Chapter 2

A very loud noise woke me. I looked around and saw it was still a little before sunrise. Lightning struck the clifftop to the East, and there was a very loud ‘BANG!’ Part of the cliff tumbled down! There were several more lightning strikes, but no rain. I noticed it was much cooler, almost comfortable.

I waited until the sun started rising and filled my two bottles with water. I’d take them with me for refreshment, in between climbing attempts.

I went to my usual corner and did my restroom tasks. If I was a little more awake, I might have noticed the few lumps of coal on the ground, before I emptied my colon on top of them. If I had looked, I would have noticed the small, exposed bit of a coal seam.

I walked to the bottom of the cliff the lightning hit and looked around carefully. I didn’t see any loose rocks that were likely to fall. I threw rocks upward several times trying to dislodge any, and nothing fell but the stones I had thrown. I wished for luck and climbed.

A few spots were difficult, but I made it to the top! I was ten meters or so lower than the other clifftops, but I could see an open space below about the size of the area I was trapped in. It was also surrounded by high cliffs. There were trees! And a small stream!

I carefully descended into the new area, and was happily surprised to find an avocado tree! There were two ripe avocados on the ground! Food! And there were many more on the tree! I just needed something to cut them open.

I explored a little more and saw a few odd plants. The top of their orange roots stuck out of the dirt a little. I thought I’d seen those in a garden before?

Could they be? YES! Carrots! More food! I pulled one, wiped most of the dirt off, and rinsed it in the stream. It smelled like a carrot. I took a small taste, then started munching on it. It was a little sweet. Nice! I saw hundreds more I could eat later! I wouldn’t starve! I guess with all the sweet drinks and junk food I usually ate, I didn’t notice the sweetness of carrots before.

I later found a torn, rusty car door. I moved a hand-sized corner of the sheet metal back and forth many times, until it broke off. Two of the three edges were jagged. I hit it with a rock a few times to bend it, so I could hold it safely.

YES! I had a half-assed knife! I rubbed one edge on a rock to sharpen it.

I ran to the avocado tree and quickly ate one. Normally I don’t like avocados that much, but it was the best thing I’d eaten in days. Much better than dried snake! I’d eaten too much guacamole once and gotten a stomachache, but two or three a day should be fine.

I tasted a bit of the stream water, and it seemed to be ok. When I could I should boil it to be sure, but I drank until my thirst was satisfied.

It wasn’t much of a stream, only ankle deep and half a meter across, but I was glad to have it.

I wished I still had my bottles, so I could boil water if I got a fire going. I needed both hands to climb, and with no clothes, I had no pockets.

I smelled smoke. I tried yelling again, “HELLO? ANYBODY?”

I searched for the source of the smoke and saw a small plume of white rising from a smoldering tree stump. Lightning must have struck it. FIRE! Yes!

I hurriedly gathered up some dry sticks and grass, and added them to the smoking stump. I blew and blew, encouraging the grass to catch. I saw a small flame! I added more grass and a few small sticks, then a few larger ones. The fire was burning well. GREAT!

The stump and wood I piled on it would be enough fuel for at least several hours, so I didn’t have to worry about it going out. There were dozens of trees, and a lot of dead branches. As long as I kept it going, fire was no longer a worry.

What should I use it for first? Water! Safe water was very important. How could I get my bottles over here?

My grandmother taught me to weave baskets when I was a little kid. I thought I remembered how. Maybe I could make a basket with a handle, to use like a sort of backpack?

I gathered up some vines and started ripping the leaves off them. I kept an eye on the fire, to be sure it didn’t go out or spread.

Within four hours, and six or seven attempts, I had a basket with a long handle on it, sort of a large purse.

A manly, macho, naked park ranger purse. I chuckled to myself.

The sun was nearly overhead, and the temperature was still only a little warmer than I’d like. Much better than the last few days! I wasn’t sure why, since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was grateful, but expected it to be much hotter at noon than in the morning.