Post by Yoshi4ever on Oct 13, 2005 8:23:39 GMT -5
Chapter 1
I coughed and sputtered, then opened my eyes. I was lying on a beach, waves rose from the sea then retreated back to their origin. Pieces of rotted lumber were scattered across the coast.
I lay for a while, not sure what to do. I felt the frigid water on my legs, coming and going, and the salty breeze whispering in my ear. I had no idea where I was or what I was doing here. All I knew was that I was laying here, on the beach, with no suggestion what to do.
Finally, I made an attempt to stand. My legs wobbled, barley able to support my weight. I let myself fall back onto the sand. I was exhausted and weary, so I determined to lie there and rest.
The cry of a seagull woke me from my deep slumber. I pushed myself up, and then looked around.
The beach stretched out for a while to my left and right. The seagulls that had awaken me perched on a bulky black rock nearby. Forward from the beach, a few trees stood like sentries of the forest. With nowhere else to go, I wandered into the forest.
The air was damp and thick in the jungle. I began to breathe deeply. Suddenly, I realized how hungry I was. So I set out in search of food. To my dismay, I found little- but enough to satisfy me for a little while (but, it was much better than nothing). I found a few berry bushes here and there, but not much. Finally, I came across a bush with a respectable cluster of ripe crimson raspberries. I devoured at least two dozen then took some leaves and prepared a makeshift bag. I piled about three dozen berries into my bag to eat later.
I decided to turn to the east (or at least what I thought was east). I started to enter a less dense forest. Finally, I found a form of shelter- a cave. It was small; you could say it had two rooms. The entrance was long and slender, and in the back there was a circular room. To my delight there was a spring in the back (I had bean dieing of thirst and my throat was as parched as the desert in a drought). I drank from the warm spring water until my thirst was quenched. Then I sprawled out on the cave floor to sleep.
I woke to see the sun’s rays peeking through the cave entrance. I stretched then sat up. I crawled over to the bag of berries and ate most of them. Then I pulled myself up and strode out of the cave. The birds’ magnificent symphony (of music) filled my ears. They fluttered in the tree tops- singing merrily.
I returned to the berry bush (I had made sure to make a “mental map” in my head so I wouldn’t get lost). After collecting another two dozen I set off back to the cave. Then the thought came to me, I could not survive on berries alone I needed to hunt for meat. I had no idea how I would get meat- until I saw some sharp stones. I took a few and then sharpened them on the cave wall. After a while they resembled a (sort of) spear point. Then I gathered some branches to use as spear shafts.
I tore a piece of fabric from my shirt and then used it to tie the spear point to the shaft. It worked, but the spear was very wobbly and the fabric was not quite tight enough- but it would have to do. I took the spear and left the cave.
Now it was the harder part, to find something to spear. I had seen glimpses of deer in the forest but they fled the second I got to near. So, I tried to sneak around for a while.
Finally, I got close to a deer. When I had just got into range- the dear turned its head in my direction. It began to flee but I was too quick. The spear caught it in its side and it fell dead. The shaft had broken (no surprise though). I took the fabric and then examined the dear. The spear point was embedded in its side. Then I realized how hard it would be to get it back to the cave. I mounted the deer on my shoulders (lucky it was not very big). Straining under its burden, I made my way back to the cave.
When I finally reached my destination, I laid the dear down on the stone. I took a deep breathe- my backed ached from the weight. But some pleasure was inside me. Tonight I would not be hungry.
Later that day…
I threw the sticks in aggravation. I had bean attempting to light a fire for about half an hour now. I picked the sticks back up and tried again. This time, I rubbed the brushwood together as fast and as furiously as I could. A small stream of smoke began to fill the air, until finally some embers burned in the pile of leaves and sticks.
I bent down and lightly blew on the tiny blaze. They flickered, and then slowly began to grow. I soon had a decent fire. I fed some more sticks until it was a reasonable campfire. I took the meat (which had bean hung on a stick) and placed it over the fire. Two sticks held up the meat to stop it from falling into the fire. Occasionally, I turned them meat to stop it from burning. When the meat looked done, I took it and tore of a practical portion, then left the rest of the meat on the stick. I stamped out the fire, and then sat down to feast.
The meat was delicious. Every bite of the tender meat was like heaven served on a platter. However, it wasn’t the best. It lacked seasoning and was slightly over cooked- but it would suffice for now. After the meal I sprawled out on the cave floor and fell into a deep slumber.
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The next day I started fresh and early, I ate the rest of the roasted deer and then departed from the cave. The sun was shining through the treetops, with shafts of light peaking out here and there. Today, I decided to travel north of the cave. So I set off (with what remained of my spear) following what seemed to be a path carved by deer or other animals.
I walked for a while, making sure to mark certain landmarks on the way. I also stopped every once and a while to rest or eat some berries on the side of the path. Suddenly I heard a noise. I lifted my spear (well, now it was more like a long arrow) and scanned the surrounding area for the origin of the noise. A wolf leapt out of the forest into the clearing. It snarled and snapped it’s teeth (it looked like a very mean wolf…mean and ravenous) and it slowly advanced towards me.
I jabbed the spear into the air trying to scare it off. It paused for a moment, and then growled. There was a second of silence. The quit was like death annihilating anything that dared to make a move. Some leaves rustled, breaking the silence, and then the wolf charged. I jumped back (partly out of fear and to some extent out of instincts) and began sprinting in the other direction. The wolf tore after me; its speed could have outrun a cheetah. He was like a shadow whipping threw the trees. I know I would only hold my gain for a few seconds so I did the first scheme that popped in my head. I leapt on to a tree branch and scrabbled up as fast as I could. The wolf sprung up and caught a hold of my pant leg. The fabric tore and the wolf fell back to the earth. I climbed up to the top of the tree and looked down at the wolf. He circled around the trees his eyes shining like a full moon in an eclipse. They glittered with the anxiety of hunger.
I stayed up in the tree, and he continued to circle. He was not the only hungry one. My stomach was as empty as an (unfilled) bottle. Slowly slumber overcame me and I fell into a deep snooze.
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When I awakened the forest was covered with the black veil of night. The moonlight bathed the world in a silver light. I looked down at the ground. The wolf had given up and left. I slid down from the tree and scanned my surroundings. I was famished. I followed the path back south toward the cave.
The night was cold, and my breath crystallized into a shiny vapor. Soon I got to the entrance to the cave. Shafts of silver moonlight glinted threw the gaps in the treetops. I entered the cave.
There I found the rest of the meat and berries. I devoured a large portion and then I sat down on a slab of rock and considered about all that had happened. I had a bizarre feeling that it wouldn’t be my last encounter with the uncanny beast.
