Day Forty-Nine: Exploring the Unknown (Part Two)

Banana trees... There are actually banana trees here, and a few small ones behind them!

“My God! This is the biggest find of the day!”

It was my first time seeing a banana tree. I had always thought banana trees were like palm trees, with hard trunks, but to my surprise, the stem of this tree was soft.

All the bananas were green, but I didn’t care anymore. I knew bananas ripen after being picked, so no matter what, these bananas were a necessity for me.

The bananas grew high up, completely out of my reach, and I had no ladder to climb! So I did the only thing I could—I swung my axe with all my strength, hacking at the banana tree.

Yes, this was what I needed most right now. I didn’t want to waste any more time; I had to claim them as quickly as possible.

So, I cut down the tree, and it toppled over. Clusters of bananas hung from the branches, and I sliced them off one by one.

There was no way to go on; I needed to take these bananas back. Such a large batch would save me a lot of food.

But this bounty brought its own trouble. Eight whole clusters—far too much for me to carry, easily dozens of pounds.

In the end, I found a vine and managed to tie them together, slinging them onto my back.

As I walked back, suddenly, the bushes ahead shook violently. I jumped in fright and stopped at once.

Quickly, I drew the gun from my waist. Now, I held it in my right hand, axe in my left, facing the edge of the trembling thicket.

Although both I and Little Black stopped, the bushes continued to shake, making me feel as if a large animal could leap out at any moment!

A wild boar?

That was my first guess.

Here, the only large animal I’d encountered was a wild boar, though it was more medium-sized, weighing barely a hundred pounds, but it had given me quite a hard time.

So I was terrified another wild boar would burst from the thicket. Their tusks filled me with dread. I feared that before I could react, one would charge and toss me aside.

With the tension mounting, I grew more anxious and impatient.

“What should I do?” I began to panic. Should I go check it out, or keep waiting? Conflicting thoughts churned inside me.

In the end, I couldn’t contain my anxiety. Holding the gun, I crept forward as quietly as I could. Sweat poured from my forehead, a few drops stinging my eyes.

Once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back. I couldn’t retreat, no matter how afraid I felt.

I was very close now, just a few more steps from the thicket.

My nerves tightened, and my hand holding the gun trembled visibly.

To steady myself, I took several deep breaths.

It helped—the trembling eased a little.

Suddenly, a snapping sound! In my focus on the thicket ahead, I hadn’t noticed the branch beneath my foot. My heart sank.

My pulse raced as I aimed at the thicket.

My palm was slick with sweat, soaking the handle of the pistol.

My nerves stretched to their limits, as if they were pulling at my scalp. At that moment, anything that jumped out would have triggered me to shoot; I couldn’t withstand any more surprises.

Luckily, whatever hid in the thicket hadn’t heard me; it seemed to still be there, as the bushes continued to shake.

Almost there. I glanced back at Little Black.

I’d ordered Little Black to stay low and wait for me, even though the ground was damp. He waited quietly, forelegs stretched forward, head held high, like a soldier ready for orders—ready to charge at any enemy I pointed out.

I hadn’t let him follow because I feared the mysterious beast would rush out and he would leap at it, and in the chaos, I might accidentally shoot him. In this tense situation, using a gun for the first time, I couldn’t guarantee Little Black’s safety.

Finally, I reached the edge of the thicket, nerves stretched even tighter.

As I brushed aside the leaves blocking my view, the sound must have alerted them. Suddenly, before I could see clearly, a flash of white shot out.

Instinctively, I squeezed the trigger, but perhaps because of my earlier tension and the strain of holding my aim, my finger froze.

The pistol didn’t fire!

Just as I nearly fainted from panic, I saw what had actually burst out—a so-called mysterious beast!

“Damn!” My shout echoed through the forest, sending small animals fleeing.

It was a rabbit! Two fat rabbits!

I’d nearly wet myself over two rabbits... I’d even pointed my gun at them, almost fired.

I could barely face myself.

Little Black, seeing the rabbits dash out, immediately gave chase. The two rabbits were clever and quickly split, running in different directions.

Little Black didn’t hesitate, targeting the one closest to him. Soon, he caught it and brought it back.

Today had been a rollercoaster—delighted by the bananas but shaken by the scare.

The sun was already tilting west; I hadn’t expected to cover so little ground in half a day. Looks like from now on, I’ll have to advance just a bit each day.

After all the excitement, and with exhaustion threatening to overwhelm me, I finally returned to the treehouse.

I was nearly spent, but still needed to deal with the bananas. Their skins were moist, and if I piled them up, they’d likely rot, so I spread them out in plastic baskets to dry, letting the peels lose their moisture before storing them to ripen.

We hadn’t eaten rabbit for a while, and unexpectedly caught another. Seeing Little Black’s excitement, I knew he was craving roasted rabbit leg and rabbit stew again.

After dinner, I washed the snake skin I’d been drying. This time, the odor was completely gone.

Soon, I could make my snake skin gun pouch. The smoked meat and sausages were nearly ready too—within a week at most, I’d be able to taste them whenever I pleased!