Chapter 2 - 2: Finally! Salt!
The next day, the boy awoke with the first rays of morning sun and quickly exited his hut to look around. Seeing nothing unusual, he took one of the coconuts he had stored in the hut and peeled it, then used the sharp stone to make a hole and drank about half of it. He firmly placed the coconut back in the sand inside the hut to prevent it from tipping over and spilling.
After storing the coconut for later, the boy continued what he had been doing the previous day, striking stones together while setting aside a small pile of rocks of various sizes.
"Who would have thought that what the old man taught me would actually come in handy?"
The old man the boy referred to was an elderly person who, along with his wife, had taken in the blue-eyed man from his memories when he was a small child. The old man was a retired veteran who lived in the countryside and was passionate about hunting and survival, something he attributed to his long military career. It was common for him to take the boy on outings in the woods, where he learned various survival skills.
After gathering several of the stones he needed, the boy began sharpening them in different ways, some in the air and others using a stone as support. Although he ruined a few stones, he eventually succeeded, ending up with sharp stones of different shapes, edges, and sizes.
With the stones ready, the boy began making grooves in logs of various shapes and sizes, where he placed the newly sharpened stones, securing them firmly in place with cords he braided from what remained of the vine from the previous day. He ended up with a few axes, spears, and a couple of short stone knives.
After gathering all his new tools, the boy returned to his hut and stored them, burying the sharp edges in the sand to avoid any accidents. In his precarious situation, where the lack of antibiotics and similar treatments could mean a fatal infection, avoiding injury was crucial.
With his first task of the day done, the boy drank the remaining coconut water he had stored and ate the meat. Then, he set out with a spear in hand, keeping a small axe and the two knives in his pants, and headed towards the forest.
Once in the forest, the boy moved cautiously and carefully, always alert for predators. He marked the trees along the way to avoid losing his path. Eventually, he arrived at a small stream of crystal-clear water.