Abandoned - Picks and Shovels - Story 14 NWS

[Abandoned]

Chapter 15


  A family with 2 children, and 2 young singles moved into the 3 houses that were built over by the tool smith and tool shed.  A patch of barley and one of potatoes were planted there and a small shed was built nearby.   





One of the new families with their 2 children moved into a new house near my brother's cave; he would have someone to share the hunting job with.  An older single man moved into the small dwelling cave next to the bear cave.  He was a farmer, but he would be happy to work at the forester tree trunker if needed.
   


  The last family of newcomers moved into their house by early winter.  The couple had a child who was about to turn 1 and a newborn.  They requested a water mill be built on the river near their new house and suggested that next spring we plant the wheat seeds they brought; wheat would make a finer flour than the barley.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 16




  The hardy winter wheat was planted in late winter by the tool smith in the patch where barley was planted the year before.  It was already growing well in early spring of year 6, and the potatoes were coming up.  A bakery shop was built down the road by the tool tower and our treehouse.  Kylar and I both loved walking out onto our porch in the morning and smelling the nut bread being baked.  He often went down to get a loaf while I tended the children, and then we would all sit at the table on the porch and have a thick slice of the warm bread for breakfast.
 


  By late spring, a patch of cabbage and another patch of wheat had been planted over by the mill.  Kyrone returned.  We traded 90 tools, 10 iron, 40 hardened, and 40 steel, for 25 wool, 25 leather, and 200 apples.  We would be able to make a few more warm coats, and it was nice to get a bit more fruit.  390 units of food would be delivered to the underground city.  He also brought a few more letters and took a few more back with him.



  That summer, we built a bridge across the river, not only to collect stone and iron but to hunt; elk and geese were often seen in the clearing across the river.  When the animals were spotted, Minniel would bring his bow hoping to provide our tailors with some of the needed leather and down.  Our supply of warm coats was always low.



In autumn, we did not expect Kyrone to return so soon.  We did not have the trading post restocked since his last visit, and he did not have much with him to trade, but he did not come to trade, he came with a gift.  He brought us 2 sheep and a goat.  He knew we always hesitated to trade for anything for ourselves rather than having food go to the underground city.  A Depot order for the animals had been canceled and he immediately thought of us.  We would have our own wool and not have to trade for it, if we wanted the sheep.  We did, we took both the sheep and the goat.  The children would have milk.  We traded 18 iron tools for 12 leather.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 17


    By the time the first snow fell, an animal shed was built by the storage barn and well.  The spot was protected from the cold winter wind by the mountain to the north and it had full sun from the south.  The animals adjusted well.





  The children were also thriving here in Picks & Shovels.  They helped with collecting wild oats to feed the animals and with many other small tasks.  In late autumn they were still out playing in the walnut grove and competing to see who could gather the most fallen walnuts.  The humans who came from Riverboat Depot told us about Hobbits who had festivals and contest for children and adults; the humans were descendants of the couple that came from the other side of the world, so they had a lot of stories to tell. 

 The humans suggested we build a school, but we didn't see much need for that.  The dwarves taught their children how to make tools and the nords taught them how to make clothes and raise crops.  My brother and I, being elves, taught the children the importance of clean water and air and protecting the trees and the animals.  They would take care of us if we took care of them.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 18




  No one could ever accuse us of over hunting here in Picks & Shovels; hunting was not good the previous year, but a hunting workplace was built in that clearing across the river and a little goose meat and venison was added to the food supply plus some much-needed leather and down. 





  When Kyrone came in early spring of year 7, we had a lot of tools waiting for him.  We traded 40 iron tools, 60 hardened tools, and 50 steel tools for 25 leather and 360 apples.  1000 units of food would be taken to the unground city.  With the leather we traded for and our own wool, plus the goose down and flax we gathered, we finally had a nice surplus of warm coats.  Everyone in town now had a warm coat and the children spent more time playing outside even on the colder days.  A small playground was built for them across from the chapel. 





  The extra apples we traded for allowed us to build a workplace brewer and the dwarves sure enjoyed a good mug of apple ale; everyone in town did.  When Kryrone came again in autumn, we traded 110 tools for another 300 apples and 40 leather.  500 units of food would go to the underground city.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 19


  You're right, eager explorer, we really don't need the warm coats in summer here in Picks & Shovels; the sun is hot and temperatures get up to the mid-eighties.  Maybe that is why we still have dwarves living in some of the cave and enjoying their work in the mines, it's cooler.  It can get a little too warm working at the ore furnace or in the tool smith and tool tower.



  The warm summers and our resident nords and humans are the reason we don't have to rely on the boatmen for food; we have patches of potatoes, cabbage, wheat, and barley.  We have the boatman to thank for delivering food to the underground city in exchange for our tools.  In the 7 years we've been here, we traded 535 tools, 170 iron, 240 hardened, and 125 steel tools for the promise of 1,860 units of food being delivered to the city that most of us came here from.



   If not for the river boatmen, we would not have a post office with letters going to and from friends and family in the city and Riverboat Depot.  We are nowhere near being a city, but we have a town hall, post office, food store, and chapel. 



  Our fisherman, hunter, gatherer, and forester don't mind working outside in the summer, but autumn days are so much nicer.  The bad thing about the autumn days is that there are not enough of them before it gets colder, and the snow begins to fall.  If not for our river boatman bringing us leather and the sheep, we still would not have enough warm coats for everyone. 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 20




  Having arrived here on your houseboat in early spring, eager explorer, I am sure you would agree that early spring here in Picks & Shovels is not as warm as it could be, but it is a beautiful place to be. 





The town has changed a lot since we came through the bear cave from Barnyards and found it abandoned.  The town now has 25 homes, a post office, a food store, and a town hall.  Picks & Shovels has 85 healthy and happy citizens, 54 adults with 31 children.  We provide food, clothes, and tools for our citizens, and food for the underground city by sending our tools to Riverboat Depot.  Countless farmers, foresters, quarrymen, and miners all along the northern trade route use our picks and shovels.





  Kylar and I are glad we came through that bear cave and now live in Picks & Shovels, and we are glad it is once again spring.


Happy First Day of Spring, eager explorer.




The End

[Abandoned]

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