By the ti they had finished breaking the tree into long sections of wood, the sun had risen high overhead, baking the clearing where they worked.
The boys stood around the scattered logs, their shirts drenched in sweat, hands sore from swinging axes for hours.
So leaned on their tools, panting, while others sat on the ground, trying to catch their breath.
Lucas wiped sweat from his forehead and exhaled sharply. His arms felt like dead weight, but at least they were done chopping. Or so he thought.
The PE teacher clapped his hands together, pulling everyone’s attention back to him. "Alright, good work so far, but we’re not done yet," he announced.
A collective groan rose from the group. Leo dropped his axe onto the dirt and muttered, "Oh, co on, man. Can’t we take, like, an hour break? Just a small one?"
Oliver flopped onto his back dramatically. "Yeah, at this rate, we’re gonna be more tired than the wood we just cut!"
The PE teacher smirked but shook his head. "I get that you’re tired, but if you stop now, it’s just going to be harder to start again later. Trust , I’ve been there."
Lucas sighed, rolling his shoulders. "What’s next?"
The PE teacher kicked one of the logs lightly with his boot.
"These logs? They’re gonna be the base of our raft. But before we can tie them together, we have to make sure they’re straightened out and shaved down properly. Otherwise, they won’t fit together well, and we’ll end up with a lopsided ss that won’t float right."
He motioned toward the image he had drawn in the dirt with a stick — a rough sketch of a raft similar to the one Lucas had seen before.
"We need the logs to be smooth so that when we tie them up, there’s no awkward gaps or sharp edges. Otherwise, soone’s gonna get a nasty splinter or worse, the thing could break apart in the water."
The boys exchanged exhausted glances, but no one argued. Even if they didn’t like it, they knew the teacher had a point.
"How do we shave them down?" Lucas asked.
The PE teacher picked up a smaller axe and knelt beside one of the logs. "Watch closely," he instructed, then placed the blade against the bark and began scraping downward with controlled movents.
Bits of wood peeled away, revealing a smoother surface beneath.
"This is called hewing," he explained. "You don’t want to chop at it like you’re cutting firewood. Just scrape off the rough parts, keep it even. Work your way down the length of the log. It takes a little ti, but it’ll be worth it."
Leo groaned. "So, basically, more arm pain. Great."
The PE teacher grinned. "Think of it as an upper-body workout."
"Yeah, because we totally needed more of that," Oliver muttered.
The PE teacher ignored their complaints and stood up, brushing the wood dust off his hands. "Pair up and get started. The faster we finish this, the sooner we can start tying the raft together."
The boys reluctantly picked up their tools and got to work.
Lucas paired with Leo, and together they tackled one of the larger logs. Lucas mimicked the teacher’s technique, scraping the bark with steady strokes.
At first, his hands struggled to maintain the right pressure, but after a few minutes, he found a rhythm.
Leo, on the other hand, was already complaining.
"Dude, this sucks," he grumbled, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "I swear my arms are gonna fall off."
Lucas chuckled. "Just imagine we’re carving our nas into history or sothing."
Leo gave him a flat look. "I’d rather carve my na into a full plate of food right now."
Despite the grumbling, they pressed on.
The logs slowly transford under their efforts, the rough outer layers peeling away to reveal smoother surfaces beneath.
The sound of axes scraping against wood filled the air, accompanied by occasional grunts of exertion and the rhythmic thunk of bark hitting the ground.
At one point, Oliver glanced up from his log and called out, "Hey, teacher! How are we tying these things together? Duct tape and hope?"
The teacher smirked. "Rope, obviously. Lots of it. We’ll be using a lashing technique to keep the logs secured. Once the base is tight, we’ll add so crossbeams for stability."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Where are we even getting that much rope?"
The teacher tapped his bag. "Brought a whole bundle of it. You’d be surprised what you can fit into a supply kit when you plan ahead."
Leo rolled his eyes. "Great. So we could’ve had pre-made rafts, but instead, we get the ’work-for-it’ experience."
"Exactly," the PE teacher said with a grin.
The boys kept working, the repetitive motions numbing their minds as the logs gradually took shape.
Ti stretched on, the sun shifting above them, casting long shadows as the afternoon wore on.
Every so often, one of them would pause to shake out their arms or take a quick sip of water before diving back in.
By the ti the logs were fully shaved and relatively smooth, the boys were coated in wood dust, sweat, and exhaustion.
Lucas let out a long breath, wiping his hands on his already-dirty pants. "Okay. That took way longer than expected."
Oliver flopped onto a log, his face buried in his arms. "I’m never touching wood again after this."
The PE teacher clapped his hands together. "Nice work. Now, ti to tie them up."
A chorus of groans erupted from the group.
Leo threw his head back dramatically. "Man, can’t we just, I don’t know, hope they stay together on their own?"
The PE teacher laughed. "You could, but I don’t think the ocean’s gonna be that forgiving."
Reluctantly, the boys picked up the bundles of rope and got to work again. They followed the PE teacher’s instructions, looping and tightening the rope around the logs in crisscross patterns.
It was tedious work, but as the structure slowly started coming together, a sense of accomplishnt settled over the group.
Leo gave it a critical look. "Think this thing will actually float?"
The PE teacher patted the side of the raft confidently. "Only one way to find out."
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