In the pure white snow, a thorn bush with red fruits appeared. A small brown-feathered bird landed on a branch of the thorn bush, pecked at the red fruits, chirped twice, spread its wings and flew away.
As its wings flapped, the snow on the thorn bushes fell down, revealing more red hidden in the snow.
Several finger-sized little people came running from afar, riding the cold wind and catching the occasional falling snowflakes. When they saw the bunch of red thorny fruits, they stopped and called their friends.
In winter, people here usually make bouquets of thorn berries and evergreen fir branches and hang them in front of doors and windows.
Those inhuman goblins also like this rare bright color.
A few little goblins were holding and dragging the red thorn berries, and suddenly they let out a short scream.
"ah-"
“Here it comes!”
"It's a swamp monster!"
"Damn it, why is it here again—"
This winter, all the fairies living near the forest learned a piece of news that the swamp monster living in the wilderness would often suddenly run to the forest.
According to his previous habits, he seldom left the wilderness, and he would not move in the winter. In previous years, he would not see the swamp monster for the entire winter. Only when it rained heavily in the spring would the swamp monster roam around. But now he could be seen every two days.
"Go, go..."
"Don't let him notice you! You'll get tangled up in him!"
“That’s horrible—”
Several goblins, holding the red fruits, hurriedly avoided the tall and thin figure who was getting closer and closer, as if they were avoiding the plague.
The swamp monster wearing a plaid shawl slowly walked to the thorn bush, looked at the bright red color for a while, then reached out and picked a few red fruits.
Then he headed for his regular path—the place he had frequented this winter.
There are no swamps or mires, but going there makes him happy.
Mei Li cut some soft fir branches from the forest and came back, carefully cleaning them one by one, while thinking about where to find some thorn berries.
Last night, several fairies who were hiding in the house enjoying the fireplace talked about bouquets made of soft fir and thorn berries. Since she had nothing to do, she decided to try making one and add some fresh decorations to the house.
After winter, gardens go dormant, wildflowers wither, and the world looks a lot more drab.
"Click--" She was pruning the branches of a soft fir tree. When she looked up, she saw a swamp monster standing outside the yard with half of its body sticking inside.
"Hi, are you here to see me again?" Mei Li smiled when she saw him. She had become accustomed to this lovely gentleman coming to her door often.
It was as if she had gone to find him that time and brought him back from the wilderness, and after that she didn't have to look for him again, he would come to her on his own.
However, not every time I come, I bring gifts.
Mei Li looked at the red thorn fruit in his hand, and then at the green fir in her own hand. According to the words of her world, this should be called telepathic communication.
She made a wreath of soft fir wood by twisting it into a circle and tying it with red berries.
Mei Li waved the wreath in front of the swamp monster and said, "See this wreath? It's for you."
As she spoke, she lifted her skirt and stepped onto a large rock on the side, then stretched out her hand and put the wreath on the swamp monster's head.
Actually, I originally wanted to make a wreath to be worn around the neck, but it was too small, so I could only wear it on my head.
Feeling that this was not enough, Mei Li made two soft fir thornberry bracelets, one for the swamp monster's wrist and one for her own hand.
Looking at the bracelet on her hand and then at the one on Mei Li's hand, the swamp monster stretched out his hand to her, and Mei Li naturally reached out and held his hand which was much larger than that of an ordinary person.
"Come on, let's go for a walk in the forest."
The winter forest has more traces of fairies than other seasons. There are all kinds of footprints on the snow, which ordinary people cannot see, but Mei Li can see.
Many fairies would leave the colder depths of the forest in winter and move closer to where humans live. Now, every night when she lit the fireplace, many fairies would come uninvited.
She often looked out the window at the snow and thought of the swamp monster.
In such a cold day, could he leave the swamp in the wilderness and just live nearby
Ask him this question, he is also silly, every time after coming to see her, if she does not stay, he will quickly return to the wilderness.
If she asked him to stay, he would wait until she entered the garden and then return to the wilderness and marsh.
… Headache.
So during this time she quietly did some small work.
Mei Li pulled him to the water where he liked to stay the most.
"Look."
There is a big tree leaning towards the water beside the marsh, and there is a wooden shed on its branches.
The entire shed is built on the trunk of a big tree, covering a corner of the water. The frame is made of the trunk, the roof is made of branches, and then covered with dried thatch and branches.
There is now a thick layer of snow on the top.
"Well, that's what I did. If you can only live in the swamp, you can live here temporarily. It's not windy here, and it can keep out the snow..."
"Or you move here?"
Mei Li wasn't sure if he could understand what she meant.
The swamp creature only glanced at the shed and kept staring at her.
Mei Li was a little distressed. She stretched out her hands, and when he bent down, she held his face and rubbed it hard.
"Is it because the swamp here is too small that you don't live here?"
The swamp monster slowly bent down and approached her. Mei Li felt that his posture was not right, as if it was a hug.
She was stunned for a moment, and then she was picked up.
Mei Li: “Ah!”
She was picked up by the swamp monster! Her vision instantly rose.
The swamp monster held her and walked into the water.
The lake in winter is covered with a thin layer of ice. The shallow layer of water is very calm, reflecting the white snow and trees on both sides.
She put her arm around the swamp monster's shoulder and watched the wooden shed she had built get closer and closer.
She did this by reaching the tree from the other side, cutting a path through the thorns for the purpose.
Considering the height of the swamp monster, this wooden shed is also very high, so it is not very warm inside and is very simple. When Mei Li was making it, he never thought that the swamp monster would really be willing to come in.
Standing under the shed, Mei Li held the confused swamp monster's face and asked him, "Have you agreed to live here?"
"Yes or no?"
Of course the swamp monster wouldn't answer, but Mei Li held his head and forced him to nod, then announced, "Okay, you agreed."
"I will come here every day and fix up the simple little house. You must wait for me here, okay?"
Sometimes Mei Li felt that the swamp monster didn't understand what he said, and sometimes he felt that he actually understood what he meant.
The next day, she nervously came to the swamp, prepared for the empty shed, but saw the swamp monster staying inside obediently. Although his posture was still very autistic, he did not put his head in the mud - probably because of the wreath on his head, which would fall off if he bent over.
Mei Li smiled and called out "cute". When she saw the swamp monster raised its head, she lifted her skirt and went into the path she had previously split, and walked to the back of the shed from the other side without waiting for him to come over to catch it.
She was holding a lot of tools in her hands, and she was here to repair the house for the swamp monster.
She cut more branches, tied them together, and fixed them around the shed one by one. This was a job that required patience. Mei Li had lived alone for a long time, so she was good at doing things by herself.
She was in no hurry, for there was nothing to do in the winter, and she could keep thinking about the shed, and she drew up the blueprints, and then come every day to do a little work.
Gradually, thick "windbreak walls" were built on both sides of the shed. As for the back next to the big tree, Mei Li built a new small shed there and connected it to the big shed.
The small shed was built on the shore, where she stayed every day. After the small house, which was not very good-looking in appearance but very practical and warm, was built, she spent most of the day here. She even put a small stove here for burning fire, brought a small table to put things on, a lantern, a small blanket to cover herself, and so on.
As the number of miscellaneous daily necessities increased, this place became her second residence without her realizing it.
Mei Li felt very safe staying in this simple house. She sat on the shore with a stove in the corner behind her, so she didn't feel cold.
It was snowing outside. She didn't cover the side facing the water well, but she cut some fresh fir branches and stuck them in the water to block the occasional wind. Through the green fir branches, she could see the quiet falling snow outside.
The swamp monster made no sound, and no matter what she did, he stayed quietly by her side.
Mei Li was busy with her own things and often forgot about him. Occasionally, when she turned around, she would meet a pair of gray eyes - he often looked at her like this, without even blinking.
Mei Li would be caught off guard and get startled, but after coming to her senses she would find him cute.
She felt the pure happiness she had as a child, hiding alone in her own little world, unknown to anyone else.
The house she lives in now is nice, but unfortunately she always feels that it is not her home. The lingering ghost of Mrs. Peg reminds her that she is just a visitor from another world.
And the mysterious basement once gave her strange nightmares and made her unable to sleep well in that house.
But it was different here, this was made by her own hands. She wrapped herself in a small blanket and sat on the grass mat on the shore. She fell asleep unknowingly and felt very relaxed.
As she fell asleep, she felt something cold on her feet. She opened her eyes and saw the swamp monster's head resting on her calves.
Mei Li reached out her hand dazedly and touched the cool gray head, thinking to herself: I might get arthritis when I get older.
I would rather suffer from arthritis in the future than push him away. This must be true love.
Some goblins from the neighborhood came to visit the cottage out of curiosity, but they were scared away when they saw the swamp monster and never dared to come near again. So only some birds would land on the shed, tilting their heads to look at them curiously.
Unbeknownst to Mei Li, rumors about her had spread throughout the forest.
The goblins gathered together and whispered, talking about the swamp monster that still stayed at the edge of the forest this winter, and the strange girl who lived in the house left by the witch and stayed with the swamp monster.