Friday, July 17, 2015

Kimberly Gould Week 159: Beachcomber

Picture 1


Picture 2


Kimberly Gould’s Picture Choice:

Title: Beachcomber

In one smooth motion, the metal arm swung down, arced through the air, and droppped the thick tree trunk neatly atop the others. Nathan followed the load, cringing as the pile shifted. He always expected it to topple, and it never did. The truck rumbled away, tracked cat folowing, off to meet the next faller in line. Nathan took his break and stepped carefully over the branches littering the ground. It was the best and the worst job. He stood in achunk of forests nearly untouched by man, but he was here to pick out which of the ancient stems to remove. Thanksuly, it was thinning they sought, not a clearcut. Nathan had worked enough of those to hate them.

Without realizing, he broke through the tree line and looked out over ocean. He knew they weren't far from the shore, but he hadn't guessed it was so close. Setting his chainsaw atop the shell strewn beach, Nathan pulled a kerchief and wiped the sweat from his face and neck. Then he dipped the cloth in the cold ocean and mopped himself again. The sea breeze cooling him. Looking up and down the beach, Nathan saw the evidence of nature doing what he foolishly tried to emulate.

The driftwood was bleached from salt and sun, but by their size, these trunks were hardly younger than those he and his crew were pruning. Sitting atop one, he kicked through the shells to find one that stood out from the others. It took a few minutes, but eventually he held it and stod, slipping the momento into his pocket.

"A good day's work."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like what you just read? Have a question or concern? Leave a note for the author! We appreciate your feedback!

Kimberly Gould is the author of Cargon: Honour and Privilege, and it's sequel Duty and Sacrifice. She can be found most places as Kimmydonn, including Kimmydonn.com

#DailyPicspiration

1 comment:

  1. I'm frightened that this clear cutting was his objective. Did he approve of what they were doing? I think not. This idea is a strong statement about how trees are being cut down before they are ready for harvest. I would like you to expand on what you wrote. This is a subject you no doubt are close to in work.

    ReplyDelete