Hatchet

Day 1:Brian is an average American boy. Only that his parents are divorced. So, one eventful trip to his dad’s place, with a hatchet his mom got him, he boards a plane that is going to California, but the plane crashes on the way, and all Brian gets from it is his hatchet.

Day 2:The first thing that Brian thinks was that it was a dream, but he isn’t in bed, and he sees the plane tail floating in the lake, and the sand felt sandy, so he knew it wasn’t one, he was a lone survivor in the wilderness, and he was not enjoying it.

He feels a blade, and he realizes he brought his hatchet before the plane sunk. With that head start under his belt, he got ready to cut some tough, bamboo like sticks growing on the shore. Soon, after tugging all of the sticks around, he finds a small cave with no sings of animal presence. So, after making a porch for himself and a door, he cuddles up to himself and falls asleep.

Day 3:The first thing he wakes up to is the biggest threat of all: hunger. Quickly realizing he has nothing to eat, he goes to get food. He finds a small berry bush, and using one of the sticks that didn’t cut right, makes a shovel. Using the shovel, Brian digs up the plant, and puts it in front of the “house” of his. After eating half the berries, he feels full and begins digging bigger in the cave. He thought he was doing a good job. Wrong.

Day 4:When you wake up staring at a cockroach, what do you do? Scream. So, what do you do when you see a skunk with his tail end staring at you? Scream LOUDER. So that is what Brian did as he got smacked in the face with skunk smell, resulting in stolen berries. With his eyes swollen, he has to wait until afternoon to get up. After loosing the berries, he realizes that he is going to have to wait a long time for more berries; he needs a new food source. Cutting a fish spear, he goes to the pond, waits for a fish, and spears it. He pulls it up, to realize the fish got away! It takes him five tries (and two fish spears) for him to realize the water is making the fish look in one place, but be in another.

Day 5:Still not catching any fish, he realizes if he did, he couldn’t eat them. Digging at the ground in frustration, he hits something. Not treasure, but some thing just as valuable to Brian: Turtle eggs. Remembering Uncle Mel, who drank eggs raw, he eats the egg, realizing they were tasty. Remembering the skunk, he makes a food shelf only in reach for himself; wrapping the remaining berries in leaves so they wouldn’t go bad.

Day 6:With a hedgehog sniffling at the food, he throws the hatchet, but misses but scares the hedgehog away. Having a dream about fire, he wakes up noticing a spark came off the rock. After trying six times, he makes a fire inside of his hut, using dead tree wood to power it. Being warm for the first time in four nights, he is happy for the first time.

Day 7:Trying again with the fish, with a back up spear just in case, he catches one. Knowing that he can’t leave fish forever, he guts it, leaving the tidbits for bait, and toasts it. Having a stroke of genius, he makes a huge hole next to his hut, and uses one of the sticks as a bucket, making a little pond. After gathering stones, he digs a little path way from the pond to the lake. With the bait at the bottom of it, the fish stream in, quickly stuck as Brian sticks the rocks in to close the gate.

Day 8: Stuffs fish full of berries. Almost throws up. Leaving fish outside, looking while fishing at it suddenly getting tugged at by bird. Throwing the spear, he kills and eats the bird. Using some string he got from his shirt, he makes a bow, and begins practicing at using it. Hitting more fish and birds, He decides to have a feast.

Day 9: While Brian is hunting, a tornado runs over the water, while Brian runs from a bear. Climbing a tree, he quickly shoots his bow. Being hit in the eye does not improve the bear’s mood, and quickly lunges up, almost hitting him. Brian jumps, and runs, Picking up and throwing rocks along the way. One of them hits the bears eye, and unknown to Brian, it drives the arrow into its brain, killing it. As he walks back, he sees something. The tip of the plane!

Day 10: Making a raft is harder than it seems. But, Brian does it any way, soon going to the plane. Cutting the top off, he goes in and finds the medic kit, the emergency pack, and the radio. Getting a meal ready, he uses it, but it doesn’t seem to work. After finishing it, he lies back when a plane lands next to him. A patrolman steps out, saying “What? How are you surviving down here?” Brian Replies, in the line that ends the book, “I had this here Hatchet.”