SAMPLE ' The Logs Drive' Book I

'The Logs Drive' Book 1

HAVE A SAMPLE OF BOOK 1 🤗

SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHOR AUDREY NEWTS ✨💗🤗

( NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR ... THIS IS A DRAFT SAMPLE ... APOLOGIES FOR TYPO ERRORS )  

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Post By Editor : Freelance Researching, Writing and Journalism

February 2025 Ms Izabel Langlais

This is a serie Fantasist Resilience Fiction inspired by the witching lesson tales of our Canadian Folklore, happening during the Era of the Timber Industry with it's Log Drive and the LumberJacks

Some Historical facts have been researched by the author

Written without gory or violence, to be suitable for young readers too  

Synopsis: when a group of Lumberjacks find themselves at a crossword, between cancelling their contract and return to europe without pay for lack of time to complete their contract, or staying over the harsh Canadian winter to finish the work promised … unexpected surprises, turn of events, team work and resilience to survive, will make their seemed trap situation into a lesson of faith, survival skills, and the beginning of the Era of the log drive for the timber industry, with its witching lessons tales Canadian folklore.

Theme: God of Bible and his sames, resilience, team work, trust, faith, resisting temptations from the devil and his tricks, God blessings in disguises, forest, rustic life, native Americans, intercultural

Location: Canada North

Audience: general, children & teens, all ages

Characters: boss and his men Lumberjacks, native Americans chief women and her tribe with one friend dress in white and one dress in black with a hood on his head

***

Chapter 1

‘Our father, who thy art in heaven,

Thy kingdom will come,

Thy will be done on earth as in heaven:

Give us our daily bread,

Forgive our trespasses as we forgive the trespasses

Against us .

 Do not submit us to temptation,

But deliver us from evil,

Amen ‘’

***

Chapter 2

The forest tall trees enveloped then at night , only a little part of the sky they could see, a fire burning in the outdoor pit, out of the cabins, the darkness of the night around them, feel of BEEING watched from between the trees, sound of owls or night animals moving around in the woods near by: this was time the men didn’t like , after a day of hard work, cutting trees after trees , clearing areas for a future town, village or even a city, it felt like it was the time the forest spirits awaits to avenge what the men did to their homes …

Sitting in silence around the fire pit, goosebumps creeping their spine and raising the hairs at the back of their necks, each sounds like the footsteps of the devil coming after them …

They feared this would happened, but the money was good , and the client assured them they would be peace here; the Ad said ‘ lots of money cash, in the peaceful quiet of nature ‘ only to find this place the creepiest they ever had to work at ! The men experienced Differents previous sites for their own company, mining, plantations, fishing … thought they seen all … but this place …

They looked the somber face of their boss, their sort of appointed manager on site that looked for them all, and made sure everything was done according to the guidelines they had to follow for their contracts ; he was the one with the highest schooling …

And with the best presentation, that could get them any contract awarded; also the one the men put their trust into as the most honest with the best calculation skills in the negotiations; he had always thought about negotiating living arrangements , transport and food supplies Also, for his men … and the cash money for after … contrary to other companies, his men ate enough, slept safely, and were returning with their share of cash spend untill next contract

But the better deals also meant more guidelines, and more rules to follow for the quality of the needed wood to provide. The contract was for prized woods, for the higher class customer’s furniture and indoor materials, not for STRENGHT, outdoor or structure lumber , ones covered by walls or for bridges etc

The work was the same, but the hunt for the special woods and the preparation of the logs at arrivals was more complicated and delicate; lots of waste to make the perfect pieces, and remove the crooked ones or untames planks, that bended afterward; they never had seen their boss so somber, or cursing so much through his teeth …

‘’so … boss … what is the problem … ‘’ one of the men around the fire sacrificed himself asking, cutting this intolerable silence

‘’the problem is … that we are loosing about 70% of the wood we are cutting … ! ‘’ he said looking stern at them, with a look that meant they should understood the problem

… Since they still all were staring at him , and not showing any distress, he continued ‘’ at this rate … we will be still here in the end of spring, to have enough wood for the contract … and have to cut half this forest !!! ‘’ he detailed almost yelling

The men jerked ‘’!!! … to the spring ? !! ‘’

‘’boss … we can’t live here the winter !!! How will we bring the food and the lumber down ? I heard about this place before we came … and it said Canadian can have feets high of snow in the winter … and roads are closed … and … we will never have enough food !!! ‘’

‘’ I looked into it also before leaving … and it said to absolutely be done by November … before the winds and cold and snow starts … the temperature can drop to -40C !!! ‘’ he said incredulous ‘’ is it even possible ?! ‘’ he added looking at his friends

Their boss looked a little more somber

‘’boss … we have to leave soon … ‘’ one man stood up, and turned around furious , figuring they had been set in a trap …

‘’boss … we can cancelled this contract and go back … we will find something else in the spring instead of this crazy place !!! ‘’ another of the men almost yelled

‘yeah !!! This place gives me the creeps … it’s spook !!! ‘’ one man that had kept quiet the whole time said unhappy

The one man that stood up turned back to face them, and asked boss calmly ‘’ can we walk out of this contract ? ‘’ looking at the other men, and then to their boss sternly, waiting expectingly for him to cut the bad news …

‘’ no we can not …’’ their boss said serious

Their jaw fell and they looked at him

‘weren’t we almost done here … they brought so much logs last run down … ? He said bewildered ‘’ how much are they paying us for ?’’

‘’ they are paying us for an amount of finished planks for a specific purpose … the logs after prepared for what we contracted for, are 70% wasted … so we only sent 30% so far of what we were supposed to do … ‘’ he said ‘’ I didn’t bargained a specific due date, in case we were delayed, since this was a new place, thankfully, but if we walk out we will probably have to return on our own means without the transport and loose the payment ; I reviewed the terms of the signed contract, and I had specified that logging and food was paid as per the time on site, and not bound to a specific finished time , in case we were late so not to run out of food , and in case we were faster so not for the client to pay over in food either, they were ok with that … but the transport was for start and for finish ‘’

They were thunder shocked

 ***

‘’ how are they will send us food in the winter anyways ??!! ‘ one most clever man asked

Their boss made a hand sign to stay calm …

‘’ I will show you the contracts if you want, and we can see … but when I talked to the pickup team … there was a little of insinuation that we were expected to continue untill all the contracted woods needed was provided … ‘’ he said involved himself

‘’ what !!! Who is this client ? ‘’ one asked ‘’ they expect us to stay here the winter and work more ?! Not return in the spring ?!’’

‘’ I think we were set up into a trick not to have to pay us … ‘’ boss said , and continuing pensive to himself almost ‘’ of course they weren’t thinking we will stay … and work the winter … so they probably though we would break the contract, and so that they would keep the 30% wood, and not pay us except the food and lodging so far …’’ he guessed

‘’ we could do this of course and just leave …’’ he added serious in a more hopeful tone as if leaving this place at all cost was the best solution ‘’ we can figure the food after returned … if the 30% wood we provided so far is good, we might even be contracted again for next year … and I will make a little touch on that contract that time ‘’ then he cursed between his teeth ‘’ should never have accepted a contract for fancy, and take the ‘lumber material only’ offer ‘’ he said upset ‘’ it was half the offer … I thought that was a joke they would pay us the double for fancy wood instead …’’ he said himself

They were silent and thinking

‘ so the logs and planks are fine then ? … For what we worked for so far ? ‘’ one of the men asked

‘’ yes … yes … I actually got the funds for the 30% sent … here ‘’ and he took the stacks of cash money and showed them …’’ it is all here though …’’ he said ‘’ the count for a third of the woods needed, and the food, transport and lodging we have received so far …’’ he said

They counted the money and it was a third as promised, AMD they had been feed and lodged as promised …

‘’ this is right … it is all here … ‘’ one of the man counted ‘’ you keep it for us ‘’ he added

Handing it back to the boss, a voice called from behind him, still with the stack of cash in his hand, coming out of the trees, one women and two men walked in the direction of the group around the fire

The women dress in full native attire … one man in white … and one in black with a hood on his head

If it was not enough for the man to have the spook so far … now they were jaws open and wide eyes open to the scene, their friend standing still frozen with the cash still in his hand

‘’ hi ! ‘’ the native women said walking before the two others

They looked at her coming out of no where , here , no town, no village, no sound of cars or other transport, no nothing except trees … with her escort friends dress in European clothing; one man sitting made gestured to them to sit beside him. Thinking also it would keep them away from the cash, and eyeing his friend and his boss frozen, hoe he would get the time to slide the cash in his pocket , safe from the distraction

They sat on logs cut short as bench like the men

‘Hi …’’ the boss said in a non threatening tone, was it the time they were to be the embush in this trap ?’’ where did you come from here ? ‘’

‘’ we were just walking ‘’ the native women said

‘’ you speak our language ‘’ the boss said ‘’ are you a lumber too ? ‘’ ‘’ what company you work for ?’’ he asked

‘’we live here …’’ she answered

Then she looked at each man and observed them scrutinizing ; her friend in black looked somber and quiet, the other one in white looking peaceful and friendly

‘’what you men doing here ?’’ she asked sternly

Their blood froze in their veins, and they could see the amused face of the black dressed man

Their boss, always delegated by his men to resolve matters, answered ‘’ we are working for a client providing lumbers, so it can be used for homes … at home ‘’ he said calmly testing the reaction

Where is your home ?’’ the native women asked

‘’it is in Europe; they sent us here to bring wood back home, and make homes ‘’ he said

‘’there is no trees there ?’ the native women replied

Pensive for few SECONDES how to answered, the boss continues ‘’ yes few, but not like here …’ he said

‘’ I wish to know your client please ‘’ she said ‘’ and this contract ‘’

On man went directly to the cabin they shared and came back with a tick folder, and handed it ti the boss

He took it and opened it, took a paper from it, and his two friends on each side of her , they read it from over her shoulders

‘’ this is a contract that is on our land’’ she started

The man kept still, they didn’t like the way this was leading … they now were working on the land of those peoples ?! This was surely a trap to get rid of them and not pay then

‘’we are sorry … we were hired and didn’t think of checking this detail ‘’ he said

‘’ tell us more what you are doing with the woods ‘’ she asked

‘’ we are to send the logs by transport to be cut and prepared for planks for furniture ‘’ he said and explained ‘’ we will cut for the amount we are paid for, a certain type of tree, and then ship it and we will be gone ‘’

‘’ how much more trees you will cut ?’ the native women asked

‘’we have 30% , or 1/3 so far of our contract ‘’ he said

‘’ and where will you keep cutting the wood ?’’ the native women continued asking

‘’here , around as we have started ‘’ the boss said

The native women looked around and left her seat , to go check the type of trees they had cut so far , from branches fallen on the floor on the edge of the forest; her friend dress in white went with her, and they talked in that language of the native women, so the men couldn’t figured what they were saying. The man dress in black with the hood stayed at the fire, and looking at the men, smiled … which made them even more spooked … now goosebumps were crawling on their arms

The native women and her friend came back and sat at the fire again ‘’ we see that you have skills and tools to make the work easy, you also are capable to differentiate the trees, and to cut only what you need or the type you need, and save the others ‘’ she started

‘’how long will you be here ?’’ she asked

The boss looked at his friend and though before to answer ‘’ we are to stay here until we have all the logs needed ‘’ he replied confident and curious to see what she says

‘’ this will take you lots of time, since you have only 1/3 now … and winter is in about over a moon only ‘’ she said sternly , like she thought they were out of their minds and didn’t think about it themselves

He felt a little unsettled but continued sternly too ‘’ yes … we know we will work in the winter and snow … and … ‘’

Her friend dress in white looked incredulous , and made a face like they couldn’t possibly think what they were saying, while the one dress in black was holding a grin also incredulous

‘’ you know the temperature will be under freezing right … and winds and snow and … the roads your friends take to get the woods you cut … it will no more be usable for many months …’’ she looked at the boss to see if he was understanding ‘’ and how you will eat ?’’

The boss sensed that the native women was saying some truth and was probably right, maybe she was trying to make sense to them and tell them an advise; he was silent and looking at his men, silent hoping he would have a easy answer as he sis normally … nut this time he felt they were trapped

‘’we will talk and decide … we can go back now and forget the rest of the lumber … but they will not pay us our work or transport us ‘’ he said , so they also understood this was a situation a little more complicated then just not be knowledgeable

The native women scrutinized them again, and seeing that they looked they might have been trapped to a death sentence left to themselves here for the winter

‘’how much they pay’’ she asked

The boss gestured to his friend that had the cash, to give t to him , and he did so ; he showed the native women the pile of cash money proudly ‘’ this is what they pay us so far for the wood we have cut … plus the lodging and the food ‘’ he said stern ‘’ we will get the double at the end of our contract, to share between us, and the food to eat untill then

‘’you tell them to bring lots of food then for you untill The spring ‘’ the native women said ‘’ because even if you are done before … you will not be able to receive anything or leave until the snow melt and the river unfreeze …’’ she said and the three of them left through the woods …

TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK 2

Post author and writer : Ms Izabel Langlais

Editor: Freelance Researching Writing and Journalism Bin #1000478274