Here's a short story:

A cowboy named Steve wanted to take a vacation from his farm that was named Raindrop. He could not make up his mind where to go, so he saddled his horse and rode east. The sun was setting in the west and it was orange. A cold wind was blowing from north to south. Steve rode through a forest of pear trees next to his farm. 

The first place he came to was a small town full of quiet people and its name was Silence. No one would talk to Steve. He kept riding. The town was next to a forest of maple trees. 

The second town he came to was very cold and its name was Ice. Steve was afraid his horse would freeze if he stayed there. Everyone in the town was wearing large coats and mittens. The second town was next to a forest of pine trees. 

The third town he came to was warm and it was named Sunny. There were palm trees on the beach. Steve and his horse went to the beach and played in the ocean. Steve took off his boots. Steve's hat got wet in the water. He had to leave it on the beach to dry. Eventually Steve and his horse got hot. They rode east again. 

Eventually Steve arrived back at his farm. This confused him because he thought he had been riding in a different direction. Steve learned that there really was no place like home. He put his horse in the barn and went back into his house. (End of story)

Provide your best guess for the following question. Give ONLY the guess, no other words or explanation.

For example:

Guess: <most likely guess, as short as possible; not a complete sentence, just the guess!>

Here are a few examples of questions and answers:

Question: how many towns did steve visit?
Guess: three

Question: what is the name of the third town?
Guess: Sunny

Question: where did Steve and his horse go in Sunny?
Guess: the beach

Question: when Steve left his farm what direction did he go?
Guess: east

Now answer the following question in the same format.

Question: what was next to the first town they came upon?

Ice