Mending Fences (No Really)

Spring has arrived in Auster and, with the warmer weather, comes a new wave of tasks to be completed. Fern has given herself the job of repairing the fences around the alpaca enclosure, the rains having rotted out some the wood that holds it together. Each fence pole and post has been notched and carved to allow them to be easily slotted together. The gray girl has laid several pole and post pieces on the ground outside the enclosure as she prepared to begin her work. Puff runs through the tall grass nearby, enjoying the warm spring day. Fern has to sternly warn the stoat away from the alpaca, the fear that they could crush her small friend making her words sound harsher then she meant.

Breathing out a long, slow breath, Fern moves to the two closest poles, testing them both for any signs of weakness and rotting. They appear to be newer and strong, with no outward signs of rot. Nodding to herself, she moves to one of the posts that intersects them and tests it. Of the three posts that run between the poles, one is rotted out so badly and has to be replaced. Moving the new piece of wood closer to her work area, the gray girl lifts one side out of its grooves before slotting in the new board. Moving to the other end, she repeats the process, lifting out the old piece before replacing it with a new one. She picks up the old board and moves it away from the good pieces, so it doesn’t get mixed in. Later it can be chopped up to feed some fires but for now it is useless.

Fern moves to the next set of poles to begin the process anew.


"Fern Lark"