It makes me dizzy just thinking about it. But it’s impossible to catch the fish in the lake. First I need to get me a boat. Then I can set out some nets and bring them up full of fish. The water is gurgling underneath, at the edge of the ice. The moon is shining. I’m sitting on the snowshoes that are tied to the back of my knapsack, leaning back against a big black rock that’s capped with snow. I saw it from far away. There’s something about rocks standing all alone like that. Almost as if they were houses. As if people lived here. But there’s no one around. I hack off a piece of the icy crust of snow and stuff it in my mouth. Suck on it. I brought along only the few things I had room for. Some clothes, a little food, my Bible, and an ax. I bought the ax in town. I thought it best to have my own ax if I’m going to look for work in the woods. So I went with Mr. Dahl to a shop that sold all kinds of axes. But I didn’t like the town. No, I definitely did not. And then there’s the language.
