On the Precipice by Roger Arnold

On the Precipice by Roger Arnold

Author:Roger Arnold [Arnold, Roger]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-18T18:30:00+00:00


CHAPTER 15

As they made their way upstream, Calli and Rob both were wishing that they had fishing gear. They were in the midst of a trout fishing paradise. Water cascaded downward in a series of shallow drops with deep pools and backwaters below. There were occasional boulders strewn across the streambed, but mostly the bottom was smooth, bare basaltic rock in and just above the rapids and falls, with gravel and sand at the bottom of the pools and eddies behind the boulders. Short stretches of the river flattened out with the stream wrapping around small wooded islands. Mayflies were hatching and floating downstream. Trout were rising continuously in the flatter areas, feeding on the flies. Occasionally, a huge fish would jump for no apparent reason, splashing to the surface after showing off with a twisting, turning aerial display. Rob wondered if fish feel joy. He thought that if he were a fish and living in this environment, he would jump for joy.

They moved along slowly and carefully, both of them continually scanning ahead and to the side away from the stream, watching for the monster cat. They followed its trail, not difficult to see where it was dragging the deer, for about a quarter mile upstream along the riverbank until it veered off away from the river. The further they got from that point, the more relaxed they felt.

Even with or maybe partly because of the extreme danger, Rob felt more energized and in the present moment than ever before in his life. He was ever aware of Calli walking at various times behind, ahead, or alongside him. He could feel her like a gentle vibration of his soul. He didn’t give much thought to the logic or illogic of their one-day relationship. He supposed that it was similar to those in battlefield conditions. The shared stress of life and death situations quickly forms relationships that go deeper than under other circumstances.

He wondered if Calli actually felt the same as him. Maybe he was delusional, but it didn’t feel that way. He thought though, that if he was delusional, he wouldn’t realize it. That was the function of a delusion. He didn’t know if awareness of a potential for some state of being necessarily precluded it from occurring. For all he knew, Calli thought he was just a dork and was dealing with him because she had no other choice…at the moment. He wondered if he would have a chance with her once they got back to civilization. He drifted from the present momentarily and pictured himself and Calli in the real world when they got back. Would she find him interesting enough to even just hang out with once in a while? He thought that he’d ask her to have dinner with him. Who knows…she might say yes. He hoped that she wouldn’t agree to just not hurt him. He thought that if she turned him down, she would do it gently. She seemed like that kind of girl…nice…thoughtful.



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