My name is Ngebe, only Ngebe. I'm fourteen years old. My brother Alab and I are orphans, and we never knew who our parents were. I call Alab my brother, but we are not related. We grew up with grandma Lola until five years ago when she died in her sleep. Grandma Lola is over a hundred years old, so I believe she died with no regrets. She always said that she was lucky to found us on her doorstep. She is the one who gave us our names: Alab means fire, and Ngebe means snow in her native language.

You must be wondering: if your grandma found you, on her doorstep, at the same time, you must be related. I'm pretty sure we are not related because we are so different, like snow and fire. My brother has dark hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and like fire, he is hot-tempered and impulsive. I, on the other hand, has blonde hair and blue eyes. I have a pale complexion, as grandma Lola always says: I can be likened to snow.

I remember when she told me why she named me Ngebe. When she found me with my brother, it was actually snowing. The first time she laid her eyes on me, she noticed how beautiful I am. According to her words: "You are so beautiful like the snow," and she added, "when you grew up, your personality is gentle most of the time, but at times you can be fierce and cold. You are like snow, that is both gentle and fierce." This memory is one of my fondest with grandma.

We've been living in grandma Lola's house for thirteen years, even after her death, since we have nowhere to go. The house has been abandoned for half a century when grandma Lola moved here after her husband died. It was too far away from Kasa village, but grandma Lola lived here alone because they never had any children with her husband. The house has a shingled roof and a brick chimney. The walls are made of wood, and like other houses in Kasa, it is one foot off the ground. We have two rooms, a kitchen, and a living room.

A hundred feet from the house is a washroom which is near a river. There is a small plot of land where we plant some barley and other crops. Grandma Lola taught us how to farm; she learned it from her husband, a farmer. I help with the tending of the plants, but my brother does most of the work.

I savor these memories while I do my embroidery, which is also taught by grandma Lola. I hate doing embroidery when I was young, but this is how grandma Lola makes a living. She has the best work in the village, and we trade her work when the traveling merchant comes every year. Through her guidance, I was able to be good at it.

So here I am doing my work while waiting for my stupid brother. He had been gone for four days already. I'm worried and angry at the same time, mad because Alab always makes me worry. "When he comes home, he will surely get it this time!" When the last word left my mouth, I heard someone opened the front door.

It was actually Alab walking in with his usual stupid grin. "What happened to you?" I stop what I was doing and exclaimed. Alab's clothes were in a sorry state, his top clothes are slashed and seemed stained with blood and mud. "and what rook you so long?" I've been worried this whole time! which I did not say out loud. "I'm sorry, I kind of lost my way," he replied. I know he is not telling the truth because he is tapping his right leg with his forefinger, which he does every time he's lying. He does not want me to be worried; that's why he does not tell me if he had been in a dangerous situation. I know this, so I did not continue with my question. "Hmmph! I hope you brought home some meat at least!" I said as I continued with my work and ignored him.

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"I bought a lot which should last for the entire winter, and I bought you something, so please do not be mad!" He said with pleading eyes while bringing out a necklace. "I found this snowflake necklace while I was at the market," he said with a grin. "It looks expensive; you should learn how to be thrifty. We could use the money for more important things," I said, reprimanding him, but deep inside, I was touched because of his gesture, and the necklace was also beautiful, as delicate as a real snowflake. "I will just leave it here at the table" he placed the necklace on the table and dashed away like he was afraid of something.

"Go take a bath; you stink!" I shouted with a smile. I sighed with relief because my brother was back home, safe and sound.

I'm almost finished with my embroidery, which is a Lutos flower floating on a beautiful pond. I just finish just in time for tomorrow, which is the last day the traveling merchants' stay in Kasa. We need to sell most of my work to buy grains, seeds, and other essential things for winter. The rest will be traded for silk fabric for my embroidery.

I fixed everything in a pile and store it in my bedroom. I went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for both of us. Some meat was also hanged above the fire for smoking to preserve it for winter. While I was preparing, Alab entered the kitchen with fresh clothes when he saw me wearing the necklace. He smiled and sat down near the table. "How are things while I was away?" he asked. "Everything is fine; I finished my needlework so we can go to the market tomorrow. We need to harvest the barley, so you need to wake up early tomorrow so we won't miss the last day of the traveling merchants' stay."

Alab started to laugh. "Yes, ma'am!" he complied. "So, how did you get a lot of money for the meat and necklace?" I glared at him. "You did not steal it, right?" I inquired without blinking. "Of course not!" he answered with an annoyed tone. "I found a wooden chest inside the forest, which I sold for three silver and fifty copper coins."

"Three silver for a wooden chest? Does it contain anything valuable? And you found it in Dorsum? it could be owned by someone else," I said, bombarding him with questions. "How did you know I found it in Dorsum?"

I gave him a look that says: You actually surprised, how stupid can you be?. "Anyway, it appeared to me out of nowhere, and it is actually made of rare wood...I actually forgot what wood it was called...and the thing is, I don't know where the statue it contained."

"Nevermind, as long as you did not steal it," I remarked. I was already finished cooking, so I served the food on the table. "Hmmn, it smells good, hot food at last after four days. Thank you for the food!" He said while his mouth is full. We finish eating, and we both cleaned the table, and I washed the dishes. Alab said his good night and went into his room.

After drying the dishes, I went to my room and freshened up with the water basin on the table near my bed. After that I change clothes for sleeping then I opened the window. It was my habit to look at the stars before going to sleep. As I look at the sky, snow starts falling down.