Timber Tunnel

I marched past the flagstones straight over to the firewood stack beside the garden fence. Talk about a timber fortress! Heh! Down at the very base, two thick split logs formed a natural triangular cave. I tapped the bottom log with my pickaxe shaft—dense, dry oak, solid as bedrock! But wedged right across the gap was a stiff, curled strip of cedar bark, blocking the entrance like a portcullis. I dug my boots deep into the mulch, hooked the pickaxe fang beneath the bark rim, and gave a brisk lever tug. Pop-crunch! The bark rolled free onto the dirt, opening a clean, shadowed tunnel running deep beneath the logs. Perfect outpost!