Chapter 6:
Reborn alone in a Pristine World
It was one small step for a man, one giant leap for the chances of the same man surviving in this new world.
While I’ll never understand the way people felt when they first discovered fire, I think I was even more relieved and excited, as I was able to look back at thousands of years of different uses of the flame. The excitement was all good, except I had to make sure that not only my fire survived, but myself as well.
“Next on the menu, water”. While I had not found any suitable rocks during my small expedition, I did have a different way. Hot coals from an existing fire can be used to burn holes into wood, making a crude bowl. The water would be filled with particles of wood and ash, but heated rocks could be added to bring the water contained in said bowl to a boil.
Aside from finding a suitable fallen log, another challenge came with living in an unknown world. I also had to make sure that the wood was not poisonous. The only way to make sure was to test it on myself beforehand, at least confirming no toxins could leech into my drinking water.
This whole process required coals, which my little campfire did not have yet. So, for the next hour or so it was my duty to tend to the fire, so it could remain without intervention. I laid out the rest of my sticks and branches around the fire so both the sun and the heat could dry them off. Once I felt the fire had dried them enough, I placed them atop the flame.
Again, success! While I did take longer than I anticipated for the new firewood to catch alight, it eventually happened. Happy with the progress my fire made, I ventured to the woods to gather additional fuel.
The fire was not large, so it was best if I managed to find some dry or easily flammable plantstuff. I picked out the heaviest rock I could find in a small radius and headed towards the forest. Armed with my very basic tool, I scouted for a tree with either a fibrous or highly structured bark. Thankfully the latter was abundant in these woods, mostly attached to the evergreens. I started to smack my rock against the bark, breaking off pieces that I collected in my pockets. This should be enough to restart the fire if it burned down while I was away.
Next I started to use blunt force to sever some low hanging dead branches. I didn’t take much, as I was worried that the fire might die down to a degree where I couldn’t start it again. Going back to my campsite, I was delighted to find some small specks of red glow still there. It finally started to look up for me. I threw in the pieces of bark I had collected.
Chaos. The bark started to crackle and pop, smoking like someone tried to disperse a crowd. And the smoke would have been handy for that, as it stung in my eyes and throat. There had been some kind of essential oil contained in the bark, burning off with a fury as if to take revenge on the violence I committed against nature to collect it. I could only hope handling the bark with my bare hands did not lead to any kind of irritation.
Coughing through the smoke, flailing my arms around so I at least had a view of the flame, I placed the dead branches close to the center, trying to get them to light. I wanted to supply the fire with oxygen in between the coughing fits caused by the insidious tree. Lady Luck was once again on my side as the dead branches lit up as well. Being content with the size of the fire, I once again went into the forest. To get enough coals to burn a hole for a water container, I still required more.
After a while I had collected what I felt like was an appropriate amount to get the coals I needed. However, I was not ready for what expected me.
The fire was gone.
Not burned out, just disappeared. I dropped the firewood at my feet. “N…not again…” I wanted to scream out in despair, but my strength just left me. I trotted over to the rocks. They seemed to have moved. I sank to my knees. There were ashes scattered all around. I looked like some explosion had gone off. Which was actually not far off.
On closer expectation the rock on which I had placed the fire split apart. And then I remembered: You should never use river rocks for fireplaces, as they absorb some water, even if they look dry. The water then boils when heated, expanding inside the rock, eventually causing it to chip or burst. In my fireplace specifically the rock had both chipped and split. The chip caused the ashes to disperse around the rocks, while the split allowed the ember to fall down to the ground, making the fire seemingly disappear. No matter the order of the events, the result was clear: The fire went out during my stint to the woods.
Still, this time I had a chance to continue from here. It was not the time to lose hope completely like yesterday - both literally and figuratively. Figuratively because I still had a backup plan. The bark that gassed me before worked adequately well as cinder to probably start a fire again, even if I didn’t dry anything out. Literally because the sun was not yet setting. Unlike yesterday I had daylight to guide me inside the wooded areas and it allowed me to once again pick up where the extinguished fire left me.
Of course there was also the problem of motivation. I didn’t know how many setbacks I could still endure. My physical stamina was on its last legs, thirst and hunger draining whatever energy I didn’t already use on my trek. My psychological stamina was also faring terribly. Too many problems in too short a time, my literal survival on the line. It was just getting too much to handle.
There was one thing I could do. So I went down to the water, lowered my face and began drinking. I had finally cracked. But I hoped at least quenching my thirst was enough to take the edge off and start thinking straight again.
It was wonderful, refreshing. No wonder all those commercials always go on about mountain spring water. I finally got it. Not only did it have a pleasant mineral taste, it was also cooled by the snow fields from where it sprung. Consequences be damned, I at least could enjoy this moment. I could at least recover some of the physical and psychological strength.
It was enough to keep going.
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