The River

Derek obeys Brian’s warning about staying close to the lake and within sight of each other. Brian is ready for the dangers that come with surviving in the woods, knowing they may see a bear. He relies on information he has read to know what to do if they see one. As he walks along a hillside edge, the ground gives way and Brian falls hard. His body hurts, but he remains uninjured, and as he moves to stand, he notices stones on the beach that look like the fire stone he used in the woods during The Time. He strikes the flint with his knife, and sparks appear. The bad luck of Brian’s fall has led to the good luck of finding a fire stone.

As they continue walking around the lake, Derek and Brian find some hazelnuts and spend an hour extracting meat from the nuts for food. They have more good luck when they find a fallen tree that created a hole in a shelf of rocks. It is a perfect shelter for them, and Brian calls it “home” (46). Brian works to start a fire and describes to Derek the importance of always having wood for the fire.