Page 1 of Brody
CHAPTER 1
Brody
If you lookup the word “lumberjack” in the dictionary the entry says, “a person whose job is to cut down trees to be used in building and industry.” This typically brings to mind the image of a man, often wearing red flannel, hacking away at the base of a tree with an axe.
Well, that image was correct in one way. I did often wear various colors of flannel to work. It was sturdy, comfortable, and easy to clean.
The rest of that image, however, was inaccurate. In the modern era, we were beyond the point of cutting down forests with hand axes.
First of all, a hand axe takes too long. We’d never be able to keep up with current demand if we had to cut everything down by hand one tree at a time. Instead, we used specialized equipment. Being a lumberjack wasn’t just about raw strength anymore. We also had to double as mechanical engineers and operators.
Secondly, we couldn’t just cut down any tree. Forests were delicate ecosystems that had to be protected, so there was a strict and complicated system for selecting exactly which areas we were allowed to harvest.
For this reason, I was surprised when I arrived at work and was told the location of our current job was being moved.
“What do you mean moved?” I asked as I stood in the doorway of our worksite’s temporary office. It was really just a shipping container that had been furnished to look like an office on the inside but was still clearly a metal box on the outside. The entire thing was easily portable, including the generator that gave the “office” power.
There was only one door and one window that had been roughly cut into the box. Standing in the doorway, blocking half the natural light, I cast a shadow over everything inside.
Including my boss.
Technically, his full name was Richard Fellsworth. He was relatively new, having been hired as our manager less than a month ago. On his first day meeting the crew, he’d requested that everyone call him Rick in an attempt to promote a friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately, he spoke as if he’d stepped right out of a corporate boardroom. From his too white teeth to his fake Rolex watch, nothing about the man was genuine.
I wasn’t certain who started it, but less than twenty-four hours after being assigned as our manager, everyone on the crew unanimously started calling him Dick. He hated it and had tried numerous times to get everyone to stop, but the more he pushed back, the more the nickname stuck.
Dick was a physically large man who looked like he could have been a lumberjack in his youth. However, anyone could tell after two minutes of talking to him that he’d never done a day of physical labor in his life. His spine was too weak, both literally and metaphorically.
Despite the naturally cool temperature this high up the mountain, sweat still beaded on Dick’s forehead. He dabbed at it with a handkerchief as he stuttered out an explanation, never looking me in the eye.
“Th-the order just came in a few hours ago. We’re changing the location of the jobsite. Something about finding a protected species of plants in this area that we can’t disturb.”
I sighed, already knowing it would be useless to complain. Magnus would know more about the local plant life. If he were here, he’d probably have a million questions about what they’d found and want to see it for himself.
Not me. The only thing I knew about plants was how to cut them down.
“Fine. We’ve already got the machinery set up, so it’ll take us some time to get everything moved.”
“A… about that…”
I could already tell I wasn’t going to like whatever Dick had to say, so I just glared at him in a silent command to keep talking.
“The higher-ups say they want everything moved in two hours.”
“What?”
The whole office shook as I stormed over and slammed my fist down on Dick’s desk. “Two hours? That’s barely enough timeto get everything packed up, let alone moved. What the hell are they thinking?”
Dick leaned back, but his desk chair didn’t have wheels so he could only move so far away without looking like that’s what he was doing.
“I don’t know. That’s just the order. They need everything moved within two hours.”
“Well, where even is the new location?”
Dick pointed it out on a map, and I nearly blew my lid all over again.
“It’ll take us forty-five minutes just to drive all the equipment that far. That’s gives us barely more than an hour to get everything packed up.”
Dick had his phone up to his ear, putting on an act of productivity even though he hadn’t actually called anyone yet. “Look. I’ll make a few calls and let them know that you need more time. Just get started, and I’m sure it’ll be fine so long as it’s clear that you’re moving as quickly as possible.”
