling onto the eyelashes and the tip of the boy's nose. At first soft, before they melt into the skin, paralyzing anything their tiny, frosty hands touch.
Along with the snowflakes, ivory plum blossom petals float around the sky as they fall, gently laying down around him.
Where am I?
The young man tries to move only to feel numbness take over. Now unable to move, he has only the slight movement of his eyes and peripheral vision to take in what is around him.
White.
Nothing but endless white invades his field of vision. From the left, white. On the right, white. Above is nothing but white. Even the fallen plum blossoms are white. Everything around him is empty of color, a field of white save his being, which is now almost entirely submerged by the cold, slushy water from below.
The sound of an ore dragging a wooden boat through icy waters drifts into the young boy's ears from a distance. The movement creates an echo of sloshing water as it becomes the only other sound filling up the frozen air.
Unable to move, the boy waits for the approaching intruders.
The sound comes to a stop as the boat slows down near the young man's body. Two figures peer at the boy from above, staring down at him, yet his attention is elsewhere.
Now in frustration, a sigh freezes in his throat, the coldness freezing everything in his body. His mind becomes entirely lost in his thoughts.
How did I end up here?
As those thoughts sink in, the complete loss of sensation from the chilling of his body fully sets in. Now heavy with frost, his eyelashes become too much, and his eyelids slowly close.
Everything white becomes black.
❄❄❄❄
Light invades the darkness as a young man wakes up from his deep slumber to the loud sound of banging.
"Khachi!" a young female whines as she bangs on the door to the boy's bed-chamber. "You were the one that wanted to come here in the first place. So, why am I the one waking you up?"
A yawn escapes Khachi's mouth as he sits up to stretch. Pulling the sheets back, he climbs out of bed. Walking over to the wardrobe, he grabs a light blue shirt and green cargo pants. "Because you, Yesui, are an early bird, while I'm not," Khachi yells over his shoulder as he quickly shuffles to change clothes.
The young woman rolls her eyes from outside the door as she examines her watch. "Hurry up. The rest of the crew is waiting for you outside." Yesui shouts before turning to leave. The remaining words, "per usual," carry the rest of the message to Khachi's ears without being said.
Khachi sighs, and he rushes to gather his satchel with some equipment, a dark green scarf, and a pair of sunglasses.
It isn't that Khachi is unpunctual; it's just that mornings are never his thing. As for the rest of the crew, Yesui mentioned consist of only three people, including himself.
Khachi greets the blinding sunlight and some mild dusty wind upon opening the small door to his room. Swiftly, he pulls out his sunglasses and then moves to pull the back of his dark green scarf over his head to cover his already messy black hair. Closing the door behind him, he takes a step out.
Khachi spots two people loading a small SUV not far from his room. As he approaches one of the two, a young boy turns to look at Khachi.
The boy looks to be around twenty with ash brown hair that is messy as the light breeze plays with it. His honey tan skin is strangely more delicate than most natives of Dariganga, of the Sükhbaatar Province in eastern Mongolia. Yet, even with today's bright sun glaring down, his wide eyes held a warm and welcoming allure to them.
The boy's eyes light up before he smiles and yells, "
"
Before the boy has time to reply, a groan full of annoyance comes from the other person pushing past the boy to slide into the SUV, trying to place a large bag inside.
Yesui's typical glare of irritation falls onto the two from the back seat that the two are standing by, just barely blocking her way. Her short curly lob black hair reflects a blue hue in disorder under a beige sun hat. The string of the hat hangs loosely under her chin, lining her heart shape face. Her narrow eyes squint both from the sun and as her displeasure zeros in on the young boy.
"What's with the informal greeting? Okin, did you forget how to respect your elders?" Yesui says as she starts to reprimand the boy standing next to Khachi.
"No. I'm sorry," Okin mumbles loud enough for her to hear him.
"Leave the boy alone. I told him the other day not to worry about the formalities around me. I'm not that much older." Khachi explains as he tries to defend Okin.
"Psh! Are seven years small to you?" Yesui spats out in disbelief. A few seconds pass before Yesui takes Khachi's silence as an answer. She sighs before rolling her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Keep pretending like you aren't getting older. But! That doesn't mean you can drop them towards me. Got it?" Yesui snaps towards Okin as she slides out of the SUV's backseat.
"Yes…" Okin's voice comes out weak as he slightly cowards behind Khachi. Khachi lightly pats Okin's shoulder in comfort before nicely gesturing for him to sit in the back seat.
Yesui makes her way into the passenger seat as Khachi shuts Okin's door for him before placing himself into the driver's seat.
The land through Dariganga has layers of thin grass and sandy dirt. The population is considerably more significant than a small town but not nearly as big as a large city. Still, the rural landscape and sparse housing make Dariganga look bare. The grass is often patchy, and the roads are carved from vehicles as they create a maze of dirt and rock trails.
There are still many things interesting about Dariganga, but the three's destination has to be the most unique; the Dari Ovoo. Dari Ovoo, also known as Altan Ovoo, is an extinct volcano found just over half a mile away from Dariganga. Even though extinct, it still holds a tremendous amount of holy and spiritual interest for the people of Dariganga. Every five years, people worldwide come to see the Dari Ovoo and host a celebration in worshipping the mountain. Since Mongolians have been living as nomads for thousands of years, Mongolians hold a firm belief in respecting and giving gifts to the spirits of nature, hoping to please them and asking for protection and good luck in return.
Yet, it has not been five years since the last, and the three aren't in Dariganga for a festival of any sort.
"Tell me again why we came here?" Yesui says as she lifts and pulls out the bulky bag from the SUV. "We're volcanologists. We study active and dormant volcanos. What is the point if it has already moved away from the fault line and no longer carries magma for us to study?"
The trip to Dari Ovoo was nothing but a short drive down the block. They stop at a small dirt parking lot below the volcano, preparing to gather their things to ascend to the top.
"Because even though it is extinct, it's still a great way to study a volcano's form and not have to worry about our safety," Khachi explains. He hops out of the vehicle and walks around to Yesui's side, with Okin not far behind.
"Still, I don't see why we have to be here," Yesui struggles to say while she fights to sling the backpack over her shoulder.
"Well, for starters, we are not the only ones here. We have Okin to show around and help him understand a volcano's structure using one he already knows. Second, think of it as a vacation," Khachi says with a smile on his face.
"What makes you think he wants to be here, and second, does this heavy bag on my shoulder make me look like I'm here on vacation?" Yesui's glare intensifies as the last part leaves her mouth.
"Actually...I don't mind." Okin utters from behind Khachi. "And besides, I want to learn more about my hometown and the structure of Dari Ovoo."
"See." Khachi cheekily says, making Yesui shortly glare at him.
"Fine. Then you are carrying this bag," Yesui snaps, and without warning, she holds out the bag before tossing it toward Okin.
Going as fast as his reflexes can go, he catches the bag, but his miscalculation of the weight makes him stumble forward. Khachi briefly reaches out to help hold Okin out of shock and worry before realizing he manages to stabilize himself.
The two men watch as Yesui strides away to talk to the person at the gate. This time Khachi's face holds an expression of annoyance. While Okin observes the woman's back petrified, thinking about how terrifying her words and actions are.
Khachi sighs under his breath before looking back at Okin. Okin senses Khachi's gaze on him and quickly cleans up his expression, but the sudden change of events and shock are still mingling in with the boy's nervous smile.
"Don't worry about her," Khachi whispers. "Just stick to my side."
Khachi looks briefly at Yesui's back and then silently waves at Okin to signal him to follow him toward the back of their SUV. He pops open the back and motions for him to set the bag down. Taking one more look at Yesui, he begins to open the bag.
"She always overpacks. We won't need most of this stuff anyway," Khachi explains as he unloads the backpack. "Besides," this time, Khachi lowers his voice so that Okin has to lean in slightly to hear him. "I won't tell her if you don't," Khachi smiles down at the stuff outside the bag, implying that the bag wouldn't be as much of a problem for Okin as Yesui wanted it to be.
"Okay, deal," Okin quietly laughs back.
Khachi gives him a grin before he zips the bag back up and hands it to him. Khachi then leans further into the vehicle to grab his satchel. After the two gather their things, Khachi shuts the trunk, and the two walk over toward Yesui.
"Are you two finally ready?" Yesui whines. She places her right hand over her eyes, trying to look at the two through the blinding sunlight. It seems her hat could only do so much to block the sun.
Without waiting for a response, Yesui turns and walks through the entrance. Khachi waits for Okin to start before following behind and passing the low yellow gate fencing.
The small group makes their way up through grey block stone tabs that reach out in front of them under their feet for a long time, and every once in a while, they meet some blue circular steps of two or three as the mountain range slowly climbs up.
"So, how long have you lived in Dariganga?" Khachi inquires, hoping to kill some time.
"Most of my life. I was born here. I left for college, but of course, I'm back momentarily to learn from you two," Okin replies, looking back at Khachi.
"I don't know how much learning you'll get," Yesui snorts from in front, drawing both of the boys' attention.
"That's nice," Khachi resumes. "So, I bet you've been to Dari Ovoo multiple times," Khachi states, though he knows Okin is still going to reply.
"Yes, sir- I mean...just… yes." Okin chirps the first words and then remembers what Khachi said about formalities, but once he corrects it, his nervousness rises again as he also thinks about Yesui's words from earlier.
A snort comes from Yesui, "See. Really, what was the point?" her snort did nothing to ease the younger boy's nerves.
At this point, the grey stone platform turns into a narrow, slowly corroding yellow stone path where walked directly on one could only walk one at a time. The hill in front of them extends for a while, but luckily, most of the Dari Ovoo sunk into the ground, lowering the elevation.
"Okay. Can you tell me about the Dari Ovoo?" Khachi inquires
"What do you want to know?" Okin asks back, thinking about different things that question could mean.
"For starters, let's talk about structure. Besides what it has. What is it missing as a volcano?"
Another snort comes from the front. "Like the magma needed to make it a volcano," Yesui sneers.
"Well...yeah, that would be the first thing. It's long lost touch with a hotspot underneath the earth over eleven thousand years ago. Because of that, it is missing ash clouds…." Khachi patiently listens and nods as Okin continues to explain the history of Dari Ovoo and his understanding of volcanos.
The Dari Ovoo was once indeed an active volcano that lasted for thousands and maybe even billions of years. It lived through the ice age and practically died with it. But regardless, it has become a country's treasure like most volcanos in Mongolia.
"Also! If you look at what we are coming to, it's an
Before the three knew it, they finally reached the top. The fading yellow road was long past them, and a dirt path led the three to stand in front of two structures. The ovoo is made from two structures; a stone and a mandala, a hybrid stone slash
Khachi stares at the mandala that rests not far in front of them, taking in the structure's appearance, before looking back at Okin. Okin stands next to him and gives him a smile before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of candy. He holds out the candy for Khachi to take. Confusion crosses Khachi's face as he accepts the small wrapped candy.
"It's for the offerings. Normally, I prepare something different, but I was in such a rush today; these were all I had time to grab," Okin explains. He reaches into his pocket again and takes another one out for Yesui.
Yesui stares at his hand, "No, thanks. I don't believe in the spirits of nature,"
"Yesui," Khachi sternly warns her.
"Please..." Okin begs.
"You might not believe, but at least do it out of respect for others that do," Khachi says.
Yesui rolls her eyes before taking the small offering from Okin.
Khachi watches Okin as he takes one last piece from his pocket, cradles it in his hands, and closes his eyes, placing a prayer on the small piece of candy.
Khachi smiles at him, secretly admiring his mannerisms. He then takes the piece he was given and performs a similar act before sitting it down in front of the ovoo, just in time for Okin to do the same. Yesui, seeing what the two are doing, rolls her eyes before tossing the candy close to where theirs sit.
The stone structure they placed their small offerings at seems like a long stone stick that stood out of the ground. Offerings of all kinds form; objects, food, and fabrics wrap around it and set upon the dirt. At the very bottom, the main base is extrusive igneous rocks under all the offerings. Lava rocks that presumably came from when Dari Ovoo was once still active.
A few minutes of silence pass by before Khachi breaks it. "I guess we should start now,"
❄❄❄❄
The sun has begun to set, and the three had been all over the crater's rim of Dari Ovoo. They spent most of their time talking with Khachi using the volcano's original and fading structure to explain several things.
Darkness is setting on the mountain, and soon they will be descending into darkness if they don't leave now. The group gathers inside Dari Ovoo's crater, which was nothing but an open field surrounded by a 'c' shaped rim.
"Let's head back," Yesui suggests.
"Alright, let's go," Khachi says. "We probably should hurry. I don't think we are supposed to be up here after dark."
It does not take Yesui anymore persuading before she turns around and starts leaving without them. Khachi watches her retreating figure and debates telling her to wait for them and not carelessly separate. Still, it was an open plain besides the mandala and the several stone ovoos that line the extinct volcano's rim; the only thing that could go wrong would be her rolling down trying to climb back up the edge or going down the side, and it's not steep enough to send her rolling far.
By now, Khachi took off his sunglasses and put them up in his satchel. As soon as he closes the flap, something flying in the wind catches his eye. He snaps his head in the direction of the floating object. Swiftly, he reaches out and grabs it from mid-air. Khachi opens his palm to reveal a petal, bringing it to his face to observe.
"Hey, Okin," Khachi calls out the young boy's name without looking up.
The boy responds with an "Mhm."
"Do plum blossom trees grow around here?"
"No. Why do you ask?" Okin inquires as he makes his way back to Khachi's side. Khachi moves his open palm closer to the boy.
"Maybe, it's nothing," Khachi is quick to believe it probably blew over to where they are from someone's previous offering or from in town.
He gives Okin the petal and turns around but quickly stops in his tracks.
In front of them, more petals start to flit and flutter around them. It seems all unusual and strange, even more so, now that a large black shape stands in the middle of the once empty field.
It is getting dark, and the sun is almost gone, but even with little light, the two could distinctly make out the silhouette of a tree.
Khachi reaches over and grabs ahold of the bag on Okin's back. He opens the main pocket and retrieves a flashlight. Cutting it on, he aims it at the tree.
A plum blossom tree?