Chapter 3

My words hung in the cold air, stunning the crowd into silence. 

A carpenter? What did woodworking have to do with drying firewood? 

Even Felix looked at me, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Mr. Lewis, what exactly are you suggesting?” 

I didn’t answer right away. 

Instead, I turned back to my cabin, rummaged through My toolbox, and retrieved a pencil and a smooth plank of wood. 

Returning to the yard, I crouched down under the crowd’s watchful, curious gaze. 

My hand moved fast across the wood.