Splinters

This is a book written by the player #802, and has been copied here for everyone to read!

The chill of the winter air made Luke's old bones ache. The fifty-three year old man was starting to get too old to swing an axe anymore, yet he kept at it. The blade slammed against the extraterrestrial oak tree, sinking into its bark with every impact. The sharp metal never seemed to go into the previous groove, a large array of cuts visible on the rough surface of the trunk. 

He pulled the axe out of the tree, and moved to swing again. This time, the slab of sharpened metal rammed home. A scattering of bark and chipped wood fell to the ground, falling among the grass and other debris from the past hour of effort. He repeated the process again and again, the air warming gradually as the twin suns in the sky bore down on him. 

With a final thud of the axe, the tree gave in to gravity. The trunk creaked and fell over with a crash. Luke set his axe to the side and grabbed his cape. He put the hastily sewn patchwork of deer skin over his shoulder, the brown fur contrasting his pale white hair alongside the blue of the synthread shirt underneath it. 

He turned to the colony. Rather, he turned to look at the small yet growing collection of housing. Two long buildings housed the bedrooms, with the larger one housing the workshop at one end. A singular wind turbine proudly stood tall, twin blades slowly turning in the slight breeze of the chilly air. Wooden paths had been laid over the soft soil between the buildings that had been constructed a mere few meters across from each other. Terri had insisted on keeping the dirt in the wilderness, where it belonged. It brought a smile to his face when he remembered how adamant she had been about it. 

Pacing back to the now felled tree, Luke prepared himself for the task ahead. Ropes wound around the trunk, and soon he had dragged the tree to the outside of the workshop. The sound of metal on stone echoed from inside the room. He walked around the building, pushing open the door. 

The dim flicker of a singular standing light lit the room, illuminating the pale figure of Terri standing at the stone cutting bench. A hunk of granite sat in the basin, and flecks of dust and rock erupted from the surface as she chipped away at it. Luke spotted a small pile of prepared bricks, and moved to take them to storage. Terri lightly slapped his hand away, a focused look upon her face. 

“Have patience. It would be useless to make two trips for the sake of a few rocks. Go chop a tree or something, we need wood for a new bedroom for that kid that tried to steal the food. Rachel said he's considering joining us, so he needs a place to sleep when he does. Got that?”

Luke chuckled and nodded along as she spoke. “Yes ma'am, I do. Speaking of, where is Rachel? I haven't seen her all day.” 

Terri set down her tools, using the burka she wore to wipe dust off her hands. “Not sure. Said that she spotted a caravan at the edge of our land, and then just up and walked off to the south, or southwest. I don't remember. She should be back soon, whatever the case may be.” 

“She still have that knife you gave her? I mean, it's not like she needs it, but still…” 

Terri visibly relaxed at the reminder of her daughter having a means to protect herself. “She should. I didn't see it in her room, nor in the dining room. As I said, she'll be fine. Especially with a little hemogen inside her from last night.” 

Luke nodded, shifting on his feet at the mention of the night before. Terri saw his visible discomfort, and turned back to the granite in the workbench. A few seconds later, and the clang of metal on rock sounded out again. Luke made his way out of the room, relishing in the freedom of the cold air. 

His blue eyes shifted to the side, peering down the flagstone road that meandered southwest. He saw Rachel in the distance, a bundle of components in her hands. A grin made its way across his face as he saw that she had managed to secure a deal with the caravan. 

The door to his room swung open, and he walked in. A bed, a dresser, and an end table, just like the others rooms. A wooden box sat in the corner, alongside a small collection of cut up wood and sticks. The slight smell of earth filled the room from the box, the happy byproduct of using a passive cooler compared to the sterile smell of an air-conditioning unit. 

The bed creaked as Luke sat on it, even more so when he lay down. His eyes slowly shut as he took a small break away from working so hard. One tree down, an entire forest to go.