I Lava You

CHAPTER 01 : FOLKLORE

WARNING
There are mentions of suicide.

NOTES
This fanfic has been neglected for a long time since I've done working with A "Damsel" in Distress (￣▽￣;) It just that I'm too lazy to pick it up again at that time.

Definition of terms at the end of the chapter.

CHAPTER 01 : FOLKLORE

In every corner of the universe, there's always a story.

A story they would recount to everyone and would somehow be narrated to their children. Until the children would pass it onto their descendants and the cycle would repeatedly pass over upon generation after generation.

However, because the story had been orally handed down for centuries, the story would be considered as unreal.

It may be defined as fictional, a folklore, a legend, a myth, or even as a story to scare a child for them to behave properly.

Just like the story from a certain place and on a higher ground.

An old lady along with her grandson bowed three times to offer their respect, and placed a burn incense stick on the censer. They were currently inside a small shrine that can accommodate at most three to five people only.

The shrine also had two hongsalmun: the first one was at the foot of the mountain, while the other was in front of the shrine. Between the two hongsalmun was a hundred steps stair leading them to the shrine hall.

The two individuals chanted their prayers and after that they bowed again. Doing a cha-su, where they placed their right palm at the top of their left hand, with their right thumb locked under left and placed them in their lower abdomen as they left the temple.

Once they walked out of the hongsalmun which separates the sacred place from the mundane world, the grandson finally spoke about what he was curious to know.

"Halmoni, why do we have to customarily offer a prayer when the month of February nearly comes?" He asked as he looked back at the shrine they went off. The grandson was really curious as to why it had become a tradition to pray when it was February, and to a mountain spirit at that- not to a God or Buddha.

The grandma softly ruffles her grandson's hair before answering. "Silly child. You didn't listen to your elders when they told you the story behind the shrine, no?"

He guiltily averted his eyes, indicating that really did not listen. "Uh, Uhm... I don't remember actually..."

She smiled at his answer as she did not mind her grandson's action, since at that age, they rather choose to play with their friends than hearing a story. "You already know that this is not just a mountain, right?"

"Yes! It's a volcano mountain!"

"Hum hum... and a spirit is living there."

"Eek! A ghost?!" The grandson abruptly held his grandma, then tightened his grip to her hand and stuck closer to her.

"Not a ghost, but a spirit who protects this mountain."

"Then, why do we often pray when February comes? Is it to thank the spirit?"

"Well... that's also one thing, but to answer your question, let me tell you a story." She looks at her grandson and advises him. "I'll make the story short, so this time you must listen carefully, okay?"

"Yes, halmoni!" He nodded his head in enthusiasm, eyes filled with interest.

Grandma pinched his puffy cheeks first before she opened her mouth. "My ancestors told me that this place is not suitable for habitat, because the volcano always erupts at the most unexpected time, that causes the people of the land to be threatened which makes it hard for them to cultivate plants and vegetables while near it.