Chapter 6: Happy New Year with Riwal and the citrus fruits

It was very cold again in his cabin. Unusually cold, even.

Under his comforter, Riwal wondered if the stove had gone out last night.

He squinted across the room and saw the flames in the stove... “Weird?!”

Besides, he didn't sleep well last night. All night long, a storm raged around his cabin and in his dream, he saw an ugly old woman in a white coat and a big stick.

She had only one eye, red teeth full of blood and looked really scary.

This time, he had held back and not spoken to her. Now that he knew his dreams could harbor real gods, he didn't want to take that risk.

That's why he was glad to be awake again and that everything had gone well.

He vaguely remembered the goddess's name: Cailleach, goddess of winter.

"She chose her moment well! We're just before Yule's winter solstice, and they say the ground freezes where the goddess Cailleach passes.

“Is that why it was so cold this morning?” Riwal hesitantly slips out of bed and winces as her warm feet slip into his cold slippers.

“Quick, where's my wool cape?”

As soon as he looks out the window, he's speechless. Outside, everything is white!

The storm has died down and there's no more wind. The snow has fallen, muffling all the sounds of the forest.

On his terrace, there's 10 cm of snow, and in the meadow leading to Juna's hut, we can see small tracks in the snow. The squirrel is always on the move early in the morning.

“Well, I've got to make myself some hot tea!”

He's already stoked the fire and it must really be cold outside, otherwise it would be warmer in his cabin with a full stove.

Somehow he doesn't fancy herbal tea, but remembers the hot lemon his grandmother used to make for him in the winter months. The other day, Juna had brought various citrus fruits and said they'd talk about them later.

“Well, if one or two lemons are missing, it doesn't matter,” Riwal says to himself.

He puts the teapot on the fire and waits for it to whistle. He then cuts a lemon and a lime, squeezes the juice into his cup and pours hot water over it. Meanwhile, he has dressed warmly and dares to step out onto his terrace with his steaming mug, woollen cape, boots and bonnet.

How beautiful: the snow sparkles in the morning sun and the blue sky stands out against the white landscape. His little stream gurgling gently in the distance. Lost in thought, he stirs the spoon in the cup.

Both are three meters high and their leaves rustle strangely.

Riwal looks around, the other trees in the forest are silent, there's not a breath of wind. Then he sees that the trees have the faces of men, and turns pale.

A voice sounds behind him:

“Was it you who threw the citrus pips into the forest?”

He is relieved to see that Juna is now there too; she'll certainly know what it all means.

“Yes,” Riwal replies apprehensively, “why shouldn't I have done that?”

Juna rolls her eyes, as she does every time she realizes how much Riwal still has to learn.

"When a druid returns seeds to the earth, it's always with the intention of making a new plant or, in this case, a new tree. You've just given life to this lemon and lime tree".

Riwal exclaims, “Oh, that's cool, can I try it with the others? ”Before Juna can object, Riwal rushes into the kitchen and plucks a seed from an orange, a grapefruit and a kumquat. Back on the terrace, he tossed them in the same direction as the others. Once again, three citrus fruits sprouted, two of them slightly larger than the previous ones.

"Are you happy now? "Juna grumbles into her non-existent beard. The three new trees have faces too, and Riwal now understands why they're rustling: they're shaking!

"Why are you shaking? "he asks, affected.

The Lemon tree also seems annoyed when he replies:

"Because we don't belong in a snowy landscape! Have you ever come across any other citrus trees in the forest?!"

Riwal realizes he's never seen such trees before.

"Uh... Juna, what do we do now? "he asks.

"Well, Riwal, find a solution! Citrus trees are native to the Mediterranean basin, not Brittany. They don't like frost, they like sun and no wind. Here, in the forest, they won't last long.

Riwal finally had an idea: “What if I built you a greenhouse?”

In the old days, when he liked to read stories about kings, they always had an orangery. And what could it hold other than citrus fruits?

The squirrel thought for a moment: “Yes, that could work...”

Fortunately, Riwal had more or less thrown them all in the same direction. He remembered that from his cabin renovation, the old windows still remained.

"So let's get to work! “If we want to be finished tonight, we need to get to work,” Juna asks him.

This is how Riwal learns to tinker. As they set to work with boards, old windows and bricks, Riwal asks the citrus fruits if they can tell him about themselves.

He learns that the lemon is called “Sina” and that she is the eldest daughter in the family. Her parents are “Giulia”, the orange, and “Franceso”, the grapefruit.

Her little brother is “Fabio” the lime, and “Isabella” the kumquat is her little sister. As the greenhouse takes shape, the citrus fruits get hotter. To make sure they don't get too cold during the work, Riwal brought out scarves and bonnets from the tree house.

A tree with a bonnet looks a bit strange.

But ridiculousness never kills, as we all know. A second pleasant effect is gradually appearing: the greenhouse smells deliciously of white citrus blossoms.

Each one smells better than the next. The warmer it gets, the more fruit the citrus trees start to bear. Lemons, oranges, limes and more are sprouting on all sides. Riwal is delighted. Sina the lemon explains why his grandmother always prepared him a warm lemon in the morning in winter:

"Lemons are full of vitamin C, which boosts the immune system.

In addition, it supports the liver, which has a lot to do during the winter months with fatty food.

Essences can be extracted from the peel of various citrus fruits to brighten the mood on dark days.

Lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits all have a soothing fragrance that recalls the carefree days of childhood. Citrus leaves are used to make essential oils, which also help combat serious mood disorders. Citrus is so closely linked to the sun that it magically attracts it. So it's best to use their essences only in the evening. During the day, they can burn our skin, which isn't used to so much sun."

Riwal listens attentively, trying to memorize everything.

“Tomorrow morning, I'll go over it all with my hot lemon,” he says to himself.

Shortly before nightfall, the last window is installed and an imposing greenhouse now stands next to Riwal's hut.

“Tonight is Yule,” says the squirrel as he pulls a number of candles from his bag. They decorate all the greenhouse windows with candles.

It starts snowing again, but the citrus trees are warm and have taken off their bonnets. A holiday atmosphere reigns in the greenhouse. Thousands of lights seem to be lit in the windows.

Juna has even brought out a bottle of honey fizz and everyone is toasting happily.

" Happy Festival of Lights!“ says the squirrel.” May the darkest night of the year give way to the light of spring!"

And Riwal says to himself that he couldn't have dreamed of a better party than this one with his new citrus friends.

© Image created by Emilien Douloulin