The 76th Hunger Games

Chapter 20

     After having a long argument with Mason about pom-poms, I sit by the cotton tree and break off a few branches to make a loom. I tie them together with straw and when I'm satisfied that it's strong enough, I begin to gather wads of cotton. I start the first hat and sigh. This might take longer than I thought it would.

     I finish the first hat and walk back to our camp. "Who wants the first hat?" I ask. Clove's hand shoots up a split second before Mason's does and I toss it to her. I go back to my loom and start working on the second. I sneeze from the cotton but keep working.

     It's afternoon by the time I finish the second hat, and I walk back to camp as soon as I do. I toss it to Mason and sit down for a break. I take a gulp of water from my canteen and sigh. "I wish there was more time in a day. Oh well. I'll finish my hat and we'll have some food." I promise. Clove and Mason nod and I go back to the cotton tree.

     The sun is slowly sinking in the sky when my hat is finished. I put it on my head and smile at the softness. I scoop up my loom and walk back to camp for a last time. "What's for dinner?" I ask. Clove shrugs.

"We're really low on food right now. The only thing left is what came in our packs." She says. I sigh. I wonder if we could get some sponsors...Or maybe not. Maybe we're close to a huge source of food and the sponsors are just seeing if we're clever to figure out where to get the food. "I'm going downstream." I announce. I arm myself with my crossbow this time, because I honestly don't want to repeat the Cornucopia incident. "Can you stay and guard camp? Maybe make a fire in case I find some food?" I ask. Mason nods and Clove shrugs. I smile. "Alright. I'll be off. If I'm not back by the time the sun goes down, one of you come looking please. If you hear a cannon, come looking for me too." I explain.

"Sure. If you come back without food, we'll signal some sponsors or go hungry for the night." Clove says. I nod and take off downstream. I see a few fish swimming around in the stream, but I can't catch them. That's when I get an idea. I see how a small creek running in the opposite direction connects to the stream and runs the same way. I see all the fish coming from the creek and grin. I quickly grab rocks and branches and make a dam in the stream, stopping the fish from passing by. They get stuck but start swimming upstream to our pond. I frown and craft another dam on the other side, so the fish get caught in a small pool. I run to Clove and Mason. "We need a bucket  or something!" I cry. Clove grabs one of the baskets I made and tosses it to me. Perfect. I run back to the dams and put the basket in, trapping three fish in there. One fish for each of us. I break the dam and the fish swim through. I can make more tomorrow for next meal. The fish won't keep.I run back to camp and I put the basket down right in front of my allies. A cannon fires right at that moment but I don't worry about it much.

     Clove fashions a spit out of a few sticks and we roast the fish over our now roaring fire. I put the fish down on rocks to serve as plates and I'm about to dig in when a silver parachute descends. The three of us lunge at it, overly-excited, and tear open the packaging. Inside there is a pot of broth, three bowls, and three spoons. I smile. "Thank you!" I say to the sky. I dig the last of the roots out of my bag and look by the pond for something else for our fish soup. I spot some chives and chop them, and some green leaf. When I sniff it, I recognize it as cabbage. Fish and cabbage soup. I run back and pick the bones out of our fish. I chop the cabbage, add the roots and chives, and stir. I pour it into three bowls and we all eat.

     The sun has sunk beneath the mountains when I finish my soup. The anthem plays and I see the boy from District 1's face, who Mason killed, and the face of the girl from District 11. That must have been the recent cannon. I clean up the bowls and pot and keep the leftovers for tomorrow. I climb up the tree, yawning, and Clove and Mason join me beside the tent. "How about...I have first watch, Mason second, and Jonette third?" Clove suggests, yawning tiredly. I nod and Mason shrugs indifferently. We crawl into our tent and curl up in our sleeping bags. My full stomach is making me drowsy, and my eyes flutter shut slowly. They snap open when the earth begins to tremble.