The Unfolding Blackout | Book 2 | A Girl Forsaken by Aborn A.L

Author:Aborn, A.L. [Aborn, A.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | Survival
Published: 2021-04-16T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

August

The days pass in heat and rain, sunshine and cool mornings. I find comfort in the changing of the forest around me. Never having spent this much time in the woods, it’s no surprise that I’ve never been so keenly aware of the minute details and beauty. The shady glade by the stream, with its moss-covered rocks, still enchants me; the blossoming of the wildflowers on both the mountainside and the surrounding hills add breathtaking bits of color to the green landscape, if only you stop to look.

August, for the most part, is hot and humid. The shelter, while not under full sunshine, seems to trap the heat. Lying on top of my blankets at night, the damp air leaves me tossing and turning. During the day, Meekah, Beau, and I seek refuge from the heat by the stream. Beneath the protection of the tree limbs, the air is still thick, but cooler than either the shelter or the clearing. Whiling away the hours in the shade, I peruse the books taken from the farm, attempting to memorize plants that can be foraged and other handy tips. My fishing lines still bring in the occasional small trout, which I clean by the water and cook over the smallest fire possible. Beau tears at nearby greenery while the pup and I split the fish.

Once the sun sets and the heat becomes somewhat bearable, we venture out and spend our evenings foraging and scouting. I’m running out of room to put the dried plants for Beau’s winter stores, but still, I collect as many as possible. Other edible plants, like dandelion greens, get set aside for my own cookpot. The work is never ending, but I’m glad to keep busy, and honestly, what else would I be doing with my time?

In the third week of August, it rains steadily for three days. Beau doesn’t seem to mind, but Meekah and I spend the time in the opening of the shelter, sitting on my sleeping bag. When pawing through the same old books gets boring, one of the smaller hunting knives is good for whittling. I don’t know what I’m doing but attempting to bring a face or animal out of a small chunk of wood is gratifying and time consuming.

The third day of rain leaves me irritable. While the rain has certainly cut through the humidity, falling behind in all of my chores and eating from my cache of food is disheartening. I suppose the water is good for my little garden; I don’t need to bucket water from the stream, but I’m bored and grumpy all the same.

Not all of the seedlings survived being transplanted into the garden, but most did. Of those that survived, I can identify six corn stalks, three tomato plants, four sets of cucumber leaves, and two measly sprouts bearing string beans. I’ve never grown corn before, so I’m not sure what to expect or when to harvest, but I’m thinking sometime around fall seems right. The tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans though are coming along nicely.

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