When the morning had arrived, I gathered my belongings and found an external water pump in the far meadow. I stored as much water as I could in a small container and detached a pipe from the back of the pump. I then took the pipe back to the tractor and siphoned out some fuel, which I could use in my lantern. Inside the cabin, was a small satchel bag. I opened the bag to find a worn-out map, with routes, trails and co-ordinates on, along with a compass.
By this time, it had occurred to me that something was not right; this sudden inexistence of life has made me feel afraid. In over 24 hours, I had neither seen nor heard anybody. I need to get away. I collected my things, and crammed them into the small bag hoping to find the next piece to this mysterious jigsaw. As I exited the derelict building, I thought I saw movement in the trees. Desperate for company, and more importantly information, I made my way over towards the fringe of the wood.
As I moved closer to the trees, I noticed one low branch was swaying, despite the stillness in the air. Looking down, I noticed the branch bordered a pathway leading into the heart of the woods. Feeling strangely reassured at finding the path, I headed into the wood completely ignoring all stories I have heard.
I hadn’t gone very far through the dense trees and undergrowth, before the light started to fade and the air grew colder. I felt the branches pulling at my coat as I passed, almost as if they were reaching out trying to stop me. Then I felt a sharp sting in my side and realised that something was sticking into me. I stopped in my tracks, feeling all around me for the obstruction, to discover sticking out of the tree on my right, an arrow. An arrow, complete with flights at one end and, buried in the tree trunk what looked like a flint arrowhead.
A piece of flint! It seemed that everything I needed for my journey was made available to me as I went along. First the lantern, the water, the fuel, the map and compass and now it seemed the means of lighting my lantern.
With some difficulty I prised the arrowhead from the tree. Now all I needed was a suitable stone to strike it with, and some tinder. I felt that my destiny was no longer mine to control, as I moved on into the darkening woods, wondering what lay ahead.
A few yards further on I stubbed my toe and thought this really is my lucky day; I’ve found the stone I need! As I bent to check it out I heard somewhere, not to far ahead of me, a branch crack as if someone has broken it under foot.
The dilemma that faced me was impossible to resolve: Should I stop to ignite my lamp and risk losing touch with whomever or whatever was in-front of me, or press on in the near darkness hoping my luck would hold?
I decided to push my luck and pressed on shouting as I went, ‘Wait! Wait for me!’ I heard more branches cracking but moving further away and guessed that whatever I was following was moving faster now. Risking a twisted ankle or worse, I too picked my speed and had only travelled maybe 50 metres further, when something very hard stopped my, very quickly and I crashed to the ground.
Stunned and shaken, I lay in a heap not really sure what had happened – and then I heard a panting noise drawing closer. Not knowing what it was, I was scared to look up. I lay on the ground hoping it would clear off, when suddenly it nudged me on the back. I took no notice still hoping it would leave. It used its strength to roll me over onto my side, and continued to irritate me.
When I finally opened my eyes, I realised that the creature I had been so anxious to catch up with was a bear, and a very big one at that. I remember reading somewhere that bears can run faster than we can, but in the dark and stunned as I was, running speed was academic. Then I remembered the arrow. Slowly, so slowly, I reached into my bag and drew out the arrow feeling the sharpness of the flint between my fingers. Hardly daring to breathe, in case the animal attacked I summoned all my courage and remaining strength, and rammed the arrow, point first, towards the head of the bear. I felt the arrowhead go into the bear and then stop when it hit something hard. Then, a tremendous weight pushed the arrow out of my hands, and I just managed to roll aside, as half a ton of very dead bear hit the ground.
I saw to my amazement, that my blind thrust of the arrow had entered below the jaw of the bear and obviously pierced its brain – probably the only way I could have killed it with the primitive weapon.
My immediate problem behind me, lying on the path, I turned my thoughts once more to the future. I had a lamp, and the means to light a fire with plenty of food, but was no nearer finding out how I got into this situation…