Chapter 5- Go on a date!

Abel woke up before the sun could creep out from beyond the horizon. He took a moment to reorient his mind, Xiang Xiaowen also used to wake-up early, a trait his father cultivated within him from an early age. That didn’t mean they didn’t like to sleep-in, they just couldn’t afford to. While Xiang Xiaowen would get a bucket of ice cold water thrown at him if he dared to doze off instead of getting up early, Abel had to force himself to do so, so he could help out around the house. Although Grandma Meng never asked for it and would always tell him to go back to sleep or even go and play, even at a young age little Abel knew deep down the old lady needed all the help she could get, Melly and Frankie would do what they could to help too.

The aftermath of the Binary Eclipse paralyzed many regions on the planet, while the Emerald Isles was left better off than many other areas, especially in Orienta, the local government was wholly understaffed and unqualified to carry out the search and rescue operations within the region. They had never been tested in the harsh reality of war and there were no protocols or contingencies in place in case a man-made catastrophe struck, in reality they were just small officials in charge of a vacation spot. Many records were lost and it wasn’t until much later on that the local government actually sent out investigators to see who had survived from amongst the tourists. Frankie and Melly were old enough to remember their family names but they didn’t have any kin that could or would take care of them. Their parents were actually friends who were vacationing together and were staying at Grandma Meng’s house instead of a hotel, a little side business her husband used to earn from, he’d take them out on a tour on his boat and give them a “local’s taste of the Emeralds”. The two couples were out when catastrophe struck so the old lady volunteered to be their caretaker after the government informed her of the two children’s’ situation.

While Abel’s father passed shortly after ensuring his son’s safety, he hadn’t actually told Grandma Meng the boy’s name, neither did he have any type of identification on him and the epitaph on his tomb stone out back simply read “Here lies Abel’s father, a courageous father and loving husband”. Thankfully, the toddler had his first name strewn on his onesie along with the cartoonish imprint of what seemed to be the crown of a Hawthorn tree with smiling berries. When the investigators tried looking into the records of the recent arrivals to the islands, they met with one dead end after another, those defiant bots would wirelessly shred the digital records of the city hall in the midst of their attacks, as though they wanted to wipe out any connection humanity had with technology. Left without any other choice, the old lady simply registered the child as Abel Hawthorn and also took him under her care alongside Frankie and Melly.

‘I should go check out the traps and quickly come back, even if Frankie said he’d be here for the technician, I shouldn’t bother him on his day off. Besides I need to ask the technician some questions’

Abel took a deep breath and got up at once. He quickly washed up and brushed his teeth, then changed into convertible pants, a light long-sleeved shirt and his sturdy hiking boots. After suffering plenty of times in the Verdant forest when he was younger, Abel found the most optimal dress code for any excursion to the wild outdoors. The convertible pants offered both flexibility and protection while also being quite adaptable to any change in weather, whereas the light long sleeved shirt was a must in the cold early mornings, offering both protection from branches and bugs and some warmth from the chilly morning air all the while, being light enough if the sun came out with a vengeance.

Abel slowly made his way out of the little town and headed to the center of the island. Around 5 kilometers out of town, the main road would swerve around and give way to the shrubs and forests with a well-known trekking trail that lead to the only mountain on Luminara. It used to take him a little over an hour to reach his hunting grounds with a light jog, which was a little deeper beyond the start of the trail but as he grew older and built up his stamina, the duration was shorted to 35 minutes.

By early daybreak, Abel arrived at the area he had set up the snares the prior day, although he had only set up two small and simple snares for wilds rabbits, he was hopeful to find something in them and just as he had expected, they had caught onto two little guys that were still asleep but awoke with twitching ears at the sound of footsteps.

He quickly approached them and tied up the rest of their feet in a secure square knot with the remaining length of the vine-snare that had caught them in the first place. He placed the anxious little guys to the side and went to look for a replacement. He had to set it up quick and make his way back home before the technician got there.

In the heart of the dense woodland, Abel carefully picked up a suitable dried vine and crafted his rabbit snare, the vine required a delicate balance between resilience and malleability. A natural looking trap was meticulously woven from the resilient fibers of the forest and formed the snare's noose. Abel had spent many hours perfecting its size in the past that it came naturally to him now, it couldn’t be too big or his prey might get loose, neither could be it too small as it wouldn’t catch anything. He had to ensure it mirrored the delicate proportions of the fleet-footed rabbits that roamed these areas of the Verdant woods.

With nimble fingers, he secured one end of the snare to a sturdy but thin tree and then fashioned a trigger from a notched stick, carefully balanced to respond to the lightest disturbance. After years of trial and error, nature's intricacies became tools in his hands, as he positioned the snare at just the right height, where a rabbits' curiosity might lead them into the trap. A tuft of soft moss served as a lure, concealing the snare in the earthy embrace of the forest floor. Abel marveled at the harmony between his creation and the natural world, knowing that every element played a part in the delicate dance of the hunt. He was inwardly quite pleased with how quick he finished his task this time and honestly a little shocked, just the prior day he had spent nearly twice as long before he was done. He attributed it to his practiced technique when in reality, it was much more.

As the sun started rising above the horizon, revealing the shadows that were hidden throughout the night, Abel stepped back, his eyes still fixed on the trap he had set. The air was charged with anticipation, a silent agreement between predator and prey. He smiled to himself, picked up his latest catch and slowly made his way out of the woodland.

It was still quite early when Abel got out of the forest and was on the path back home, it was around 7:30 am but the weather was starting to get warmer and the sun lasted longer in the sky, a tell-tale sign of the approaching summer. The temperature on the Emerald Isles was pretty pleasant throughout the year, perhaps it would get cold in winter and a little hot in summer but that was the extent of the temperature divergence. The rainy season was short and the humidity in the summer wasn’t deadly like in some areas of Orienta. As Abel made his way into the outer yard, he saw Frankie feeding the once wild but now domesticated fowls they had caught in the past. A cacophony of clucks and a solitary crow prevented Frankie from hearing Abel’s footsteps, it wasn’t until the young man was right behind him with his shadow overhead that Frankie realized Abel was back.

“I thought you would still need some time. Why didn’t you set up a new snare? I told you I’d be here for the techy.” Frankie asked in puzzlement, but he didn’t stop spreading the grains and seeds onto the yard for the chickens to graze at their leisure.

“Why wouldn’t I set it up? Its done, I guess I’m getting so good that it doesn’t take as much time anymore.” Abel replied with a smirk but he quickly raised his arm, showing off the latest catch “Take a look, we’re having rabbit stew for dinner tonight!”

“Hah, that’s fine by me but you’ll have to slaughter them and clean them up if you want me to cook. Go on and have breakfast, I’ll be there in a minute but Melly should be done by now.”

Abel simply nodded back and made his way inside; the smell of fried eggs and sizzling bacon made his stomach rumble. After greeting Melly, he placed the rabbits inside a seagrass woven basket, a specialty of Grandma Meng’s. The old lady used to hand-weave these baskets and sell them to customers her husband would host, she had actually saved up a tidy little sum that helped pull them through right after the Binary Eclipse. Although the government provided aid and her husband’s saving were accounted for, the bureaucratic red-tape in any government body would always be a time-consuming process regardless of what world a person finds themselves in. From what Abel understood, it actually varied greatly in Xiang Xiaowen’s Earth, depending on the country but nonetheless it would always be a long, drawn-out and overdue process.

He closed the basket with a lid and spoke as he washed his hands at the sink “Melly, why don’t you and Frankie go out on a date later today?”

“What stupid plan are you trying to pull off this time Abe” Melissa sighed as she looked back at Abel, not quite sure what he was up to this time.

“I’m not up to anything, I promise! The technician should be here soon, he said he’d arrive by 9 am max. It’s just rare that you and Frankie both have a day off on the same day, why don’t you take the opportunity to make some memories together. Go walk along phosphorescent beach or try out the scintillating specialties at Aether Island, if you had more time I’d even recommend you go to Forgeburg city on the mainland” Abel paused for a moment, as though trying to figure out a way to properly put his thoughts and feelings into words, “It feels like yesterday we were all going to school and now we’re all grown up, I don’t want you to look back in 10 years and have any regrets in your hearts.”

“I think Abe’s idea is great! We should head out once in a while” Frankie walked in and heard the last of Abel’s heartfelt words and fully agreed. It appeared to have worked on Melissa too as she looked more open to the idea of going out for the day.

“Fine, lets just finish our chores before heading out at least. I don’t want to come back and clean the house after a long day out” Melly finally relented as she placed their breakfast on the small dining table in the kitchen.