Day 7

What has two thumbs and is sitting naked in the rain?

Today was the second day of the downpour. My campfire was the first casualty. Attempts were made to shelter whatever coals remained in the wheelbarrow. To that end I fashioned a roof from Dracopede carapace to keep them nice and dry. The design would have worked, if the weather had cleared up in a reasonable amount of time.

The second, more troubling problem, was the blackberries. The rain spoiled most on the branches. Wind and water knocked the rest off the bushes and flushed them down the creek. By the way, If Adam’s Creek rises another six inches the runoff going to wash my camp (me included) away to parts unknown.

Still. There should be some sort of limit to sulking and feeling miserable. Sure I have difficulties, but it’s not all bad news. Today marks the first week since my arrival and I suppose I needed the shower. While my phone wasn’t exactly waterproof back on Earth, It wasn’t damaged in the slightest when I left it out in the rain. Plot holes amirite. I’m not sure how valuable information like that is, but it’s nice to know I’m still able to share all my troubles with you fine people.

Between reinventing prehistoric technologies through trial and error and battling monstrous bugs my daily grind was so preoccupied that proper long term planning got sidelined. With nothing else to do right now, it seems like a great time to catch up. Especially after finding that abandoned camp by the sinkhole.

Originally there was a tent, three bedrolls and crates of provisions. If only I found those intact. However by the time I got there, they’d all mostly rotted away with little remaining but splinters and scraps of cloth showing various levels of decay. Still, the salvageable items remaining were all pretty great.

The tools were the biggest prizes: dagger, axe head, mattock, and shovel. After years of exposure to the elements, there was more than a little rust. But hey, rust means they were originally iron. That made them an upgrade from rocks. Sadly, the axe doesn’t have a handle and the wooden bits on the other tools are at the end of their durability. Some repairs are needed but I’ll take it.

The next thing, believe me I’m excited about it, was the earthen cookpot. It’s exquisitely ornate with a bird motif. It’s the sort of item museums would display to the public with a little brass plaque explaining all the neat features. Worked in clay in the shape of a common domestic fowl, there is a beak shaped spout on the front, talons on the bottom as a stand, and wings worked onto either side on which it can be hung over a wood fire. It is unglazed with charring and discoloration along the lower portions. That shows it was a functional rather than ritual object and likely the centerpiece of a well-to-do kitchen.

Lastly I picked up various small personal items. Here’s a list

2 whetstones

3 pewter mugs

3 pewter plates

2 clay pipes

8 rusty horseshoes

90 silver coins

The technology and material seems mostly medieval, but the coins were considerably more sophisticated. They are tarnished to all hell, but the intricate designs were still clear and elaborate. Some sort of runic inscription covered one face and a squat bearded figure adorned the other. Interestingly, they also had reeded edges. That’s what the grooves along the outside of quarters and dimes are called. That made shaving the edges of coins for their precious metal easily apparent. Isaac Newton came up with the familiar modern implementation of the idea. Clearly, someone out in this world was more serious about their currency than their eating utensils.

The unexpected rainstorm also drove home the fact that I’ve been negligent in improving my shelter over the past week. Sure, my technology level sucked, but it wouldn’t have preventing me from building a roof to protect my fire and firewood if I prioritized it. I’ll need to do better. Luckily, the clouds off in the distance have a lighter tone so perhaps the weather will improve.

Day 8

I had guests over this morning. The rain stopped just after sunset. Everything was still too wet so a fire was impossible. That made for another miserable night and I woke up cranky and bedraggled. Then, who should I see at first light but a half dozen Dogkin prowling my way.

With my new dagger and Dracopede-slaying spear, I prepared to defend what was left of my camp. That wasn’t necessary. The pack stopped and sat on their haunches a stone throw away while the Alpha approached alone. She barked and gesticulated with her clawed hands (paws?). I ran with the assumption that she wanted more of the red carapace so I removed six segments from the wheelbarrow and lay them on the soggy grass.

The Alpha barked and yipped. Her companions laid out some items opposite: A skinned rabbit carcass, assorted furs, spool of twine. That last one got me thinking. I set a seventh bit of carapace on the ground, and made sewing motions. The Dogkin’s leader cocked her head to one side, and then turned to the second largest other member of the pack. He had black stripes along the snout and their conversation looked a lot like an argument with quite a bit of growling and baring of teeth. Eventually the second Dogkin ran off towards their den and returned a few minutes later with bone needles.

Satisfied, the Dogkin took possession of the Dracopede carapace and left. I made dinner.

Day 8 – Part 2

The rest of the day was spent putting my camp back to order. Restarting the fire was rough. I had to shave sticks with my rusty dagger in order to get it to burn. I also had trouble finding tinder dry enough to catch sparks. The only thing that came to mind was the Dogkin twine. I cut off an inch and unraveled it into tiny fibers. Next, I tested the recently acquired various metal implements to see which ones produced sparks when I struck them against the black stone that was my original failed axe. I expected the dagger would produce the best sparks, but it turned out the horseshoes won.

It had been over two days since my last meal, and now was a good time to make use of the cookpot. The wing shaped handles had holes for twine, which I hung from a triangular frame made of forked branches. In went the rabbit and I let it cook the rest of the day as I pondered how to fix the broken axe from the sinkhole.

Day 8 – Part 3

For all the gourmands out there, boiling without herbs or spices must sound like a culinary travesty and the absolute worst way to prepare rabbit. Don’t care. Compared to burnt Dracopede it was delicious.

Afterwards, there were still a few hours left to find a suitable sapling for an axe handle. Despite being days past, the sinkhole still gave me the creeps. I avoided it and explored the forest in the opposite direction. Maybe this is just paranoia, but how exactly did I end up at the border of the deadwood?