Day Eighty-Five: The Mystery of the Rabbit Skin (Part I)

After returning to the treehouse yesterday, I did a lot of thinking. I examined that rabbit skin several times, and it didn't look like it had been torn apart by a wild beast at all; rather, it looked as if it had been skinned by human hands.

Having skinned rabbits myself, I know what the process looks like. If an animal had gnawed on it, the skin wouldn't be this clean; there would inevitably be bits of residual meat, and there would certainly be tooth marks along the edges.

But there were none. Honestly, seeing this result made my skin crawl. Could it be that there are other survivors here? If so, why haven't I ever encountered them?

The island is only so big. No matter what, you'd think we would have crossed paths by now. And if it isn't a human? That thought startled me! But I immediately shook my head; after all, in reality, there's no such thing as ghosts or monsters. Perhaps a humanoid creature? Like a monkey? But I've never seen any monkeys either...

All night long, my mind was consumed by these thoughts. It was impossible to determine what exactly had done it. I had even specifically searched the area around the rabbit skin for tracks or signs of traps, but I found nothing.

My heart was torn between hoping for other survivors and dreading the encounter—longing for a fellow human to communicate with, yet fearing potential conflict. This internal contradiction kept me from sleeping soundly.

Conspiracy theories flashed through my mind, making me increasingly tense. Unable to sleep, I eventually rigged a simple alarm behind the door. If the door were suddenly pushed open, this little contraption would alert me.

The device consisted of five plastic bottles, which I stood upright behind the door. If someone were to push or pull the door open, they would inevitably knock into the bottles in the pitch-black treehouse. Even if the sound didn't wake me immediately, it would certainly wake Xiao Hei...

Only after finishing this trap did I manage to fall into a fitful sleep, but due to my lingering anxiety, I woke up in a panic several times in the middle of the night. I even dreamt three times of a strange creature—covered in black fur, walking upright like a human, with fangs over twenty centimeters long exposed outside its mouth. The first time, I ran away; the second time, it chased me until I tripped and fell. I immediately drew my pistol and fired, hitting it three times, but then I ran out of ammunition! Its face grew closer and closer, and saliva dripped from its fangs... then I woke up in a cold sweat.

It took a while to settle down before I fell asleep again, but once I did, the dream picked up exactly where it left off. I don't know where I found the strength, but I kicked it back and used the gap to scramble up and run. This time I didn't fall, but another identical monster appeared from behind a large tree in front of me and lunged.

Naturally, I woke up in terror. It was already early morning. Perhaps because of the extreme fright, I had tossed and turned so much that I wasn't lying on my bedding anymore, but had rolled all the way to Xiao Hei's suitcase.

At this point, sleep was impossible. My heart was still pounding, and my forehead, chest, and back were soaked with sweat. I didn't dare try to sleep again; this nightmare had released all the tension and dark emotions I had been trying to suppress.

I didn't want a fourth encounter with that monster in my dreams. Having not slept properly all night, I felt lightheaded. I checked the trap at the door—it was still intact. Through the gaps in the treehouse, I could faintly see the moon, which was about to set.

I went to the lower level of the treehouse and splashed cold water on my face to clear my head. The tension eased slightly. The monster in my dream was truly terrifying; the main thing was how realistic it felt, making it seem like a genuine memory.

Still, I felt better now. Poor sleep makes you hungrier, and since I couldn't sleep anyway, I started making porridge by the fire. As usual, I just threw in a few pieces of cured meat.

Unexpectedly, the aroma woke Xiao Hei from its slumber. Since I hadn't planned on it, I had only made enough porridge for one person. I hadn't expected it to come over, but seeing its pleading look, I gave it to Xiao Hei.

After it finished everything and I started cooking a second pot, it wagged its tail and wandered back upstairs to sleep... This guy really knows how to time things.

By the time I finished breakfast, the sun was beginning to rise, and it was getting light outside. Refreshed, I opened the door and stepped into the yard.

It had been a long time since I'd woken up this early. The air was at its freshest, and the temperature was most comfortable—probably around twenty degrees Celsius. I took a few deep breaths and stretched, and much of my fatigue faded away.

I went to the shed to check on the two covers. Their surfaces were dry, but through the holes in the center, I could see they weren't completely dry inside. It looked like it would take at least three days. The bottoms, being flush against the ground, were drying even more slowly.

Because of the rain a few days ago, the ground was still quite damp. There was no helping it; I just had to wait. However, the roof tiles were already dry. One of them had a small crack; I wasn't sure if that was because I hadn't made it well enough. Although the crack was only on the surface, I didn't know if it would shatter during firing. But since they were already made, I might as well try firing them. The notebook did say that even if the firing failed, the shards would still be useful.

You can crush those shards and mix them into prepared clay; adding them reduces the chance of the clay molds cracking. I don't know the exact principle, but since it was written there, it shouldn't be wrong.

The pit for the earth kiln was already dug, and the grate bars were dry. Since that was the case, I could start assembling the furnace. Once the two covers were dry, I could begin firing immediately.

I had dug two adjacent pits last time. One was for the furnace, and the other was for adding firewood. A hole had been dug at the bottom of both to connect them. Now, all I had to do was insert the grate bars to divide the furnace opening into upper and lower sections, leaving a gap of about two centimeters between the bars to allow for airflow and to let the ashes fall through, ensuring the wood inside could burn fully.

"Phew!" The seemingly simple installation of the grate bars took nearly half an hour. To get them into place, I had to use my knife to carve several slots inside the furnace before I could finally seat them securely.