Chapter 21

June 20^th 2043

I've been busy cutting firewood and making bricks. I think the bricks are turning out well. I'm also getting kind of buff swinging the axe around. I'm still not taking huge swings and spitting in one blow but I am splitting them. I'm cutting them in two sizes. One for my pod and one for the cave. I'm not making a lot of the smaller ones yet until I know my fireplace is going to work though.

June 22^nd 2043

I've decided to take a break from wood splitting and go hunting. I got one of the deer/mooses. I tried to keep as much as I could use but I did leave the organs for Wolfie and her family. I'm going to have a ... I guess I'll call it venison steak for dinner. I wish I could have a nice salad with it but I'm not in the mood for rehydrated lettuce. (Yuck!) By the way the Hephalump — that's what I'm calling the elephant like animals — taste pretty good. The cats aren't so good. They're kind of tough and chewy.

June 23^rd 2043

I moved some things around in the garage, I moved one of the snowmobiles and jet skis into one of the jeeps parking spaces. I moved that jeep upstairs. That way if need to go on the water or make a quick trip somewhere in the snow I won't have to do it later. I've also moved my airplane up to the garage so it'll be out of the way.

I went hunting again today. I got another deer. I also found a place where I can get some eggs. I'm not sure I want to try keeping live animals yet but it might be something to plan for in the future.

After taking care of the ... I guess I'll call it a duce. After taking care of it I washed off the other skins and hung them up to dry. Mr. Fuzzy's came our really well. I just love how it feels against my skin. The cat's fur isn't as nice but then it's shorter. The mogs (mangy dogs) came out pretty well after a bath. I'm thinking about using them as rugs. I can hardly wait to see how they feel against my bare feet.

June 25^th 2043

Another pod landed yesterday out in the ocean. I was taking the furs off the clothesline I'd put up when I saw this thing in the sky. I ran in got out my binoculars to be sure that it was a pod. When I saw that it was I ran back in, grabbed the backpack I kept ready and my rifle and ran for the garage. There I put my things in the jeep, hooked up the Jet Ski and took off for the beach. I was really hoping it would be someone. Except for my fuzzies and brief visits from Wolfie, I've been pretty lonely.

I drove with a bit more haste then I should have but I did manage to get to the beach safely. Getting the Jet Ski off the trailer and into the water proved a bit problematic but I managed. Then I thought I got stuck in the sand but at the last minute the jeep jerked forward and I was back off the beach and parked under a tree. I grabbed my things, ran for the Jet Ski and took off.

It took a while to get to the pod and I was really excited until I got to it. The heat shield over the forward deck had a big dent with a gash at the bottom of it. It was also missing a lot of tiles. There were also other scrapes along the side.

I pulled up to the rear and after tying the Jet Ski off I went aboard. I was pretty nervous because I didn't know if it was going to sink or not. So far it hasn't. I had to break open the emergency open switch to get in. That was disheartening but nowhere near as much as what I found inside. I found a girl inside, slumped over in the cockpit seat.

She ... she ... she was dead.

From the wave of heat that hit me when I opened the door I think she died of heatstroke or something on reentry. Caused by the damage to the shield no doubt. I did try very hard to bring her back though. I even tried the little defibrillator that comes with the emergency supplies. I never want to hear the sound of a flat line again for as long as I live. Maybe if I'd gotten there sooner I could have done more but I don't think so.

The worst part wasn't finding her dead. Although that was bad enough. The worst part was that I knew her. We weren't friends but I knew her. Her name is Anna Marie Jenkins. She was in my class back at Camp Santa Maria. I felt sick that I couldn't save her. Knowing that I could have easily been her didn't help. Neither did the smell.

I went back out onto the deck and cried until I couldn't cry anymore. Then I pulled in the parachutes until I heard the waves crashing on the beach. I didn't want to go back in but I did to try to activate the boat engines. When they wouldn't deploy I had to use the Jet Ski as a tug and move it to the river. The Jet Ski wasn't exactly designed for that but it worked. I anchored her pod where I'd anchored mine when I first landed here and then went in to take care of her.

I undressed her and put her in the shower. I thought she'd want to be clean. Then I washed her clothes. Once they were in the washer I sat down numbly on her bed. Looking around her pod seemed very ... girly. I had girly things too but I hadn't decorated my room in shades of pink. Even with the mess of reentry and splash down I thought it looked nice. I thought the drapes around the bed and windows were a nice touch. So were the tropical posters pasted onto the window shields. I thought she would have loved her landing place.

Seeing a teddy bear in the corner of the bed, I ran my fingers over his head and then pulled him to me, hugging him. I told him, "I'm sorry I couldn't saver her." Then I began to cry again. Scuse me. I need a tissue.

When I was all cried out again I went into the shower to check on her. I had to help wash her a little. (I hope she doesn't mind) Once she was out of the shower I laid her out on her bed and covered her with a blanket. She looked ... peaceful. After I'd covered her with the blanket I looked for something for her to wear. I found a beautiful white gown along with matching everything in a box in the closest. It was her mother's wedding dress. There was a note from her Mom with it that said,