Upstream
A free novelette from the Retinue of House Walker.
Upstream is an epistolary survival story told through the journal of a young man who leaves home after finding what he believes may be gold in a river. As he follows the water farther into the wilderness, the journey becomes increasingly difficult, isolating, and uncertain.
This story is free to read. If you enjoy it, the best way to support the Retinue is to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, join the email list, or follow along on TikTok and Bluesky.
About the Work Upstream
Title: Upstream
Work Type: Novelette
Length: Approximately 13,000+ words
Status: Free to read
Releases:
Website- Free to read .PDF edition (available now)
eBook Platform (Coming Soon)
Narrated Version (Coming Soon)
Story breakdown and analysis (Coming Soon)
About the Story
What begins as a hopeful expedition in search of gold becomes a record of isolation, hardship, and a journey that grows more dangerous the farther upstream it goes.
Upstream was inspired by a short clip of Brandon Sanderson mentioning that epistolary fiction basically the original form of “found footage” storytelling. That idea stuck with me. I wanted to explore what happens when a story is told entirely through a document created by the character living through it, where the reader only knows what the writer of that document chooses to record, notices, misunderstands, or leaves behind.
The story was written as a series of journal entries and drafted through live writing sprints on YouTube. That format shaped the way the story developed. Rather than stepping outside Joseph’s perspective to explain what was happening, the journal had to carry the entire experience through his observations, assumptions, changing priorities, and physical condition.
The survival elements also became an important part of the writing process. Food, fishing, foraging, weather, travel, injury, and the gradual depletion of supplies all had to remain believable over the course of the expedition. Small details such as what Joseph could catch, gather, cook, carry, or preserve became part of showing the passage of time and the increasing difficulty of the journey.
At its heart, Upstream is a found-document survival story about ambition, isolation, uncertainty, and what can happen when someone keeps moving forward long after turning back might have been the wiser choice.
Read Upstream
The website PDF edition is free to read. You may read it in your browser or download a copy for later.
This is the free-to-read PDF version of the novelette.
Future releases and alternative platforms will be linked here as they become available.
Support the Retinue
The Retinue of House Walker grows when people read, watch, subscribe, comment, share and follow along. Support on Youtube will allow us to continue developing and releasing stories, narrated editions, videos, field notes, and other Retinue projects free of charge.
You can support the project by subscribing on YouTube, joining the email list, following on TikTok and / or Bluesky, or sharing Upstream with someone who might enjoy it.
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