The next morning Joshua felt much better, and a large breakfast made up of scrambled eggs, pancakes, juice and milk didn’t hurt.

He met Penny and Bert about a mile up the trail towards the area he had lost his duffel bag.

“Are you fully recovered then?” Bert inquired.

“Close enough. I think I'll wait another day or so before giving it another try.” he responded.

Bert looked at him in mock anger. “And what makes you think I'm going to let you use my sled again? You might damage it.”

Joshua shook his head. “I doubt that. If you built a house of cards it would be strong enough to sit on. I was nearly killed yesterday and I'll wager there wasn't a single scratch on your sled.”

Bert couldn’t help but grin. “True enough.”

Penny punched Joshua in the left shoulder at this point.

“OUCH, why did you do that?”

“Just checking to be sure you're really OK. Can you move your arm still?”

After a bit of experimentation he assured her that he could.

“Good, then I guess you're fine. Now let’s get going. I need to be home early this afternoon to help with chores”

Joshua had been about to protest her rough treatment, but was already several steps behind her. He and Bert exchanged resigned glances before running after her.

Early summer in that portion of the Misty Arc tended to be cool at times and today was one of those days. The sky was overcast and the trees looked wet and seemed a bit tired somehow. Each of the children had dressed warmly and brought a lunch with them as time in the woods could pass quickly and they had learned over the years that an empty stomach would hinder proper exploration.

The trio soon found themselves at the site of Joshua's misadventure and started their search for the missing rucksack.

The low clouds lingered on and made it difficult to see in the sometimes thick underbrush. It didn't help that the rucksack had been a dark brown color even before it slid across the grass and dirt.

In the gloom they would occasionally see gray squirrels running about or hear a mockingbird sing or hawk cry out. Their search was haphazard and often suspended as they found various things to distract them along the way.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Look, Deer antlers!” Joshua exclaimed at one point. Penny & Bert were unimpressed by his discovery. On reflection he could see why. Living in the country year round such sights were likely far more commonplace to them then they were to him.

As the end of the time they could spend there came near and end they began to search in earnest.

Bert suggested a reconstruction of the path that Joshua had taken. It was embarrassingly simple to figure out where things had started to go wrong. There was a long skid mark in the grass of the hillside that went on for nearly twenty yards before coming to a sudden stop.

Penny shook her head. “You could have been seriously hurt, you know.”

Joshua debated with himself over whether to tell her about the large bruises he'd found all over his body upon waking that morning. They didn’t seem particularly serious but they had made him wince on occasion during their search..

“Here it is, '' Bert said, tugging on something in some blackberry bushes near where Joshua and Penny were standing. After a bit of fiddling he was able to free the ruck and bring it over without spill.

“Well now, that’s a good bit of work; time to head home though. I've a large pile of wood to cut before the end of the day and then Da wants my help cleaning up in the forge..”

Joshua removed the book, map and box from the ruck sack as they started their walk back.

The box and the map were intact, though the map had picked up some additional creases and folds. The diary on the other hand had sustained more substantial damage. The cover had separated from the book and some of the pages as well. He felt as if somebody had kicked him in the chest when he saw this. Though he was not a scholar he had learned a healthy respect for even mundane books from his Uncle.

Penny noticed his look of concern. “Some glue and a day or so in Jenna’s herb press would fix that right up. The stitching all looks fine.”

Bert nodded his head in agreement. “Nothing a needle, some thread and a bit of glue can’t fix. It could use a better cover though if you want to best protect it.”

Joshua nodded in acknowledgement of the points both of them had raised as they continued their journey back towards the Inn.

Most of the way back they stopped at a tree fort they had built three summers ago. The previous winter had been harsh and the roof and one of the walls had collapsed. Milled lumber was hard to come by and expensive, but there were derelict out buildings near the Inn that they could salvage wood and nails from, so restoring it was certainly possible.

Bert rubbed the back of his head with his left hand and squinted while circling the tree. “I think we can have this fixed in a day, maybe two. Are you two interested in taking on that project?”

Seeing no reason to object Joshua and Penny nodded their heads in agreement.

“Well, let's work on that tomorrow then.”

With a tentative plan for the following day decided on they soon parted ways.