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A bright morning was well prepared for Jacob. Autumn seemed to start early with leaves everywhere. The sun was shining through the cottage window, just enough to give him energy to get out of bed. He got up in a breeze which was usual for a Saturday morning. He knew while getting out of bed that it was market day. How much they would get, he didn't know.
He got his flexible clothing and his spear all ready to go to meet up with Andrew, Morris, and Leiner as he always did every day. He made sure his blade was sharp with his whetstone and that he had enough food in his pack. His plan for the snare was tucked inside the side pouch of the pack and in his head. All of the supplies for the snare were in there as well. He swung the pack over his shoulder and opened the front door of his cottage when his mother caught him in the hallway.
"Jacob, don't forget, you have your recital tomorrow," she said as if waiting for a response.
Jacob began to sigh. "I know, mother. Please don't remind me." He walked out the front doorway.
Right when he closed the door, he stopped to look at nature. The forest was completely still except for the birds singing. All of the trees were in a line on the side of a faint trail covered by the colored leaves. As Jacob was walking along that trail, he thought of the week and how they had collected all of the meat and skins. Today was the day they traded the meat and skins for money at the markets in London. Then he started to dart through the trail instead of walk.
Jacob ran quick and slick so his feet wouldn't stay on the ground for long. He wanted an early start, even though Morris and Leiner were always the first ones there. After a while, he stopped at the meeting point including the empty fire pit in the middle of a small open area and sitting logs surrounding the fire pit. Surprisingly, no one was there yet. Jacob sat down on one of the logs and started the fire. While starting the fire, Andrew was running to him from the opposite direction he came. Jacob seemed confused, because Andrew's cottage was not the direction he was running from.
"Hello Andrew. How are you doing this fine morning?" asked Jacob.
Andrew seemed worried. "Normally, just fine. But not today." he responded in a shaking tone of voice. "Morris and Leiner are not here yet, and the are usually the first ones here. I have been searching around the area. They are nowhere in sight."
Jacob was deep in thought, wondering where they could be. "Well, they are twins. They would most likely stick together if they went out already. Maybe they are still in bed. After all, it is a Saturday."
"Possibly." said Andrew. "But they would not stay in bed for long. They know it is another market day. Plus, they are always the first ones up."
Just then, Morris and Leiner came running to where Jacob and Andrew were talking. They saw that the fire was already started and burning immensely.
"Sorry we're late. Well we, um," said both Morris and Leiner at the same time looking at each other. "I'll say it. Wait, you'll say it?" continuing speech at the same time.
The four of them started to crack up wildly. The loudness of them all caused a lot of noise a good distance away.
"Shhh! We are going to scare off our prey!" said Andrew between giggles.
"Speaking of which, we are late because we made some adjustments to our snare." said Morris. He took the plan out of his bag and laid the paper on one of the logs. Jacob and Andrew took a closer look at it.
"This plan seems a little bit complicated. Mine is much simpler and it required less wood." Jacob said as he took out his own plan in his pack. He laid it out right next to the other plan. "See?"
All of the sudden, a pinecone dropped from a tree above and landed on Andrew's head. The pinecone bounced off his head into the fire pit. The pinecone exploded in the fire which caused a shower of sparks. A few of the sparks landed on Jacob's snare plan, and it caught fire and disintegrated. It all happened so quick, they were back to being loud again.
"Well there goes your plan." announced Leiner.
"Ow! My head!" exclaimed Andrew.
"What about my plan? I don't have it memorized!" questioned Jacob.
"Just use our plan." said Morris.
Leiner stopped the group which got them all to be quiet. He explained that himself, Morris, and Jacob should go out to collect more wood for the fire and snare. Also, Andrew should watch after the fire and take care of his head. The whole group agreed as they set off.
Morris, Leiner, and Jacob were walking in silence looking for a good tree to cut down using Leiner's hatchet. Most trees were not easy to climb, and the ones that were easy didn't have good branches and logs. Morris broke the silence.
"Are you ready for your recital tomorrow?" he asked.
"I don't want to give it too much thought," responded Jacob quickly. The group went back to being silent.
Then the twins started whispering and giggling like they had something funny to hide. Jacob just spotted a good tree and grabbed Leiner's hatchet. He got up the tree with help of Morris and started climbing to a place with lots of good branches.
While chopping, Jacob asked, "What are you still giggling about?"
Morris replied. "Don't you think Andrew way overreacted when the got hit with the pinecone?"
"Yeah. He was all like, 'Ow! My head!' He's too weak to be with us." came Leiner's answer.
Jacob was still thinking. Sometimes those two were a little rough, but this exceeded their rival point. His glance fell upon Morris' snare plan. On the back of it was silly drawings of Andrew and some pretty bad names of him as well. He could hardly believe what he was hearing and seeing right now.
"Why are you making fun of him?" asked Jacob in tears.
"Why are you his friend?" asked Leiner.
"Because he is a good person." came Jacob's confident answer.
Morris and Leiner walked to the trunk of the tree. They looked mad at him, not Andrew. They both said that if he was still going to be friends with Andrew, they would do something terrible.
"What kind of terrible?" Jacob sobbed.
"Like, weakness terrible." bragged Morris.
"You don't know my weakness!" screamed Jacob. He screamed in hopes of Andrew coming.
Morris and Leiner just smirked. They whispered to each other until they explained their plan. They were going to prove to Jacob's mom that he couldn't live in the forest anymore and that they would have to move to the city. Then Jacob would be crowded by the people he couldn't stand giving him attention. Jacob's weakness is attention to his piano playing skills, and that is something he doesn't like.
"You can't prove it! I am staying here in the forest if here means my grave!" shouted Jacob. "Andrew! I need you!"
There was a faint yelling coming from Andrew. He came out and saw the commotion going on. Morris and Leiner started to shake the tree so that Jacob would fall out. Andrew tried tackling them both, but he just got hurt again and fell on the ground, watching in horror. After about a minute of shaking, only the hatchet fell in a patch of dry weeds.
In Jacob's mind, he knew he couldn't climb down. He couldn't hold on much longer. The only thing to do was wait for the pain to come. He felt like his friends turned into monsters trying to destroy him. Jacob's foot then slipped off one limb and was holding on with two hands and the other foot. It didn't take long for him to loose the other leg, one arm from grip, and then the other making him fall to the ground and black out.