‍Context Summary:

Gary Paulsen’s book, Hatchet, follows a teenage boy protagonist named Brian with divorced parents who manages to survive after his plane crashes in the Canadian Wilderness. Using the hatchet his mother once gifted him, he manages to stay alive, fighting the natural obstacles of his environment.

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Continued Segment from Chapter 18:

Brian came out of the water. He choked and fell on the ground, then blacked out. When he woke up, the most unbelievable thing happened. He felt something hard and bumpy under him, so he started to dig it up with his hatchet. Brian found a toolbox hidden under the sand. “How did it get here?” he wondered. Well, he didn't care for long. After the underwater mission for the safety kit, he had given up. With no energy, Brian started to head back to his shelter. It was hard to sleep that night. All he could think about was his escape.  

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Every second his curiosity grew. He studied the toolbox, wondering why it was under the sand. Then, he remembered something, but the keyhole stopped him as he started to open it. He stopped for a while and thought maybe it was somewhere on the plane. Maybe it was a box the captain told him not to open only if it was really important. Brian realized that if the Captain thought it was important, that meant something was there to help him through the journey. Then again, he remembered that the key was probably in the plane. It was hard for him to choose what to do next.

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What do you think Brian should do? 

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If you think he should look for the key, continue reading. If you think he should forget about it, skip to the heading titled “Ending 2: The Hatchet”.

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Ending 1: The Key

Brian knew it was a huge risk, but who would want to stay on an island forever? He knew that the only thing he could do was open the box.

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 “Whatever it takes,” Brian yelled out, to no one in particular.

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He started to head back to the ocean, hoping that he could come out safe and he would soon be in a plane, warm and toasty. Soon he dived underwater and looked around. Then he saw the pilot's remaining body, knowing that it could be him next. He started looking around with no more breath. Could it be in the backseat or where?  Then he finally realized that the key was in the pilot's pocket. Then it hit him... he had to touch the pilot’s dead body.  

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He started shivering. He knew he couldn't go underwater for long. What should Brian do? He had no chance, but he knew his time was running out, so he had to do something. Brian thought maybe there was another way to get it but Brian’s luck was gone. He had no more choice but to touch the dead body. He swam over to the captain. 

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“Whatever,” he thought. He put his hands in the captain's dirty pocket and he felt something that might be the key. He pulled it out. Then he took his last breath. He was drowning into the ocean. Then he saw a flashing light above him. What could it be? He saw everyone there standing, but he knew that it was a dream. Another way, he survived and gave himself one more wish. Then he closed his eyes and down he went under the sea and that wish was that his parents would finally get back together and have a happy ending for one more time.

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Brian died. To discover the other ending option, continue reading.

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Ending 2: The Hatchet

Brian started to think about whether he should go find the key, but he knew he shouldn’t, so he went to the shore and looked at the ocean hoping that he would have the key and get out. But then he froze, remembering that the pilot had the key in his pocket. Of course, Brian didn't have the nerve to touch the dead body, so he went back to the shelter. Then he thought, “Why not make another plan to escape?” Maybe he should stay on this island forever and never go back home, but then again Brian missed his parents a lot. It made him think again.

So instead Brian tried something else, maybe back to his old idea of a raft. He promised himself that he would escape from this island soon. He knew in his heart that he might not be rescued, but hoped that he wasn’t right. That night Brian went out on the shore and watched the stars twinkle brightly in the dark blue sky, wishing on every star that he could go home to all his favorite foods like pasta, bread, and the casserole his mom cooks. The smell of home rose to his nose. He felt so homesick.

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When he was thinking about it, the moose from the river came near his shelter. Brian screamed and started to say shoo shoo shoo go away, but the moose didn't look scared and hit Brian in the head. Luckily, he had a survival kit with Band-Aids and other stuff. The only thing he didn't have was the transmitter. Soon Brian just felt a little tired and it felt like his muscles were broken, so he started to doze off and slept for the night, dreaming of what the smell of home was like and how he could tell his parents about what had happened. He also imagined how proud his parents would be. When he woke up the next morning, Brian started to do his daily routine. He started to gather berries, collect the fish, and the most important one was gathering wood as he promised himself to leave the island. While Brain was collecting the wood for his raft, he heard a loud sound. He had never heard anything that loud and then it hit him. Maybe it was a plane! He ran back to his shelter but this time he didn't use the fire. Brian used his hatchet and put it up high in the air. The metal of the hatchet shined like it never had before. 

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Brian survived! To discover the other ending option, look for the “Ending One: The Key” heading.

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