Garden of Eden

Chapter 17

"We need to collect as much as possible," Haymitch says, looking up at the rain too.

I nod, knowing instinctively that the rain will be safe to drink. First I get out several empty bottles of orange juice I've been keeping and place them a fallen log, letting them slowly fill up with rain water. Haymitch digs a small hole in the ground, and then covers it with his jacket. He then finds several rocks and places them around the edge of the jacket. Finally, he places some smaller rocks into the centre, causing a depression where water collects.

As Haymitch finds the rocks he needs to keep his jacket in place and to create the indent, I tie my own jacket onto the outstretched branches of two trees. I specifically selected these two trees as they stand far apart enough that the rain falls straight from the sky onto my jacket. It doesn't touch the trees or the leaves.

I hold up one end of the jacket at a steep angle and watch as rain slides down and lands in one spot. Then, looking up I see that Haymitch has finished setting up that water collection system of his.

"Haymitch, let me borrow your water bottle," I call out.

He gets it out and, seeing what I'm doing, places the bottle where the rain lands after taking its lid off.

The bottle is one third of the way full when it starts becoming a heavy burden to keep my arms up. Haymitch takes over and only drops the jacket when his bottle is completely filled.

I check the orange juice bottles and start capping on the lid and putting them away once they're filled too.

As though right on time, the minute I put the last bottle away the rain stops.

Lastly, I get my empty water bottle and begin filling that with the water that got collected on Haymitch's jacket. It doesn't get filled all the way to the top, but there is more water than I expected.

Having taken care of everything, we shoulder our backpacks and resume our hike.

Haymitch leads the way, cautiously watching his every step. It still doesn't prepare him for the trap.

One moment he's there. And the next he isn't. I look down and set that he has fallen into a hole. It's small and a lot deeper than I thought. Even as he jumps it is plain to see that no one can get out of there without assistance of any kind. Accepting this, and as calm as ever, Haymitch gets a line of rope from out his bag. He tosses it up high and is able to actually snag it on a branch. Then he's pulling at it before I stop him.

"Let me help," I offer, climbing the tree and tying the rope securely around the base of the branch, where it grows from the main trunk. "All done," I call down.

Haymitch quickly climbs out from the hole. Once he stands back on solid ground, I untie the rope and toss it back down to him.

"Thanks," he says, putting the rope away.

"Anytime."

Before very long, we're on the move again. Walking away from it, I look back at the hole from over my shoulder. I wonder about its insane deepness. This then raises the question of who had the time and implements to make the hole in the first place. Let alone get out of it all by themselves.

As we rest on some big rocks after several hours of walking, I sit there, rubbing my sore legs, when an idea suddenly comes to me.

"Haymitch," I blurt out, "I have an idea."

He gives me a probing look. "What is it?"

"First, I'm going to need the parachute and the box it came with."