The Great Goddess Tree Tale

XXV - The nightmare, the pitfall and the Buddhist

Summer was close to an end when Holver turned five months old. He was a sweet, beautiful boy. He had the stunning dark eyes from his mother and Mat's delicate facial features and lighter skin.

They had almost no problems with him in the first months besides the intestinal colic that took away their sleep. No disease, no grave problem; he was growing strong and healthy and it was a major joy for the couple. Holver would not let go of his mother's breasts, it was surely a little calf. Kalima had plenty of milk and if Holver weren't ravenous, she could even donate part of what she generated daily.

A while before the birth, they have hired a full-time maid, who took care of Kalima in all her post-childbirth grieves. She cleaned, organized, cooked, and also aided with Holver. She was a widow but was joyful and had gotten euphoric with the boy's arrival.
Mat was glad and satisfied with his new life, with the beautiful and healthy son and all the things that were going on. It was indeed a family; his heart was sailing through the serene sea until that night.

It was late at night when they went to sleep. Mat as always fell asleep earlier than the others, and Kalima had breastfed Holver and the boy had just fallen asleep.

She, tired with the new mother routine, lay down to rest. She needed to read something; distract her mind unused to the methodical and a little suffocating home life. More than reading, she needed air.

She opened the room's window and admired the full moon that was there. It was her only companion in the dawn.

"There you are! And I am here! The two of us making our routine of feeding and illuminating others' lives..."

Suddenly, she heard some hissing. It was Mat. He seemed to be having a nightmare.

"No... No... Get out of there... Get out of there, Goddess Summer... Don't do this!"

She held herself to hear a little better:

"I told you to stop! Your mad woman! Don't do this! No! Please! Noooooo..."

His scream had him wake up and luckily it did not awake Holver. He was sweaty and throbbing.

"Mat! Mat! Calm down! It was just a dream!"

"What? What? A dream..."

Mat had his head back to the pillow and observed the ceiling with the eyes wide open.

"It was solely a dream, Mat! Is everything alright?"

"Yes... My love... Everything alright... Just a dream..."

"And... Who is Goddess Summer?"

"...Goddess Summer...?"

"Yes! Goddess Summer! That's what you said in the dream."

"Had I...? I can't remember... I don't know who Goddess Summer is... It was just a dream, a nightmare... But I can't remember well the things... Did he wake up?"

"No... He just fell asleep... You almost woke him up with your scream"

"Ok. Let's sleep... I'm calmer now... Tomorrow I have to wake up early in the morning"

Mat's exact dream content was unknown, but it had for sure involved the goddess, specifically Goddess Summer. He woke up and went to work with a dark, somber look as if he was expecting an imminent disaster.

He was tense and worried. The nightmare brought something past gone that was unwelcome. Something or somebody.

After his shift, he went through the village after a hardware store. It took a while, but he found it. He asked the clerk: