I believe this will be my last entry in this journal.
It seems like ages since I left home for a walk in the forest. Was it a week ago? Was it just yesterday? I have no way of knowing now.
I took my time on this walk, admiring nature's amazing sense of beauty. The old Elf had not come to visit that day. I assumed he had finished training me. Now that I think of it, I hadn't even learned him name...
I practiced a while out in the forest with my bow and arrows. I must admit, I could use a bit more training with holding the bow with more confidence. Other than that, I have mastered the art!
As I was walking home later that day, I smelled smoke. Surely this was not from my campfire, I had poured river water on it hours ago! I quickened my pace. The smoke now filled the air. This was no campfire accident.
I broke through the last bush, appearing on the road next to my home. The smell of smoke was unbearable now. I looked to my house...
But there was no wood cabin standing on this plot of land. In its place, a charred frame was nestled between a few piles of wood. This was the shack I had built with little help, to escape the biting cold of the winter. It had taken a long, long time to build it. And now it lay in ruin.There were no words to describe this place. No sadness, no anger. Nothing. I simply felt numb. This had to be a nightmare.
My father was still on his trip. He wouldn't be coming home for a long time. I will have to wait close by.
I sat, completely still, on a tree stump for what seemed like years, when in reality I only stayed for a few hours. Already the sky darkens, and winter quickly approaches. I don't dare to speak. I sit and wait for my father to return. I know that soon I must rise to hunt for food, but not yet.
JAZILIN
