Chapter Four — Alex
“Here we are,” Callum says.
I look into the forest. “Okay?”
“Follow me.”
He starts clearing brush, and a path appears.
“You’re into hiking?” I ask.
“I mean, sure. But this isn’t a hike,” Callum says.
I follow behind him, brushing branches to the side.
“Okay, well, are you going to let me know what the game is?” I ask.
“Not yet.”
We walk for a few more minutes until we hit a small clearing. Callum stops and puts down the backpack he’s been carrying. Out of it, he pulls what looks like two round silver rods and two small silver blades.
“The game is to start a fire,” he says.
I can’t help but smile.
“Ooh, like Survivor style?” I ask.
“Exactly,” he says.
He pulls out four sticks. They’re in sets of two with a string running between them. He sticks the pairs into the ground, and I realize it’s like a makeshift clothesline, except super short.
“So you make the fire underneath here,” he says, gesturing towards the ground underneath the strings. “It has to reach the string and burn through. The first one to burn through their string wins.”
“Were you a boy scout?” I ask.
“Nope,” he says.
“So you don’t know how to make a fire?”
“Never done it,” he says.
“I want it to be fair. Can we use our phones?”
“You can use anything at your disposal,” he says. “Except for a lighter or a match,” he adds quickly.
“Gotcha,” I say. “Alright. That’s it, then.”
I turn to what I have. The first thing I do is snap a picture of the rod and scraper-type tool and look it up. I figure out pretty quickly that it’s a ferro rod. It seems like the idea is that I need to strike the bladed object against the rod to catch a spark.
I’m going to need some kindling. I look around. We’re in a forest, and most of the fuel around us is damp. Not good fuel for fire.
Everyday objects, I Google. Immediately, cotton balls and petroleum jelly come up. Aha, I think to myself.
I look through my purse and sure enough, I have some Vaseline (aka petroleum jelly).
As for the cotton, I look through my purse, then scan my clothing.
Quickly, I take off my shoe and slip off my sock.
I try to pull it apart, getting the cotton fibers out.
I sift through my purse once again and also find some tissues that I add. Perfect.
I smear the Vaseline all over the cotton sock and tissues, and then I start working on the ferro rod. I look up a tutorial of how to strike it properly and start practicing.
Minutes go by with no luck. I glance over. Callum’s brow is furrowed. He’s concentrating hard. Unlike me, he has a pile of timber. I don’t want him to copy my idea, so I try to shield what I’m doing with my body. Lucky for me, he’s not paying attention.
I keep trying. No success. I look at him. He isn’t getting anywhere either. Then I smell smoke. I look over and see his fire maybe starting. He’s fanning the flames, but it’s dying out. I watch him furrow his brow, panicking.
Just then, I hit the ferro rod and get a spark of my own. Because of the Vaseline and cotton, it lights on fire immediately and starts growing.
Yes, I think to myself.
I look over at Callum. His fire is dwindling. He gets up and starts looking around, probably for more timber. We’re not in a great area, though. After scanning the area, he leaves into the brush.
I look at his fire, and then back at mine. Do I really want to do this? I have to make a decision. I glance in his direction. His back is turned, and he’s pretty far away.
I’m doing it. I get up and dart over. Quickly, I blow on his pile, and then rush back to mine.
I quickly start adding more timber and cotton to mine. I start ripping off parts. At one point, I take off my cotton sweater, feeding the sleeve into the fire. I’m getting so close. It takes me a few seconds to even realize that Callum is standing behind me. I’m almost at the finish line.
My fire is getting taller and taller. Any second now. Finally, the string breaks.
“Yes!” I exclaim.
I look up, and he’s smiling.
“Well done,” he says.