Read Online The King of Clayfield - 01 by Shane Gregory - Free Book Online
Authors: Shane Gregory
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making her look like a little kid. Then she stood on tiptoes to get a better view into the opening, which further accentuated her childlike appearance.
It took her a minute....
“It’s dark…oooh...an egg door. It's the chicken coop.”
She turned to me, “There’s one in there."
She reached in and pulled out a brown chicken egg.
“I think it’s frozen,” she said.
”Chickens don’t lay much in the winter,” I said. “I’m surprised there was one there at all.”
“They don’t like the cold?”
“No, it’s not that,” I said. “They need a certain amount of daylight, and the days are shorter in the winter. Some people put lights in the coop to trick them into laying.”
The building was insulated, so that would help once I got the fire started. Jen was still kind of spacey, and she'd sat on an upside-down five-gallon bucket and was staring down at the egg.
Blaine didn’t have any dry firewood inside, which surprised me. I stepped outside. There was a small pile of wood to the right of the door, but it was covered in snow.
C’mon, Blaine. I thought you were Mr. Prepared…Johnny On The Spot. Where’s all the dry wood, dammit?
I came back inside with four small, wet logs.
Jen didn't look up.
"There's some food in those boxes, if you're hungry."
"I can't eat right now," she said.
I put the logs in the floor and looked around the shop for something I could use as tinder and kindling. There was a short length of a two-by-four next to the miter saw; I grabbed that. Then, I ripped out some of the advertisement pages from my magazines. After digging around in one of the drawers under one of the counters, I found a box cutter, and I used it to shave off curly slivers of the two-by-four.
When I had a handful of shavings ready, I opened the door to the stove. We had a stove like this when I was a kid, but I’d never actually operated it. I'd watched my dad enough that I thought I could do it. If I was lucky, I wouldn’t burn the building down, and Jen would think I knew what I was doing.... not that she cared.
The bottom of the stove had a lot of ash in it. I found Blaine’s ash bucket and shovel, and cleaned out the stove. I put down some of my shredded magazine ads in first. There was a small hatchet next to the door. I turned the two-by-four on its end and used the hatchet to bust up into smaller sticks for kindling.
Then, I opened the damper on the stove, so it could draw air.
“Still got the lighter?” I said.
Jen looked up absently, then dug around in the coat pocket and tossed me the little green BIC. I got the paper started, and then I placed my pile of shavings loosely on top of the flame. It started to smoke, and then ignited. I put the smaller kindling on first and when it caught, I put on the bigger pieces. Then I put one of the wet logs next to, but not on, the fire. Smoke was coming into the room. I'd forgotten to open the flue. I looked over my shoulder to see if Jen noticed, but she wasn’t paying attention. I opened the flue and the smoke went out the chimney.
“I’ve got to find more dry wood,” I said. “I’m going to see if there is any in one of the sheds.”
She nodded but didn't look up.
I stepped out and shut the door behind me. In the field across the road were several cows. They all stared at me as though I was the only human they’d ever seen. There were cows like this on farms all over the countryside. There were all sorts of fenced livestock out there. I wondered what would happen to them. Would they eventually overpopulate their boundaries? Turn feral? Starve?
I walked over to the closest shed. Inside, I found stacks of plastic flowerpots, four bags of potting soil, and a bucket of sand. I was about to leave and check another shed, when I noticed the wooden pallet on which the bags of soil sat. I moved the dirt
It took her a minute....
“It’s dark…oooh...an egg door. It's the chicken coop.”
She turned to me, “There’s one in there."
She reached in and pulled out a brown chicken egg.
“I think it’s frozen,” she said.
”Chickens don’t lay much in the winter,” I said. “I’m surprised there was one there at all.”
“They don’t like the cold?”
“No, it’s not that,” I said. “They need a certain amount of daylight, and the days are shorter in the winter. Some people put lights in the coop to trick them into laying.”
The building was insulated, so that would help once I got the fire started. Jen was still kind of spacey, and she'd sat on an upside-down five-gallon bucket and was staring down at the egg.
Blaine didn’t have any dry firewood inside, which surprised me. I stepped outside. There was a small pile of wood to the right of the door, but it was covered in snow.
C’mon, Blaine. I thought you were Mr. Prepared…Johnny On The Spot. Where’s all the dry wood, dammit?
I came back inside with four small, wet logs.
Jen didn't look up.
"There's some food in those boxes, if you're hungry."
"I can't eat right now," she said.
I put the logs in the floor and looked around the shop for something I could use as tinder and kindling. There was a short length of a two-by-four next to the miter saw; I grabbed that. Then, I ripped out some of the advertisement pages from my magazines. After digging around in one of the drawers under one of the counters, I found a box cutter, and I used it to shave off curly slivers of the two-by-four.
When I had a handful of shavings ready, I opened the door to the stove. We had a stove like this when I was a kid, but I’d never actually operated it. I'd watched my dad enough that I thought I could do it. If I was lucky, I wouldn’t burn the building down, and Jen would think I knew what I was doing.... not that she cared.
The bottom of the stove had a lot of ash in it. I found Blaine’s ash bucket and shovel, and cleaned out the stove. I put down some of my shredded magazine ads in first. There was a small hatchet next to the door. I turned the two-by-four on its end and used the hatchet to bust up into smaller sticks for kindling.
Then, I opened the damper on the stove, so it could draw air.
“Still got the lighter?” I said.
Jen looked up absently, then dug around in the coat pocket and tossed me the little green BIC. I got the paper started, and then I placed my pile of shavings loosely on top of the flame. It started to smoke, and then ignited. I put the smaller kindling on first and when it caught, I put on the bigger pieces. Then I put one of the wet logs next to, but not on, the fire. Smoke was coming into the room. I'd forgotten to open the flue. I looked over my shoulder to see if Jen noticed, but she wasn’t paying attention. I opened the flue and the smoke went out the chimney.
“I’ve got to find more dry wood,” I said. “I’m going to see if there is any in one of the sheds.”
She nodded but didn't look up.
I stepped out and shut the door behind me. In the field across the road were several cows. They all stared at me as though I was the only human they’d ever seen. There were cows like this on farms all over the countryside. There were all sorts of fenced livestock out there. I wondered what would happen to them. Would they eventually overpopulate their boundaries? Turn feral? Starve?
I walked over to the closest shed. Inside, I found stacks of plastic flowerpots, four bags of potting soil, and a bucket of sand. I was about to leave and check another shed, when I noticed the wooden pallet on which the bags of soil sat. I moved the dirt
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