Coconuts In The Snow Storm

It was cold, as always and obviously. The storms were worst today. Food was enough to last for about a week but the condition didn’t seem to change. After the food was over there would be nothing to eat and if the weather didn’t calm down, either starvation or going out to the most violent of snow storms and freezing cold would be the options.

Esmo was really worried and so was his family. The sun had not been seen for two weeks straight in the Eastern Antarctic Plateau. Even with the double layered furry coats Esmo was still feeling a little cold when he got away from the fire.

Done watching the outside from his snow window, Esmo went back to middle of his igloo, near the fire. Soon enough the wood would also be over.

"If this situation doesn’t change then our whole tribe is going to be extinct" said Esmo rubbing his gloved palms together"

"Sheesh don’t talk like that" Gemo said sternly.

"Even if I talk the other way the situation is not going to change and I most certainly do not want to die by starvation and thirst in this igloo" replied back Esmo to his father. He didn’t hesitate today because it was almost a nothing to lose situation.

"Well he may be right as well" added Jesamika.

"Maybe this is the end, peace for all" she said again.

Though Esmo didn’t like what was being discussed this was the reality of the moment. If they didn’t do something than the whole snow tribe would be dead and gone by starvation.

"May be we should go outside to get some food and other necessary stuff" said Esmo.

"How will you go in this sort of storm?" shouted his father.

"Well I don’t know but I am not going to die here, I am not a coward like you" said Esmo even louder pointing at his father, standing up.

"You watch your mouth boy" said Gemo standing up as well. "You dare talk to me like that"

Esmo didn’t want to go further on so he just sat down and Gemo did that as well. This was not a good situation to get the fight even further.

Everyone was in their own igloos probably thinking the same thought Esmo. Lost in his thoughts he did not realize when it got time for dinner. The dinner was elephant seal leg for the consecutive fifth day, luckily seven had been hunted on the day before the weather got insane. That was a miracle and kept them alive so far, without that amount of food things would have been far worse right now.

But even then when distributed among 14 families everyone gets meat that lasts for about 2 weeks or so. Especially when there is no other food to eat. Esmo's family had got the largest legs in the food divison.

After dinner Esmo put aside his stown plate. There was no pickle as well today but his mother had promised to make it tomorrow. Jesamika was really good at making pickles.

Even after both of his parents fell asleep, Esmo was still awake. The snowy storm was passing through greatly the dark night. The moon was visible now as the fog had cleared. It was a half moon. Esmo felt the breeze and snow in his face as he was watching from the stone window.

A figure appeared from the distance. It was not perfectly clear but it looked like a group of penguins. Esmo didn’t want their attention to turn towards him so he made sure that the penguins did not see him, he was more of amazed that those penguins were able to go out in such extreme cold, it was almost freezing. The penguins were in a group of about 9, each one was an adult though Esmo could not determine if they were male or female. They apperaed to be carrying something. He could not see what they were but he was certain that something was there. The penguins passed Esmo's igloo and went out of sight in the distance.

Esmo for some reason immediatley went under his blanket after that and slept in his thick fur bed sheet. This was the best part of his days and it would have been even more if food had not been an issue.

The next day Esmo woke up and the first thing he did always was go to the window and look forward. Ever so slighlty the conditons were good that day and there was very little storm near his house thought very near the storm was as usual. Everything about the front view was normal, except the ground. Something was on it. Esmo leaned forward a little and saw what was there. There were about 17-18 fish and a strange round brown colored thing as well. It had an edge towards its upper side. This was the moment to get some food, not just for himself but the entire tribe. The storm was not too hard for maybe very little time and food was at the door. For the first time in a long time Esmo opened his front door and rushed as quickly he could towards the front of his window and as rapidly as he could started throwing fish and the strange round thing to his igloo from the open window. Quickly he was done with that and rushed inside. His father was underground, having breakfast with the other people of the tribe. Esmo took some of the fish and the strange round thing underground.

"Father, everyone. Look what I found at the front of our window and he put the items on the floor" Everyone looked and noises started to come around from the fire. Some of the kids were happy than concerened, they were finally able to eat something other than the elephant seal meat. But the elders were obviously concerned at the matter.

It took a while for some volunteers to get the crowd silent and the tribe elder questioned Esmo.

"Where did you find this stuff?" asked the elder.

"In front of first window on the left side. Yesterday night I saw some penguins carrying somethings with them. There were about 9 of them. They have probably dropped it here"

"And what is this round shaped thing?"

"I don’t know, first time seen something like this" replied Esmo.

"I think the fish can be cooked" said Grebet, he lived three igloos behind Esmo's.

"Yes, we have been eating the same fish penguins eat so there is nothing wrong with them. Get them cooked and give it to the children at first" said the elders and the kids jumped with joy.

The women took decided to cook at Glemara's house because the area was big there. They took the fish and went to her igloo throught the ladder from the underground.

"Now about his" said the elder with a concerning tone "Is it edible or not, how are we going to know?"

"Well its certianlly touchable" said Gemo touching it.

"It’s hard" he added.

"Is it hollow or is something inside?" asked Esmo.

Gemo shaked the round object. "It looks like there is some liquid inside. Should we break this object to see what's inside?" asked Gemo looking at the elder.

"Well there might be no harm in that but still be careful. It is an unknown object" expressed the elder giving the permission.

Gemo tried to break it with his hands but was seen struggling with it.

"Give it I will try" said the strong Bernace and took the round object from him.

Even he could not break it with his fists.

"Wait shouldn't we bring a vessel to get the liquid" said Esmo.

"Yes, about that, arrange a big bowl" said the elder and the kids brought a bowl.

Bernace struck the round object to the ground multiple times, finally breaking it and something that looked like water poured down. Bernace made sure all the liquid was in the water.

"Looks like water" said someone. "Might actually be edible" added another and everyone started giving their opinion on the thing.

"Silence" said the elder calmly. "This cannot be determined by opinions and just looking, we are about to run out of water and this might be a life saver if it is edible. Therefore I as the tribe leader will drink it. If I die or get injured than it will be known if the drink is safe or not. This is my final decision no one is going to object" said the elder at the last and no one spoke a word.

The elder drank the liquid, everyone anxiously looked down.

"Actually preety good" exclaimed the elder and cheers of joy were heard. When the water would get over they would still have something little to drink. All of the liquid of the round object were extracted and tasted by everyone as well.

"Since the liquid is safe, the object may be as well" said the elder. That too was proven. It was a miracle. They now had food and drinks.

It was decided that they would only take the food dropped by the penguins and not kill them because penguin could bring it again and so it happened. Everynight penguins would bring food which would be taken every other morning by the snow tribe.

After another 2 weeks of this happening. The snow storm was considerably very less and it disappeared. For more than 9 days the whole tribe was alive on fish and the strange round object and it's liquid. When the sun could be seen and conditions were clear the tribe people wanted to see the source of this food.

Along with the elder, few people went towards the direction from where the penguins used to come. After walking for a few minutes. They saw somethings.

People, dressed in thick fur coats and glasses. They were with table and glasses, also a long thing and complicated objects the tribe people could not identify. The penguins had been gaining the food from these people and fish from the nearby pond.

The tribe people were startled by these. After a while, there were flashes all around them. Those people tried to communicate with the tribe people but neither of the groups understood the other language.

One of them pointed to the round stuff and said "Coconut". The tribe people still didn’t understand anything.

One of the people showed them the thing from which the flash was appearing. They could see themselves on that thing.