Set Me Alight Read Online Free PDF Page A

to like to hear this, but this is the 'hard' way to start a fire. It's the way you see it done in movies and TV shows, except they never show you the patience and determination required to get it to work. To be honest, it’s not a method I'd ever use unless I absolutely had to, or if I'm feeling particularly masochistic that day. There are a few, somewhat easier ways to do it.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding me. You're a God damned asshole, you know that Paul?”
    “At the very least you learned a valuable lesson in futility, kid. Now, do you want to learn any of the other methods I know?”
    “Yes, and right after that, show me how to kill an old man in his sleep without alerting him.”
    “The latter's fairly simple. We're in the middle of nowhere so just do whatever you want once I pass out for the night. Now, for the fire, if you're going to rely on friction to start a fire, I'd suggest using a bow.”
    “Go on, old man.”
    “You already have some of the tools you need. The flat piece of wood and the stick. Now what you need is a flexible stick about as long as your arm, some string or rope, and a small flat rock or another piece of wood, preferably not that dry.”
    “And what exactly am I to do with these items?”
    “Take the long, flexible stick, and tie the string to either end to make a crescent shaped bow. You can use one of your shoelaces for this if you want. Then, take the stick you were using earlier to start a fire and loop it through the string of the bow. Then set the pointed end of the stick in the notch you made before, and use the flat rock to push down on the top of the stick to put pressure down into the notch. Make a sawing motion with the bow to get the stick spinning in the notch. Soon enough, you'll get an ember, and then you'll have yourself a fire. Now hurry up, you've only got about an hour of daylight left. Fortunately for you I've been collecting firewood throughout the day, so just worry about starting one for us, ok?”
    “I'll do what I can, but don't expect much from me. I hope for both our sake's you have a backup plan for warmth tonight.”
    Maybe it was because my expectations were already so low, but using the bow was surprisingly not that soul-crushingly difficult. It wasn't exactly what my novice self would call 'easy', but it was better than spending hours jamming and ramming and rubbing a stick against another piece of wood to no end. Finally, I had accomplished something. I had a small little glowing ember that looked like it was about to go out.
    “Good job, kid. Now keep the ember alive! Blow on it, but gently. You need to give it some oxygen, but overdo it and all of that work will have been for nothing.”
    “At least the end result will be something I'm used to, then.”
    “Stop joking around, kid. Once that kindling is lit, get it over to the fire I built over there. Good, good, now keep fanning that fire and we can finally feel the cold from the day melt from our bones.”
    I wouldn't say it was 'warm' that night, but a sense of accomplishment, no matter how meager, can certainly go a long way to thawing the ice and aches from your body. It was the first time in as long as I could remember that I didn't wake up in the middle of the night shivering. Morning came, and I actually felt refreshed, not groggy, filled with regret, and endlessly spewing self-deprecating nonsense. I'd like to think this is how everyone else felt when they woke up, but from what I had seen, this feeling was relegated to freaks like Paul and those that can afford to live behind bricks and drink bottled water. I knew the feeling wouldn't last long, so I tried to relish it while I could.
    “Good morning, Pete. How ya feeling?”
    “Great, Paul. I've never felt better.”
    “Your tone seemed to lack that bite it normally has. Are you sure you're ok?”
    “Don't act so concerned. Yes, I actually do feel great. What's the plan for the day?”
    “Do you know how to