It’s been a long time since I posted any of this book. I let it go for weeks at a time but I’ve taken it up again. You may remember the main character attended the reading of his father’s will. He was charged will making a pilgrimage to his father’s land and heritage as a condition of a larger inheritance. He has to deal with being taking out i n the wilderness without cell phone or a truck full of camping equipment. Tough for what is basically a city boy. It is at Chapter 6 and 17k words.
Uncle drove the skewers into the ground, to suspend the meat above the fire. When it was done the fire had burnt down to coals and he briefly laid the skewer he selected across the coals to sear it a little more. That left a little wood ash on it, but David tried it himself and it was delicious. Of course he had a pretty good appetite.
David had just a few swallows of water left, and he finished it off after the rabbit. He hadn’t seen Uncle drink in a long time, but the man hadn’t cautioned him to make his water last longer. Uncle did cut a twig from a nearby bush. After peeling back a bit of thin red bark he frayed the end into an improvised brush with his thumb nail and brushed his teeth. David did the same but found it wasn’t as easy to fray the end as it looked.
Uncle dumped the rest of the wood on the fire and the rabbit bones on top. David laid down well back from it. It wasn’t as hot as in the day, but there was no chill at all. Sleep came easier than it ever did at home.
The next day they walked fairly far before David asked if they had any water ahead of them. He was still making urine, but he didn’t want to get dehydrated.
“Tomorrow,” Uncle promised. “You wouldn’t want to drink the water near here. However, I’ll show you something to help.” He stopped and broke off pieces of a prickly pear. There were less of them here but still a patch now and then.
David would have wanted heavy gloves to handle the fruit or leaf, but Uncle handled them deftly with the hem of his robe, and rendered them safe quickly with his knife. The moist insides did satisfy him, and Uncle had some too. Despite watching how Uncle handled them he still ended up with a few needles in him.
Went back and reread the first two chapters… so I do have some idea of why David is out in the bush. That David has a strong character has already been established, but there is a reason that “prickly pear” is not a common drink flavor. I expect harsher character tests to follow.
I love this! Esp. Being set in Africa, I’ve read books set all over, yet only two set in Africa…
And voodoo is cool too! I met a couple of women once, one of whom was dressed all in white, the other woman explained the person in white was “preparing for a religious experience” and would not hug or shake hands in greeting or touch for a year! I was really impressed, (was very “huggy” at the time).
I am enjoying the snippets of Hoodoo – very interesting. I’m hoping your muse leads you to complete this story.