Chapter Three
Jezz’s father had steadfastly refused to negotiate on one point when he and the university people were splitting hairs about the forest.
He insisted that one of his people always had to be in charge of the forest, a person his people trusted to uphold the needs of the tribe.
The university finally conceded, and that person now was Jim. He had inherited the role of chief of the tiny tribe and forest manager from his mother, Jezz, who was happy to step aside and watch TV in her miserable home.
This was a dream job. He was outdoors all day and completely in charge of what he did and how he did it. He’d done it for 10 years now, so it was easy. Jim kept the fire roads clear and made sure the gates at the public roads weren’t blocked.
Even though the forest was technically pr
