Page 46 - Ext. Listening Reading_Neat

caring for the vegetables and flowers. including a warm blanket, clothes, and flint
Justin, the oldest of the boys, would go up
to the pasture in the foothills above the
valley to tend sheep with Oscar. Late in the
afternoon, his brother Jake and cousin Elan
would join him to help bring the sheep
home. When the sun would start to go
down, Justin would signal to Oscar with a
high pitched whistle to gather the sheep;
and, with Justin in front, his brother and
cousin in the rear, and Oscar patrolling the
flanks, they would march the sheep down
the hill and back to their pens where the
sheep would spend the night. When the sun
finally set, it grew dark and cool even in
summer, and you could be sure once the
sun had set beyond the western hills,
everyone was safe in their houses.
Every fall the boys would return to
school, half days, because in the afternoon,
they would do their chores, take turns
tending the sheep in the hills, and work in
the garden, as they prepared for the
harvest. Once their chores were done, if the
sun still shone, they could play, fish, or
boat on the river, weather permitting. The
boys spent all their time in the village. No
one had thought to leave the valley where
there was plenty of everything. Nobody
knew what was on the other side of the
mountain that sheltered the valley, and
where the sun went to rest each day.
As the boys grew older there curiosity
prompted them to want to explore the rest
of the world. They were curious about
meeting new people, and wanted to learn
new things. Justin decided that it would be
great fun to travel west across the great
mountains that stood at the end of their
valley. When Justin shared his idea with
Jake and Elan, they made a pact to all go
together. When they told their parents, their
parents were concerned, but knew that
independence was part of growing up. Of
course the boys promised to travel only
during the day because it was much too
dark to travel at night.
The boys spent days discussing the
preparations for travel. Each was
responsible for collecting basic provisions,
42 | Extensive Listening & Reading
and iron rock to make fire. They all had
containers for water. They weren’t sure how
long they’d be gone or how far they would
travel. They didn’t know when they would
be returning. It took days to gather all the
things that they needed. They met and
checked each other’s packs to be sure they
had everything. Justin carried tools to clear
brush and cut wood for shelter and
fire. Jake carried a bag of seed for
vegetables and berry’s. Elan carried rope.
Justin packed salt, pepper and spices, and
lamb and yogurt jerky. Jacob was
responsible for knives, forks and spoons,
and wooden bucket and cups. Elan packed
fishing gear, fine line, rods, and hooks.
Each had a piece of cloth on which to sleep.
Their packs were full and they were ready to
go.
They said goodbye to their parents and
other friends and began to walk. They
followed the path into the pasture where
they tended the sheep with Oscar, and up
and into the hills until the path ended. They
walked higher and higher as they exited the
foothills and entered the mountains. They
followed the paths made by the mountain
goats and deer. They scrambled over
boulders, crossed little streams, and
traversed ledges. Up and up they climbed.
During the first few days they caught
glimpses of their village in the valley with its
peaceful river running through it and
smoke rising from the chimneys way off in
the distance. At night they would find flat
ground, gather wood, make a fire, sit
around the fire under their blankets and
discuss their plans. It was dark, oh, so
dark. As they would lie on their backs
waiting for sleep, they’d look up, but there
were no stars, no moon, and no planets.
There was no north star to give them
direction, or constellations help mark the
seasons, or moon to mark the months. It
was just dark. Without light they couldn’t
see, at least not beyond the
campfire. Without light, the beauty around
them disappeared until the morning light
would restore it.