For as long as I can remember living here, Canadian Geese have flown over my house in small numbers and very large flocks. One time, I stopped counting when I reached 100 birds. They filled the sky both with their presence and noisy squawk.
This autumn is no different. They’ve been converging on the nearby hayfields, gathering together to either make their journey to southern destinations or to over-winter somewhere near.
The day after the plane crash, Olive’s and Johnathan’s spirits are still relatively high. The immediate threat to their lives – the crash – had passed and they were starting to get to know each other.
An exchange between them while they took a break from walking reveals Olive’s philosophy in life.
“Incredible. You shouldn’t have seen 50. How do feel?”
“Like I’m 23 again except I love life more. I’m here for the fun of it, the adventure. It’s why I don’t watch TV, avoid the news and don’t spend energy on the junk society thinks is important because it’s not. Each day, I’m living.”
He laughed. “Even here? With a city boy lost in the woods?”
“You make it challenging, but I enjoy the hike. I’d prefer more food, better accommodations, cream for my tea but…” She twitched her nose. “It could be worse. I’m alive and well, and that’s all that truly matters.”
Pick up a copy of Northern Survival today. It’s a fast-paced, quick read that mixes survival, adventure and romance.
If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you read it for free.
On the second night of being lost in the wilderness, Johnathan complained about the noise of the forest. Olive tells him he’ll miss these sounds when he returns to the city. He disagrees, and she says…
“You don’t believe me now but wait. You’ll see. The first night you lay in bed surrounded by four walls with the window closed, you’ll wonder where those sounds are. You’ll start to wonder if everything on the planet is dead. It will be so quiet, so void of life you’ll feel like your sleeping in a tomb.”
Have you ever slept for a long period outside in a space that allowed you to hear all the sounds 
surrounding you in nature? I have. One summer, my kids and I slept in the pop-up trailer in the backyard from May until October. I grew accustomed to every sound: the ducks quacking, the wind through the trees, the peepers, the chickens, the goats, the distant neighbour’s dog barking, their cows, and the coyotes and foxes yelping.
After months of falling asleep to these sounds, I spent my first night in the house on a cool October night with the windows closed. It was silent. It felt like everything was dead, and I slept in a tomb.
LAST DAY OF HALF PRICE SALE
Grab your copy of Northern Survival today. Sale ends at Midnight. Only at Amazon
Download it to your Kindle today.
If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read it for free.
Olive says this to John shortly after the plane crash.
Northern Survival is half price until Thursday. Only at Amazon.
Download it to your Kindle today.
If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read it for free.
Diane McGyver 