My morning was taken up by chores and lessons. After lunch the next day, I walked a circuit around the surrounding area our houses. I held my ever present bamboo staff. Last night, Tertius had been kind enough to trim off the split ends with his blade, which reminded me of my sore need for a knife. I was on the lookout for rock outcroppings, whether by the road or the stream.
Most of the rock near the stream was crumbly. They were easily broken with a hard stone that was the size of a walnut that lay in the stream bed. None of the gravel were the right size. I still noted the location, since clay lay underneath the eroded stone.
I had better luck near the road. I found an outcropping of gray stone. A large slab sticking out of the ground served as my anvil. A piece slightly larger than my hand served as the stock for my future stone age tools, while I held a third piece as a hammer. I struck firmly at a shallow angle away from myself.
The stock rock gave a satisfying split into a variety of flakes. The smaller, thin pieces would serve as razors that could be used to trim a quill, once I procured feathers. I set those aside. Some larger pieces would become knives or smaller hammers. One piece mostly shaped itself into an arrowhead.
I put the proto-arrowhead piece against my thigh and tapped away at in. My fingers were clumsy at first, but quickly acclimated to the force necessary to flake off what didn't belong on the arrowhead. As the triangular head took shape, I found myself wishing for other tools, like a pad to cushion my thigh, a soft hammer to smooth out the crude edges, or a pointed metal stick to have better control while making edges. Those thoughts were pushed aside to focus on the task at hand.
I not only finished the arrowhead, but also put the edge on a crude knife, though the handle still needed work. That reminded me that I needed something to store my tools in. At least I could cut some reeds or tall grass to weave into a bundle for storage. I could also make a mat to work on.
Such was the way of man that one desire led to another.
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