It takes five pounds of wood to make one pack of cigarettes. Jack Wilson didn’t know that information as he lit his first cigarette of 20 on Tuesday. When he finished smoking he went inside and started getting ready for work. Trimming his beard and throwing on his filthy lumberjack clothes, he headed out the door. Jack drove 23 miles in the smog to the closest forest, where he planned to chop down 2 acres of trees to make supplies.

When he arrived he saw his team members waiting patiently for him, but they looked completely irritated. He soon found out why. As he turned the corner there stood a short, young, blonde girl with circular glasses. She was wearing a “Save the Trees” t-shirt and a name tag that said “Janie.” She was an unwelcome protester.

Even though she was against what Jack was doing he was astounded by her beauty. She had big brown eyes and her luscious blonde hair was tied in a sloppy bun. When he got out of the car, apparently knowing who the boss was she glared fiercely at him. As he approached her with caution she must have read his mind because she firmly stated, “I’m not leaving.” They argued for hours about who is right and who is wrong in this situation. Her voice was raising higher and higher when suddenly they heard a quick police siren.

Everybody got so silent Jack could hear the gravel crunch under Sheriff Colton’s cowboy boots as he walked.

“I hear we have an issue on our hands” he said looking Janie directly in the eye. She tried to explain as he inched forward but it wasn’t convincing enough to stop him. He asked her to leave several times because she had no right to petition and this was a business. Finally after refusing to leave he forcefully escorted her out of the perimeter.

When Janie and Sheriff Colton were out of sight and all that was left were small dust devils Jack looked around curiously and questioned,

“Who called?” One hefty member of the team came forward and confessed.

“ We had to get the job done before sun down, I got a wedding to go to and I didn’t have time for more of that argument.” Chuckling silently to himself, at the thought, Jack quickly got everybody back to work and hopped on his crane.