Since I am going to be gone for a month and there is a big possibility I may finish the rough draft of Be Still My Soul during that time, I decided to share an excerpt with you all before I leave! I've been writing quite a bit the last week so my word count is up to 28,000! My goal is 40,000 so we'll see how long it takes me to get there! The ending is going to be the trickiest part of the whole book but I am looking forward to the challenge :)
As I struggled back up the hill with the full pail of water, I noticed the wood pile. There were only a few split pieces of wood left.
Momentarily, I panicked. If it stayed this cold, I would need more wood to heat the cabin and cook my food. How was I supposed to get more wood split? There was plenty of wood stacked up, but most of it was huge pieces that would not fit in the stove. I wasn't even sure I could lift some of them.
I took a deep breath and force myself to calm down. The dark clouds were closer than they had been before and it was getting colder, but I still had some time before the storm hit. I had seen an axe in the shed. I would split some wood. How hard could it be?
Boy, did I learn just how hard splitting wood can be!
I set the pail of water inside the cabin and fetched the axe from the shed. It was surprisingly heavy, but I was confident I could swing it. I remembered Pa on Little House on the Prairie splitting wood.
I took one of the smaller logs and rolled it away from the stack. Then I picked up the axe, swung it over my head, squinted at the log, and swung.
I missed.
I stared at the log in astonishment. How had I missed? I swung the axe again and managed to hit the log this time. But the blade had barely made a notch in the top.
I was determined to split me some wood. But I now realized it was going to take a lot of strength and will power.
An hour later, I had managed to split exactly four logs. Discouraged, I propped the axe against the cabin wall and began carrying all the split pieces into the cabin. The ominous clouds were getting closer. My wood splitting attempts had kept me warm to the point of sweating, but I could feel the nip of the wind on my cheeks.
The remaining split wood barely filled the wood box. The fire in the stove had burned itself nearly out and the cabin was cold. How was I supposed to keep warm? And if the storm was really bad, the roads would be too muddy to drive on without getting stuck, so that meant I could possibly be trapped in the cabin until the roads dried out.
Momentarily, I panicked. If it stayed this cold, I would need more wood to heat the cabin and cook my food. How was I supposed to get more wood split? There was plenty of wood stacked up, but most of it was huge pieces that would not fit in the stove. I wasn't even sure I could lift some of them.
I took a deep breath and force myself to calm down. The dark clouds were closer than they had been before and it was getting colder, but I still had some time before the storm hit. I had seen an axe in the shed. I would split some wood. How hard could it be?
Boy, did I learn just how hard splitting wood can be!
I set the pail of water inside the cabin and fetched the axe from the shed. It was surprisingly heavy, but I was confident I could swing it. I remembered Pa on Little House on the Prairie splitting wood.
I took one of the smaller logs and rolled it away from the stack. Then I picked up the axe, swung it over my head, squinted at the log, and swung.
I missed.
I stared at the log in astonishment. How had I missed? I swung the axe again and managed to hit the log this time. But the blade had barely made a notch in the top.
I was determined to split me some wood. But I now realized it was going to take a lot of strength and will power.
An hour later, I had managed to split exactly four logs. Discouraged, I propped the axe against the cabin wall and began carrying all the split pieces into the cabin. The ominous clouds were getting closer. My wood splitting attempts had kept me warm to the point of sweating, but I could feel the nip of the wind on my cheeks.
The remaining split wood barely filled the wood box. The fire in the stove had burned itself nearly out and the cabin was cold. How was I supposed to keep warm? And if the storm was really bad, the roads would be too muddy to drive on without getting stuck, so that meant I could possibly be trapped in the cabin until the roads dried out.
Any thoughts? Does this sound like something you would want to read?
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