Chapter 2: First Steps

With a plan, the boy found bamboo stalks along the beach. He chose a sturdy one, a meter long, three centimeters wide, testing its strength. Using it as a staff, he walked until he found a rocky outcrop, safely away from both sea and forest. There, he planted his staff firmly.

He gathered more bamboo, logs, palm leaves, and coconuts, always wary of the forest. Tired, he cracked open a coconut, drinking the water and eating the meat. A makeshift parasol from a palm leaf offered a brief respite.

Refreshed, he used a thick log as a hammer, driving bamboo and logs into the ground to form a small triangular hut. Palm leaf fibers secured the structure, creating a flimsy but functional shelter.

"This should do for tonight," he declared. "Now for the hard part: fire."

He began searching for suitable stones, striking them together, discarding many until he found a pair that sparked promise. He shaped one into a sharp stone, palm-sized. Alert, he stripped bark from a dry log near the forest, then quickly retreated to his shelter.

Dry coconut husks were shredded. He pierced the bark with his sharp stone, placed the husk inside, and fashioned a pointed stick. Rapidly spinning the stick between his hands, he worked until the sky began to darken.

"This isn't working, and it's getting dark. I need another way."

He ventured to the forest edge, cut a vine with his stone, and hurried back, watching the tree line. Stripping and twisting the vine into a thin rope, he then crafted a simple bow. He wrapped the rope around his sharpened stick, braced it with a shell, and began moving the bow horizontally, spinning the stick rapidly. Smoke rose. He blew gently on the smoldering husk, and small flames flickered to life. Quickly, he added dry sticks and branches.

"Finally, fire! Goodbye, mosquitoes!"

Night fell, the campfire his only light, driving away the insects. He wove a palm leaf mat, placed it in his hut, and lay down, the sharp stone clutched close.