Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty Three - Water and Fire (2/2)

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While Tyler was being convinced that cultivating was the path he ought to take, others were worrying about another issue; fire.  Or more specifically, how to produce it in terms of cooking.

Although everyone was now aware that Nathan actually had a working oven, they did not make a fuss over this for two reasons; the wood pile that Nathan relied on was dwindling and none of them knew many dishes that could be produced from scratch with an oven anyway.  Jacket potatoes were an exception.  However, Winston had to point out that they were down to their last gas canister for the small camping stove.

Their next option was to rely on one of the two barbecues they had grabbed from the village; one ran on gas and the other on charcoal.  But the charcoal they would rather keep for winter as there were a couple of open fireplaces that they could rely on and attempting to cook a pot of stew on a barbecue seemed wasteful of gas.  Plus, it would only be a solution in the dry months.  No one was stupid enough to attempt to adapt the large canister for use on the small camp stove.

There was the old range oven in the kitchen, like in Nathan's cottage, but no one had used this and no one knew if it could still work.Plus there was the added point that fuel would still be required to work it.

”There's a few dead trees in and around the village,” Dexter pointed out.This was true, but even with those trees chopped down, how long would the wood need to be dried out if those trees died during this year?

”The bags of coal can be used as well,” Patrick mentioned, though they had planned on keeping this for winter, but they needed to eat to survive until then and not all vegetables and fruit could be eaten raw.He turned to Nathan, who had been asked to come over to teach them to use the old stove.”Is there anything else we need to do before trying to use the stove?”

”It's dusty, you should clean it,” Nathan said matter of factly.

Winston and Harry snickered slightly behind the boy's back, while Tyler just rolled his eyes.”What about the chimneys?” The man drawled as he glanced up at the metal pipe attached to the back of the stove.

”What about them?” Patrick asked.

”Well you can't use a fireplace without the chimney being unblocked and free of debris,” Tyler replied in his usual harsh tones.Meditation had not calmed nor settled his temper in any way.”I am assuming it is the same principal.”

”Mother hires someone to clean out the chimneys in the autumn,” Nathan mentioned.”They clean out the chimney at my cottage too.”They glanced at Nathan with obvious sympathy in their eyes, all thinking pretty much the same thing; who knew if the youth's mother was even alive anymore?But Nathan failed to notice what was held in their expressions.Ren Zexian looked thoughtful and pressed his hand against the metal pipe, before closing his eyes.

”There is a blockage, it is some way up the chimney,” he mentioned, before adding.”It is of no hardship to deal with.”The ability users felt rather than saw the air stirring about them before an audible 'pop' occurred outside.”It is clear now.”With the exception of Nathan, the others looked at him incredulously.Using such a powerful ability, one that could cleanly slice the head off of a weak Zombie without being seen, for household maintenance... it just seemed a little much.”As for fuel,” Ren Zexian continued as if it was not a big issue, ”I have an idea.”