As I get down the bed and then the caravan when the caravan stops moving, I am greeted with lush green scenery. The trees, forming a perfectly shaped diamond, surround a camp circle at the front and a tent that is already pitched in at the back.
I shrug at the next task, as the closest I have been to camping doesn't have me work a lot of making the camp livable for me. After a first day of trying to cook, the team sort of let me wander around and collect firewood in the meantime. But in the end, I fall sick for a while due to inadequate sleeping hours and resting in below average temperature, while everybody else got to learn about survival, make new friends and still remain healthy to play for days until the next school year start.
That is with the supervision of other people, who thinks it is a great idea to have meals for every 2 hours in order to boost the team's energy levels so they could take turns looking after threats at night. Even if the meals consist of fried meat and wild greens, which makes even the most gluttonous eaters feel queasy due to how dull the food is cooked every day until I start missing biscuits
...
This has just gone on a tangent and I am just needlessly complaining about the past when the present definitely needs some help or at least some food to secure my future.
The pamphlet, 2, in fact, is in the tent, where I also discover flint, a knife, black cloth, a board, a small bow, a slightly long pole, a circular stone, hay balls and a pile of branches. I figure the task is having me to make a fire without using matches or lighters, something I only do consistently when I use the latter tool.
The first pamphlet has the instructions to make a fire using the bow drill technique, where according to some survival shows I watched, makes it easier to make fire compared to the other friction based method of starting a fire.
The components to make them are already here and ready for me to start one without me cutting the branches. Simply, I need to assemble the required tools according to the picture. Wrap the stick with a bow and apply force to the socket. This turns the stick in a drill where I can receive enough dust to make fire.
Even though it is reliable, I choose the second option of simply using flint to create fire. Mostly because it doesn't require much energy for me to start a fire.
With the cloth laid on the floor, I hold the flint between my thumb and forefinger with my right hand and the knife, the sharp side facing me with my left hand (that's what the pamphlet says, so I follow that as close as possible). Slicing the flint away.
At least I won't get screwed when I'm in nowhere, even though I'm already in nowhere, so let's start a fire.
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I remember a clip where 2 girls, already in the wild for more than 30 days, competing with each other in a fire making battle, using the same tools as I am. Despite the tense beginning at first, it soon becomes a comedic routine because even with the flint none of them even managed to get a spark. The failure, spanning for 2 hours causes the remaining competitors to nearly fall asleep, one of the juries outright leave the council to sleep and in the end, the host to declare them losers in this competition.
Like other viewers at home, I'm also laughing at their misfortune. Now, I am not laughing now given it takes me almost an hour before deciding to switch to the bow method. Takes me another hour to drilling and sweating before the ember is abundant & hot enough for me to complete the rest of the task, safely turn the hay ball into a ball of fire by blowing then safely build the fire to create a big bonfire to pass for the night.
When I see the fire getting brighter, hotter and bigger in front of me. I happily stand up wanting to do a dance or scream, before collapsing a little immediately to the soft ground narrowly close to the fire. I realize I haven't take a single sip of water after I've been here.
As I see the fuel slowly revealing itself, I slowly walk back to the stop and reach the spot where the picture shows a blue drop. Under the picture is a stainless-steel tap. Slowly turn on the tap to the right, my right hand embraces the coolness of the liquid flowing onto me, soon the hand reaches my mouth, drinking everything in my hand and that's when my brain identifies it is water.
With my body refreshed by slurping a reckless amount of water, I walk back to the campsite to gather the fuel. The spot brings me a surprise when I reach it.
It is inside one of the tree barks. And there are screws attach to the get the brain identifying this is a beautifully made mechanical furniture.
I look at the branches on the floor, it is real wood when I touch it. I look at another tree and my eyes focus on the leaves.
They are plastic, like the flowers I saw at the floral shop when I remember it.