Here is part of my first shot at writing a short story. I'm not finished yet. It will be an ongoing project.
It has not been formatted or proofread by anyone else yet. I hope you like what I have so far.
Chevy Suburban
Chapter one
Daniel had been “on the road” for almost two years now. Most of it by himself. He scrounged what he could for food. Sometimes he fished. Sometimes he stayed in an area a couple days and tried his hand at trapping. It all depended what he could see in the way of wildlife. He carried 2 big rat traps and snares for squirrels and knew how to make snares for rabbits out of some sticks and rope. He didn't have a fishing pole or tackle box for the most part. He had a small tin with some line, hooks and sinkers but that was getting a bit thin on things.
He did have a net that he had made before everything went to hell. He had watched videos on line on how to knit fishing nets when he was laid up with a broken ankle a few years before it all went bad. It gave him something to occupy his time and by his way of figuring, it was better to go catching than fishing. Once he got the hang of how to make nets, he made him a nice one four feet deep and a hundred feet long. He made some ties on the ends so he could attach some sticks for handles. When he eventually got better and could walk well without his cast, he and a friend had tried the net out at a local reservoir being careful not to run afoul of the game wardens. They would start at the wide end of a cove and work their way back toward the back of the cove, one on either side. It worked out pretty well. They would get more fish than they needed and it didn't take all day. Sometimes he practiced using by himself. He would drive a straight stick into the ground on the bank. Small trees in the woods were good for that. They were straight with few branches so not a lot of work. Just cut it, sharpen the end and beat it in the ground. He did have to remember to get a right sized one though. A couple of times they were a bit too big around and left him with work to shave it down or go and get another right sized one. He would then walk out into the cove as deep and far as he could and circle around toward the bank. That did work pretty good when the water was warm enough to do that. It definitely would not work in the winter.
Daniel had always been the outdoor type. He wasn't much for staying inside like most young guys his age did. He had bought a large ALICE backpack at an Army surplus store. He didn't have a good deal of money. Only what he got for mowing yards, raking leaves or other odd jobs. He had grown up learning how to save where he could on everything. Weekends would usually find him out in the woods learning how to do all sorts of things. Making snares, building little shelters, finding water, practicing different ways of starting fires. That was fun for him. It gave him a sense of pride and accomplishment to be able to be proficient at being a woodsman.
He did buy a couple of canteens and carriers that would clip onto the backpack. It was big enough to carry almost everything he wanted it too. He had used the money he got for his 17th birthday to buy a mummy sleeping bag with the dry bag. That was much better than the old Wonder Woman hand me down sleeping bag he had been using. Besides, he had gotten too tall for it a couple years ago. He had equipped his pack the best he could. He always felt he was lacking in that department but, what he didn't realize was that he was far better equipped than most people. He had gotten a Schrade straight blade knife for Christmas one year. He really loved that knife. It had a OD green molded rubber handle that held well and didn't slip around when it got wet. It was strapped to the load bearing straps on his ALICE pack. He had his 3 blade folding Case knife that his grandparents had gotten him for Christmas when he was 15. It was always with him in his right front pocket. He felt naked without it. He wore a Leatherman Core multi-tool on his belt most of the time. He always had something sharp around and carried stones in his backpack to make sure things stayed sharp.
An old fella at the hardware store had told him one time, “Nothing much gets made in this world without something being sharp”. An interesting statement Daniel thought and took heed of the old fellas wisdom.
It has not been formatted or proofread by anyone else yet. I hope you like what I have so far.
Chevy Suburban
Chapter one
Daniel had been “on the road” for almost two years now. Most of it by himself. He scrounged what he could for food. Sometimes he fished. Sometimes he stayed in an area a couple days and tried his hand at trapping. It all depended what he could see in the way of wildlife. He carried 2 big rat traps and snares for squirrels and knew how to make snares for rabbits out of some sticks and rope. He didn't have a fishing pole or tackle box for the most part. He had a small tin with some line, hooks and sinkers but that was getting a bit thin on things.
He did have a net that he had made before everything went to hell. He had watched videos on line on how to knit fishing nets when he was laid up with a broken ankle a few years before it all went bad. It gave him something to occupy his time and by his way of figuring, it was better to go catching than fishing. Once he got the hang of how to make nets, he made him a nice one four feet deep and a hundred feet long. He made some ties on the ends so he could attach some sticks for handles. When he eventually got better and could walk well without his cast, he and a friend had tried the net out at a local reservoir being careful not to run afoul of the game wardens. They would start at the wide end of a cove and work their way back toward the back of the cove, one on either side. It worked out pretty well. They would get more fish than they needed and it didn't take all day. Sometimes he practiced using by himself. He would drive a straight stick into the ground on the bank. Small trees in the woods were good for that. They were straight with few branches so not a lot of work. Just cut it, sharpen the end and beat it in the ground. He did have to remember to get a right sized one though. A couple of times they were a bit too big around and left him with work to shave it down or go and get another right sized one. He would then walk out into the cove as deep and far as he could and circle around toward the bank. That did work pretty good when the water was warm enough to do that. It definitely would not work in the winter.
Daniel had always been the outdoor type. He wasn't much for staying inside like most young guys his age did. He had bought a large ALICE backpack at an Army surplus store. He didn't have a good deal of money. Only what he got for mowing yards, raking leaves or other odd jobs. He had grown up learning how to save where he could on everything. Weekends would usually find him out in the woods learning how to do all sorts of things. Making snares, building little shelters, finding water, practicing different ways of starting fires. That was fun for him. It gave him a sense of pride and accomplishment to be able to be proficient at being a woodsman.
He did buy a couple of canteens and carriers that would clip onto the backpack. It was big enough to carry almost everything he wanted it too. He had used the money he got for his 17th birthday to buy a mummy sleeping bag with the dry bag. That was much better than the old Wonder Woman hand me down sleeping bag he had been using. Besides, he had gotten too tall for it a couple years ago. He had equipped his pack the best he could. He always felt he was lacking in that department but, what he didn't realize was that he was far better equipped than most people. He had gotten a Schrade straight blade knife for Christmas one year. He really loved that knife. It had a OD green molded rubber handle that held well and didn't slip around when it got wet. It was strapped to the load bearing straps on his ALICE pack. He had his 3 blade folding Case knife that his grandparents had gotten him for Christmas when he was 15. It was always with him in his right front pocket. He felt naked without it. He wore a Leatherman Core multi-tool on his belt most of the time. He always had something sharp around and carried stones in his backpack to make sure things stayed sharp.
An old fella at the hardware store had told him one time, “Nothing much gets made in this world without something being sharp”. An interesting statement Daniel thought and took heed of the old fellas wisdom.