Chapter 3: Making a New Home- Meeting New People

A Story by Ilerah

Dwenlin continues getting used to life in the small village, and starts meeting new people.

He walked over to the lumber camp, noticing a tent with many axes and saws underneath it. He moved towards it, moving out of the way for a few lumbermen walking past him, but none the less he made it to the tent. He grabbed a saw, the one with two handles, and two axes.

He turned around with all the equipment in his hands, to see a lumberjack blocking his way. He was tall, taller than most, with a bushy beard and short hair. He was broad enough for two men, and looked like a tree himself.

“What are you doing? Think you can just steal all the equipment we have?” said the tall tree like man. Which of course was ridiculous, he only had three pieces of equipment, not near all of it.

“Bandes told me to grab it, so I thought it was ok,” said Dwenlin, calmly.

Then without hesitation, or a warning, the massive man started laughing and slapped Dwenlin on the back, who winced. “It’s ok, I know you’re a friend of Bandes, since he was the only one who was willing you take you into his home. The names Mc Grier, or just Grier,” said the lumberjack while he was still slapping Dwenlin’s back.

“Nice to meet you Grier,” Dwenlin said as the big man stopped patting him, “I think I better get over to Bandes now.”

“Yes you should, and good luck with the bed,” Mc Grier replied.

Dwenlin trudged over the Bandes, dropping one of the axes multiple times. When he got to the, as Bandes said, perfect tree he saw Bandes was just sitting on a stump nearby.

“Having troubles walking today Dwenlin?” Bandes said, with a smile on his face.

Dwenlin smiled in return, “no Mc Grier decided to pull my leg, and then patted me several times on the back. Oh and I did drop your axe a few times.

Bandes grinned, “Mc Grier is one of a kind, but let’s get back to work now.”

They grabbed the saw; Bandes taught Dwenlin how to cut a tree. Showing him several techniques and which ones worked in which circumstances. Bandes talked, showed, and taught for nearly an hour, then they got to work.

They used the saw to cut straight through it, one side to the next. The tree fell, and then Bandes grabbed his axe, reminding Dwen of their short lesson of what to do after the tree is felled. So they started to cut the branches. Bandes said to discard the branches, unless Dwenlin wanted to keep them for himself.

The whole day when by, the tree was cut down, the branches cut off. One giant log was lying on the ground, waiting to be cut into planks.

“Good job Dwenlin, for a first time. Tomorrow we will cut it into planks. I’ll get you up nice and early. For now, supper time,” said Bandes, and then started to walk away, towards the village. Dwenlin walked with him, noticing that the rest of the lumberjacks were gone too.

They got to the Grehul’s house on time for supper, which was potatoes, fried vegetables, and pork. The meal was delicious and cleaning the dishes afterward was fast. Dwenlin was heading to his room, when Ame walked up to him. “So how is your bed so far?”

“Pretty good, we felled a tree and cut its branches. I think tomorrow we start to strip the bark and cut it into planks,” replied Dwenlin, as they continued to their room.

When they have entered their room, Ame started to get ready for bed, and Dwenlin, tired from a day of work followed him.

The next day came around to soon for Dwenlin, as the sun peaked in the window, and as Amedaith got up quiet loudly he was forced to be awake.

Dwenlin sat up, rubbed his eyes forcing himself to be awake, and got up. He washed his face, got dressed and headed into the kitchen for breakfast.

Bandes and Amediath were sitting at the table eating porridge, after some good mornings were exchanged Dwenlin grabbed some porridge off of the fire, and sat down to eat.

“We are going out again today Dwen, we will strip the bark from the tree and plank it. Though with the cold weather settling in you will need some warmer clothes,” said Bandes in between bites.

“Ok, what type of clothes do you have in mind?” replied Dwenlin

“I think a thick coat, and a hat will do. You can’t get much warmer than that. We will go see Miss Cretha. She is the local seamstress, and makes the best and warmest clothes in town,” said Bandes as he put his empty bowl in the sink.

“Ok sounds good, when do we leave?”

“Once your finished breakfast, so hurry up, we need to get this day started,” Bandes replied to Dwenlin, then turned to Ame, “Wash the dishes will you Ame?”

“Sure thing Dad,” replied the young boy.

Dwenlin finished his breakfast, put his boots on and headed out the door behind Bandes. He followed him farther into town, and stopped at a small house.

The house was not painted, but simple oak planks. It had a front porch with carpet that led to the door. Bandes lumbered up the stairs and knocked on the door.

The door opened to a woman, a much younger woman than Dwen had expected. She was in her thirties, wearing a simple green and white dress. She wore no hat, revealing her blonde hair. She looked at them seriously with her blue eyes and asked, “What can I help you with Bandes?”

“If you could give us, I mean show, and then sell us a hat, and a coat. Preferably a thick coat,” replied Bandes with a grin on his face.

“Of course Bandes, come on in,” then turning to Dwenlin, “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.

“Dwenlin,” he replied.

“Oh of course, you must be the new man, no wonder you need a coat and hat.”

They entered the house, Miss Cretha going in last, letting her guests go in first. The house was small, one room and simple. It had three rooms, the kitchen off to the right of the door, her bedroom to the right. In the back was a door with a sign on it: Clothes, Hats, and more.

They walked through the kitchen, and off to the back door. Miss Cretha opened it and stepped in, “You may call me Cate by the way. Short for Catherine,” she said to Dwenlin.

“Ok, I’ll try to remember that.”

They continued walking, past a few rows of shirts, and pants. Cate stopped at one row, and walked down it. It had many hats on the racks, different sizes, shapes, colors, prices.

She stopped and grabbed a hat, handed it to Dwenlin. He looked at Bandes, who motioned for him to try it on. Dwenlin continued looking at it; it was soft on the inside, hard on the outside, yet flexible. Finally, once Dwenlin was done looking at the hat, tried it on. It was so soft, and fit perfectly.

“This is amazing, it’s so soft,” said Dwenlin, in amazement.

“Yes, I use deer fur on the inside, on the outside its oquit lined with treated leather, water proof. The oquit gives it a hard, yet flexible ability. Oquit is a type of bark, stripped from any tree. Once treated right can be made flexible, but remains hard,” said Cate, like she had rehearsed it.

“Those are the best hats for the outdoors Dwenlin, and she sells them pretty cheap,” said Bandes to Dwenlin.

“Hum I don’t have any money,” said a disappointed Dwenlin.

“That’s ok, I’ll buy them for you, and put you to work as payment.”

“Ok, I guess I’ll take it,” said Dwenlin, happy with his decision.

“There you go, it took you just a few seconds, with Bandes it took him near an hour,” said Cate, almost laughing to herself.

Cate walked down the row, and turned left, they walked past one more row and entered the next. She grabbed the first coat there, “Medium, thick, warm, water proof. Multiple layers, deer fur on the inside, for softness, then wool, for insulation, then treated leather on the outside, which makes it waterproof.”

“Wow, that’s a lot to remember. Bandes, what do you think?” said Dwenlin, turning to Bandes, then realizing that he was wearing the same coat, maybe a large.

“I happen to be wearing the same coat Dwenlin,” replied Bandes with a matter of a fact tone.

“Oh, I just realized that,” said Dwenlin, quite embarrassed, “Well by what you’re saying, and since you appear truthful,” said Dwenlin, making Cate smile, “I think I’ll take it, how much?”

“Fifty Sempras,” replied Bandes.

Dwenlin and Cate both turned their heads, looking at Bandes, “I just bought one remember?” he said defensively, “Also Dwen, I’m buying them for you.”

“Ah, yes, how kind of you.”

They grabbed the coat and started towards the exit door, Bandes paying Cate on the way out. They left the house, said their thanks and farewells to Cate. Dwenlin donned his new coat and hat, shifting them to get comfortable and hurried to keep pace with Bandes long strides.

They walked back towards the Grehul’s house, and continued down that road to the lumber camp. They walked the same route as the previous day, making their way towards the supply hut first, grabbing some axes and bark spuds, tools used to remove the bark from the tree.

They got to the tree and started work before noon, Dwenlin finished with the branches, cutting the rest of them off. While Bandes began peeling the bark, and once Dwenlin was done with the branches gave him a mini lesson on how to use the spud. Soon they were working fast, and getting lots of progress.

They stopped for lunch an few hours through their work, after most of the bark was stripped. After lunch, Bandes got a few more men, including Mc Grier, to help flip the fallen log. That way they could strip the bark on both sides, and finish any branches.

They used a simple system to flip the tree, they did not need to pick up the tree, but simply flip it to the other side. They used four long poles to roll the tree over, each pole was used as leverage. With one end under part of the log, the other was being pushed down on by each man. The longer the pole, the more leverage.

Once they rolled the tree, both Bandes and Dwenlin stripped the bark, since there were no longer any branches on this side. They working throughout the day, finishing the bark on both trees, and disposing of it, by putting it in a pile near the camp.

They got home in time for supper, ate a nice meal with the whole family, and wandered off to bed once the dishes were washed.

Dwenlin, after washing up, lay in his mat tired from a day of work. Each day would be similar he realized, not like the life he had led in the main land, the island of Haffen was different. He realized that in the time he had spent on this island, the years in prison, the few days in this village, that he was different. He was not the same boy that had come here all those years ago. He was not the same anger filled boy in the prison either. He did feel hate for the denater and their leader, but he was not filled with the same passionate rage that had consumed him then.

Dwenlin slowly fell asleep thinking on these things.