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Now that I have managed to get the primary matters of survival taken care of I can move on to the next phase of my mission. Scouting, mapping and building a more permanent shelter to include defensive emplacements. I'm still not sure what threats this new world might have in store but better not to take any chances. While I was looking for flint this morning I found what appears to be a crude hand tool. Some kind of scraper I think. It wasn't completed and could have been some sort of natural formation but I'm pretty sure it was fabricated. If that's the case then I am definitely not alone and need to move forward on the assumption that there could be a threat. I feel a twinge of guilt in having to think in martial terms. Constant warfare was one of the things I was looking forward to leaving behind on Earth. I have to be willing to put my idealism aside though. Despite any lofty ambitions I may have nature rewards the best survival strategies. I can't afford to entertain any illusions.
Using the sundial I have been able to calculate the length of a day here to be about 20 hours. I should eventually be able to start mapping astronomical positions and use that to determine the annual cycle. I found a good source of white clay in the banks of the brook nearby and have already fashioned a number of utilitarian items. Besides the basic cups, bowls and a couple of amphora I have also made a 'mirror dish' and a crude water clock. The mirror dish can be filled with water and allow me to see my own face. I'm already thinking about being able to shave. That's one thing I hope I never have to give up. Getting a basic forge and smithy in place is a high priority. I'm no master blacksmith but I did go far enough in the training to be able to crank out a sharp blade. The manly ritual of shaving is one way I plan to keep from going completely feral. I should be able to pit fire the ceramics in about a week after the clay has dried.
I have been experimenting with various plants and minerals from the immediate area to create pigments. I think the results are good enough for not only writing a journal but for also for doing illustrations. Cataloging the flora and fauna will go a long way towards helping me get my head around this place.
Using a simple device called a 'squirrel pole' I have managed to snare 3 of the little critters. This is one of the most useful things I took away from training. It's a simple device really but extremely ingenious. It uses the natural curiosity of the animal to turn a stick and a few snares into a tasty meal. The snares are arranged on the pole in such a way that the squirrel can run up the pole unimpeded but when he tries to come down the pole will get his head caught in the snare and then hang itself. With a little luck you'll have squirrels hanging off the pole like bananas. I was skeptical at first but our instructor really knew his stuff. It was a pleasant surprise to see that it works as well here as it did in training.
Later in the day I will be able to enjoy a squirrel stew with wild onions and follow it up with more of those delicious sugar-berries. I plan on using one of the amphora to ferment some of the berries and with a little luck will have wine in a couple of weeks. All in all I feel I'm off to a good start and can relax enough to let my mind wander a bit. As I'm eating my supper, watching the sunset, I drift back to the day I met the first member of the group. A day that would completely change my life.
It was an average day in the life of an average guy. I was having a vacation on the Isle of Man. There's a motorcycle race that happens there every year which is really something to watch. I didn't go specifically for that but since I was there it wasn't to be missed. The riders go racing through the towns and villages at breakneck speeds with no benefit of safety barriers other than the old stone walls that line the streets. One mistake will end you for good. I have always been impressed with people who go forward in life without fear and those guys epitomized that spirit. And so, there I was having an Ale at a pub along the route with a great view of the action. When a pretty girl asks to join you for a beer what man would say no? That's how I met Astrid. I was immediately fascinated with her quirky smile and quixotic mannerisms. She was originally from Queens, NY and said she had come to watch the races. I would find out before the evening was out that wasn't exactly true. She had in fact come there to look into a local myth about some standing stones up in the hills nearby. A place called "Mull Hill" that was the source of many legends of all sorts of crazy phenomenon. Astrid was keenly interested in the place and seemed to think there was more than just myth and legend to it. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of it's history and was going on about lost technology and dimensional portals. Something about cymatics and brain waves. We both had more than a few pints in us so I wrote it all off to drunken banter. She asked me if I would like to join her the next day for an outing and I agreed. The following morning we hired a taxi to take us to the site and we continued to get to know each other on the way. I was surprised to find out she had a PhD in physics. I was surprised both for her young age and for the paradox of a person of letters who was fascinated with superstitious nonsense. Before the day was out I would realize it wasn't nonsense. With her help I came to understand that whoever had built that place had an amazing level of technical sophistication. The common perception that we are advancing in our knowledge as a species was turned on it's head. When she asked me if I wanted to accompany her to another site in Ireland I didn't hesitate to say yes. And so the next day we left the Isle of Man to see a place she called "Newgrange".
I didn't realize it then but I had been recruited into a very exclusive club which would change my life forever. One thing I did know was that I had fallen for this young beauty from Queens. I wondered then what her interest in me might be. I wonder now what she would think of this place and I miss her terribly. I have no way to know if I will ever see another human being again but that was a risk I knew before I agreed to make the jump. Exploring this new planet will be the only way to find answers to that question. I decide that first thing in the morning I will set out to climb the nearby hill to get a better view of my surroundings. Risks be damned. What's the point of having my own planet if I have to spend the rest of my life here alone?
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To be continued...
<a href="https://steemit.com/writing/@btcnoodle/the-flint-knappers-chapter-1">Read Chapter 1</a>
<a href="https://steemit.com/writing/@btcnoodle/the-flint-knappers-chapter-2">Read Chapter 2</a>
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Image provided by pixabay user: Gavster
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