Narnia, Chapter II
Beauty and the Chronicles of Narnia, the Other
Chapter II
*Setting Up Camp*
Once everyone had munched a bit on some leftover snacks from the trip, the next hard part commenced.
It was a half mile to what they had determined from previous visits to be the campsite area. I watched in consternation as load after load…pots and pans, jugs of water, building tools, and all other belongings…were carried by the mom and dad and Beauty (she did her fair share), from the truck, down the hill, the long 1/2 mile walk, then up a really high hill. The boy child trudged along, too, his little legs hurrying to to keep up. That last hill was always the challenging part. The dad insisted on being on the high ground which made it even more difficult, because, you know, when you’ve already walked a long way carrying a heavy load, and then, when you’re almost there, to have to go up a steep climb, well, a person would end up being really pooped! But climb they must!
Everything was put in a huge pile to be sorted out later. When later came, many hours later, the mom and dad, now known as Popsi Blui and the mom (who still hadn’t figured out the name she wished to be known by in this story), pulled the tent from the pile and, after finding a level spot on the ground, set it up. They loaded it with sleeping bags, pillows, nighttime story books, and Popsi Blui’s 308 rifle. The weapon was for bear protection, just in case they needed it. Ha. More on that later!
They then unrolled several feet of chicken wire and fenced it around the tent. The mom had demanded this arrangement as a deterrent against a bear attack. This was funny, I thought. Bears weigh an average of 500 pounds, and go where they please, when they please. The mom’s heart was in the right place for wanting to protect her children, but her knowledge of life in the woods was in need of some serious upgrading!
So, when the day’s labour was finished, they all jumped up and down to celebrate and danced around the clearing, hooping and hollering with exuberant joy, not unlike some ancient savages. The little one, name of Sunwood, didn’t exactly get the reasons behind all the excitement, but he resonated with the whole of the feeling of it. As they all then fell quickly into another night of exhausted sleep, each one somehow knew that they had stepped into a foreign land which would, indeed, need some getting used to.
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Another glorious morning awaited them the next day and helped them continue with their high spirits.
Sunwood explored the natural little clearing, being happy just to be. His needs were few at two years of age. A clean diaper, food in his belly, fresh air, trees, and he was good to go. He made sweet sounds of contentment as he waddled about, touching tree bark and finding little rocks to throw. His love of throwing things when he got a bit older got him into trouble because, due to his curiosity, he threw a brick through a window pane to “see what would happen.” However, throwing a baseball became a passion in early grade school and he developed into a star pitcher by high school.
One very important job Beauty had was to keep him from wandering off and to keep him entertained when needed. So, together, the two children spent their days doing what children do best…noticing, playing made-up games, scratching in the dirt with sticks, gathering the pretty little quartz stones which sparkled in the sunlight, peeling bark off the birch trees, watching the clouds, wondering, imagining. They gradually became aware of the sounds of the forest, the wind in the trees, the different bird songs, imagining (actually seeing) little gnomes in hollowed out tree trunks, and in the winter, the sounds of their footsteps crunching on the snow on moonlit nights when they walked home from an outing away. The moon’s light bouncing off the shining snow and illuminating the straight shapes of trees, shadowed on the snow, was especially entrancing. The often magical quality of their childhood was fondly remembered when they grew up and had children of their own.
Beauty helped her parents and the family in other ways, too, doing what she could. She picked up sticks which all were tripping over, and put them in a pile to be used for kindling in the fire-making for cooking the evening meal. Gradually, as they all walked around the area, the grass got trampled and the dirt hardened, making a smoother forest floor. They all pooped and peed in holes they dug in the ground, except Popsi Blui, who climbed out on a strong tree limb and did his business from high up there. That’s when his knees were in good shape. The sight was one to behold and he often made monkey sounds, beating his chest, and pretending to be an animal in the wild. He truly loved the freedom to be himself in this secluded environment with no one around to judge. His family knew him to be truly unique, and so, indulged his eccentricities. To me, he was artfully entertaining!
The tent had been pitched on the far side of the area from where one arrived from the path up the hill. To the right would soon become the outside kitchen. In the center they built a little fire pit, surrounded by rocks, which is where the food was temporarily cooked over an open fire. It usually consisted of miso soup and broccoli and steamed potatoes. Human food is another area which I cannot relate to as fairies do not need to eat. We will sip nectar from flowers on occasion for a little burst of energy and a taste splurge, but mostly we do not need food as we survive on air and sunshine. And happiness!
Within the next couple of weeks, the mom got her kitchen lean-to. Boards were planted in the earth and a plastic tarp was strung across the slanted roof. A high table was constructed for a countertop to make cutting vegetables and making salads easier. She was enthralled after having taken so much time and difficulty putting meals together whilst sitting on a log, balancing a cutting board on her knees. And when a small tractor was secured from a friend back in town and towed up to the land on a flatbed, it also tugged up the cast-iron cookstove which helped make cooking even easier in the lean-to. It eventually was moved to inside the cabin.
Here are my darlings. All innocent and hopeful and willing.
Once the campsite was up and running smoothly, it finally became time to start building the cabin. This next part became the huge challenge, calling forth all the strength of their commitment, the mom wondering at times if it were even possible to do this thing. For the next six months, they labored intently, with no time off for leisure or even catching their breathes. Winter months were severe in the North Woods, and were just around the corner. They needed the cabin to keep them warm and safe.