Chapter 39: Making New Rafts
By the time they had finished breaking the tree into long sections of wood, the sun had risen high overhead, baking the clearing where they worked.
The boys stood around the scattered logs, their shirts drenched in sweat, hands sore from swinging axes for hours.
Some leaned on their tools, panting, while others sat on the ground, trying to catch their breath.
Lucas wiped sweat from his forehead and exhaled sharply. His arms felt like dead weight, but at least they were done chopping. Or so he thought.
The PE teacher clapped his hands together, pulling everyone’s attention back to him. "Alright, good work so far, but we’re not done yet," he announced.
A collective groan rose from the group. Leo dropped his axe onto the dirt and muttered, "Oh, come on, man. Can’t we take, like, an hour break? Just a small one?"
Oliver flopped onto his back dramatically. "Yeah, at this rate, we’re gonna be more tired than the wood we just cut!"
The PE teacher smirked but shook his head. "I get that you’re tired, but if you stop now, it’s just going to be harder to start again later. Trust me, I’ve been there."
Lucas sighed, rolling his shoulders. "What’s next?"
The PE teacher kicked one of the logs lightly with his boot.
"These logs? They’re gonna be the base of our raft. But before we can tie them together, we have to make sure they’re straightened out and shaved down properly. Otherwise, they won’t fit together well, and we’ll end up with a lopsided mess that won’t float right."