Chapter 45 - GARDEN OF THE MOUNTAIN

Growl~

As if Veronica's stomach could understand, it cried out in pure joy upon hearing the word 'food'.

Veronica ducked her head shyly and apologized, "Sorry, I'm a bit hungry."

The Head Priest controlled his laughter and urged the ladies, "Let's go then."

'Finally, something to eat,' Veronica thought.

But soon, once again, her expectations dropped to zero seeing only some common fruits like apples, oranges, peaches, tangerines, mandarins, and nectarines. They were gathered on the round stone table in the middle of the room. There were thirteen stone stools around the table.

The Head Priest clapped his hands. "Oh! This is a feast! I knew you would be happy to have a disciple."

Saint Ava turned toward him. She still had her poker face on. "What are you talking about?"

"You have prepared so many fresh fruits at dawn. You must be elated to have someone to accompany you after all these years."

Saint Ava bluntly denied, "You have got it wrong. I thought you would be hungry after coming all the way here."

"Which old man has good appetite? Only youngsters like you and Veronica can finish them all." The Head Priest glanced at Veronica who was standing in the doorway, "Veronica, come child. Have some breakfast."

Veronica had a hard time believing them. She thought they were joking. So, she couldn't help but ask, "Is this breakfast?"

The Head Priest readily agreed, "Yes! You will never find these fruits anywhere. These fruits were picked up from the ancient trees."

For some reason, Veronica felt like the Head Priest had become a lot lively after coming here. It was almost like he came to his own home after a very long time.

She sat down on an empty chair across them and showed her curiosity in what he just said, "Ancient trees?"

The Head Priest then told her a story, "There is a garden filled with fruit trees. Beside the garden was a tall stone and it was written on it that the seeds of those trees were given as a present by Goddess Juvena to the humans so that they can grow fruits and eat them during winter.

"Back in the days, the winter was too strong. People were dying. That's why Goddess Juvena helped the humans to create a garden here so that they could eat as much as they wanted."

Veronica was amazed by the magnificent story. "Garden inside a mountain? I would love to see that."

Garden inside a mountain range – would anyone believe in this kind of thing? It seemed too good to be true.

Saint Ava responded, "I will give you a tour after breakfast."

"Thank you so much!" Veronica's eyes sparkled. "I guess we can get lots of vegetables and fruits here."

The Head Priest answered, "Fruits, yes, plenty. Enough to feed this town. But vegetables, I'm afraid you can't find them here."

She couldn't understand his words. "What do you mean?"

Saint Ava elegantly stated, "It means exactly what he said. As long as you live here, you have to eat fruits."

"Huh?" Veronica thought her ears betrayed her. They seemed to hear wrong which gave her a feeling of being misled.

The Head Priest must have caught her odd behavior. He said, "Well, sometimes, when I drop off, I will bring vegetables and chicken."

Veronica asked, "When will it be?" She sounded so desperate.

"Once a month of course!" The Head priest gave her a hearty smile.

'I want to leave this place!!!' Veronica cried out inwardly.

All these years, she had eaten vegetables and fruits. Once a month, she would get the chance to eat meat provided by the palace.

After coming here, she would have to eat fruits daily and once a month, she would be able to eat vegetables and meat. That reminded her of Arthur's homemade sandwich and beef curry.

As if her stomach could understand her pain, it cried out loudly.

Growl~

"You must be hungry. Eat, eat, here some more." The Head Priest added some fruits to her bronze bowl.

Veronica cried without tears. 'I think I have lost my appetite!'

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After breakfast, they went to the garden. Veronica held her breath as she took in the spectacular view of the fruit gardens.

From up there, they looked down and saw hundreds of trees. All trees, regardless of their height and number of branches, were filled with countless fruits. And, every fruit looked plump with juicy flesh, emitting a faint but delicious aroma.

The sunlight lightened up the entire garden. The sunlight came from the up above, the high peaks of the mountains. The birds were chirping to welcome the guests. Butterflies of different shades were flying from one flower to another flower, busy gathering honey. The scenery was breathtaking.

"Let's go down," Saint Ava said.

They climbed down the stairs and reached the ground. Veronica saw a wooden ladder and basket placed in the corner. She realized it was for the Saint to pick her meal every day.

Looking at the ground filled with grass, she commented, "It's hard to believe that fertile soil would be inside the mountain."

The Head Priest remarked, "Even I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see this with my own eyes. You can feed an entire army with these."

Veronica came up with an idea and suggested, "It will be wonderful to send these fruits to the hospitals and the army as you were talking about."

Saint Ava monotonously spoke, "And this way, greedy men's eyes would land on this holy place. As a protector and the guardian of this place, I cannot let that happen. Goddess Juvena told us to use these blessed fruits only when it's necessary."

Veronica was downhearted by her attitude. She mumbled, "But it's such a waste to throw them away."

The Head Priest said, "These fruits won't get spoiled until you pick them. They will stay fresh and juicy as long as they aren't plucked. Isn't this wonderful?"

Veronica covered her mouth in surprise. "That's amazing!"

She couldn't help but admire Goddess Juvena's creation. She is known for Her kind heart and wisdom. She lived up to everyone's expectations.

She shared her opinion, "It still would be great to share these fruits with others."

"It's not that other Saints and Head Priests didn't think of that. Actually, our ancestors did share the fruits. But then, some tragic things happened...