"There was once a lonely shrine, build in the middle of nowhere. It was a house for a local God. Its power to cause the miracles wasn't high, so the popularity was low. The head priest lived there in poverty with his family, performing his duties every day with much dedication and care. One day, a mysterious stranger came to the shrine and saw how hard was the man working. He offered him his help, saying that he would bring more visitors to him. However, the cleric refused, he wanted neither the commotion, nor the wealth from the donations. The visitor then, on the next day, came back with many people. The priest wasn't fond of this, but accepted their generosity. Later at night, both of them meet in private, conversing with each other. It was revealed that the stranger was quite a drinker, as the host purred him sake in gratitude. And thus, the visitor would return time and again brining believers with him. As a reward, he consumed the shrine's sake at night with the priest. However, one day the man said that there was no more sake left, and he must excuse him for tonight. Then the stranger asked, since he made the shrine popular, wouldn't that cause him contribute to his wealth and the stock of his alcohol. But the man replayed that it takes time for the rice to ferment, and he was missing the base ingredients. That didn't bother the stranger. Being still drunk, he picked up the priest and took him apart. He collected his body parts, one by one, and sealed them into jars filled with base liquor. Next day, the wife of the cleric discovered her husband demise and the stranger that was sleeping along with the bottles. Enraged, she cursed the man calling him a demon and trying to chase him away from the shrine. However, as he was half drunk, he took refuge into the basement, in which he sealed himself. There were treats heard from within it, he proclaimed that he would kill her entire family if she doesn't let him be. The wife of the priest sought revenge, and in the night she would sneak to the cellar, in hope that she would stab the sleeping stranger to death. However, at the time she took her knife, her husband's severed head appeared and pleaded to her. He wanted her not to seek revenge, as the visitor will leave the next morning. Killing him would only result in malice, the head added. The wife complied, sparing the stranger life. The next sunrise, there was no sight of the man in the basement. In his place there were sixteen bottles of rich quality sake. The head of the priest appeared again, ensuring it's good for consumption and that it's not cursed by the demon. While he was in the basement, the stranger shared a secret with him about brewing sake. The supply his wife saw was the result of his work. She took the liquor and sold it for much wealth. The money was used then to give a proper burial for her husband. The shrine returned to being lonely, with no one visiting. In this situation, the wife decided to leave the place in search for a more prosperous settlement to live in. Soon, rumours spread that it was hosting an evil spirit, and that it took the life of the cleric in exchange for the sake. To this day, it's said that the smell of the alcohol still resided there, and sometimes you are able to see people drinking large quantities of liquor inside."
After a relaxing shower, Marry took to her phone, talking with Renko on her bed. They discussed the past event, because she reminded herself of something that might be important. In her recent dream, she informed her friend, there was a smell of sake that she avoided. Her partner nodded, and also said she remembered someone broke into body parts in her dream some time ago. This started to sound strange for both girls. Marry nodded, as she claimed that it was a prophecy they both saw, which warned them about the tripping bottle. Renko wasn't sure about that. In reality she saw, there were no ghosts. Because she was still surprised, the portending quantities of the vision were dubious. She had experienced the dream, but there were no changes in the reality, hence there was no foreshadowing effect. That's what she liked to think, but there was uncertainty in her voice. Marry took at that chance to push further, and asked if she didn't had the prophecy vision, wouldn't she also stood and were unaware of the bottle tripping. Swallowing her tongue, Renko wasn't ready for a good counter, and said that she didn't know. Disappointed, her friend ended the call. However, that left both girls a little upset, so she called again. With connection established, they talked about their own dreams, learning both about each other. Still, it was just a matter of time until they both would return to the main topic of signified visions. It was uncalled for Marry to keep drilling that subject, as Renko started to feel a little bit tired. She proposed a stalemate, at least until tomorrow. Both girls agreed upon that and left to the dream world.
It took some time for me to realise I was awaken in a different bedroom. It wasn't my own usual room, but a reflection of one in the dream world. I got off my bed, putting on my slippers. Apparently, I still had my nightwear clothes on, which I found weird. Normally, whichever I would be wearing during the day would also happen to make it over. The fact of having different clothes here could carry a special meaning, which I'm not aware of yet. In any case, I looked around the room, but it appeared empty besides the bed and the door. Maybe it's one of those in which I wake up a few times again and again, I thought. But no matter how I laid down on the bed, I wasn't feeling nor sleepy, neither did my eyes were closing. Therefore, I took my only other option, the door. As I shoved my slippers through the carpet, as it unlocked itself on its own. I looked at it closely, thinking someone might have opened it for me, but there was no one in the door way. I checked inside and saw something familiar. It was the light and black world that made me feel dizzy the first time I saw it. However, it changed since I last visited it. It had neither the craziness, nor the confusing side of it. It looked like an empty corridor with black floor and ceiling, while the walls on the sides were still pale. This monochrome room, as I called it, was now a calm empty space. I stretched my legs around, looking for something interesting. As I recall, it was here where I found something that I give to my friend. Would I find something again, I wondered. But to my surprise, I started hearing a sound echoing in the void. It came to my ears, trying to daze me with its distortion. The noise was something as rusted metal grinding in the rhythm of a heartbeat. I came to realise my ears were telling me to cease it, whatever was the cause of it. I covered them, in order to relief their pain. Shoving in my sleepers through the corridor, I found that the sound slowly burned out on its own. This soothing silence confronted me greatly, as I was no longer in torment. However, that would probably change soon, knowing my dreams.
I arrived at a fork in the road. The corridor split into six different paths, each looking as ominous as the other. Which is the right one, I wondered. But there were no clues, so I decided the way on random, not knowing whenever it was important which I did enter first. In any case, my choice wasn't the worst, probably. As I travelled, I felt wind blowing my light clothing. It was chilly, hence it forced me to shiver lightly. Moments later, I found light at the end of the tunnel. As I entered, I was astonished by what I saw. Creamy little flakes of ice were drizzling, in the land of cold. The empty horizon covered in endless pure white snow reflected the puny light rays. It all looked remarkably beautiful, but I wasn't dressed property for that kind of weather. However, as I refused to step inside, I was pushed by something from behind, a cold breeze that forced me onto the ground. Dumbfounded, I sunk deep into the fluffy snow that stuck to my jerked face, freezing my cheeks. I quickly got up, jumping from the icy shock. As I rubbed my chilly body in order to warm up it, I figured that standing here in cold would do no good. Taking huge steps into the snow, I moved forward, in hope I would find something cosy. Luckily, the sunlight was on my side, granting me a slim relief from the cold. The slippers I wore weren't designed for this kind of endurance, but they at least helped with keeping the chill off my feet. Walking through the endless tundra, naked shrubs and coniferous trees kept rising through the snow curtain. They were too trying to survive in this harsh environment just like myself, I thought. That idea gave me some courage. With my temperature dropping each second, I hoped that there must be something else here, that my endeavour wasn't for nothing.
The snow that fell quietly left the stage, revealing to me another mystery. I arrived at a crystal frozen lake that delightfully reflected the sun. It resembled a stainless polished glass. It looked even too pretty to be real, so it might have been a fake one. Gazing at its magnificence, my desire to try sliding on it appeared. Even if I forgot to bring a pair of ice-skates, I decided to still give it a try in my unprepared footwear. I felt the ice with my foot cautiously to check its slipperiness, and slowly joined my other leg. I tried pushing myself, but it seemed as I was only moving in place. I suddenly felt like I was losing balance, so I jumped out, afraid I would fall on my bottom flat. That succeeded, and I was no longer feeling like ice skating, at least not in these shoes. But then, something else caught my attention. Some shape, that I didn't saw earlier, a woman in a kimono gently skimming on the ice. You could even say that she was hovering above ground a little, but I couldn't see that well from afar. Her gorgeous face looked at me, while it was partially hidden by her fan in a mystery. Her pale carnation, and white flowers embroidered on her clothes appeared to be winter looking. She emerged as an incarnation of the cold season, as far as I looked at her. I could sense that she was smiling, leisurely enjoying her time here. As she waved her fan alluringly, I felt invited to play together. However, my poor snow covered footwear didn't pass the sliding test. I could only watch as she softly flew away in the distance ominously, without saying a word. However, as she disappeared, I spotted a building made out of ice. It definitely looked like an igloo, thus I was anxious to look inside.
Arrived at the entryway, I examined the interior of it. The floor was made out of sturdy animal skin, which didn't felt that cold, compared to the snow. I politely shook the snow off my clothes and slippers, before I proceeded further in. There was a bed, with a warm blanked in the middle, while on the side there was a primitive looking stove and a fire place. It was lit, so I reached my hands towards it to thaw off for a while. That warmly feeling was just the thing I needed. Still, it did puzzled me how would the igloo itself stood frozen with fire inside. There was also a pipe that led the smoke travel outside, so perhaps that was partially the answer. In any case, the kindness of the fire tickled my cheeks, while defrosting my entire body. As I sat down to feel the warmth, I discovered something else. There were hangers on the side, with all but one being vacant. The coat that was hanging there looked very puffy, fitted for the winter season. I decided to try it on, and it was a perfect match, like it was made for me. Besides that, there was also a bottom wear made in similar fashion. As I looked further I also found a woollen scarf, along with a hat and fleece boots. Wouldn't that mean that someone left that outfit for me, I thought, as I were putting on the rest. It didn't look old fashioned, as any of my other winter clothes, but as longest it protected me from the cold it didn't matter. My logic told me that I should go outside, since I was gifted the means to do so. I thanked that someone who provided me with this inventory, even if it was only a simple curtsy dropped in the air, and left to search for the madam I saw earlier.