Winter Damage by Natasha Carthew

Author:Natasha Carthew
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, General
ISBN: 9781408835838
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2014-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

Ennor sat on the square of pebbles that Sonny had cleared earlier and held the fish in her lap. She thought about the head skating out there on the ice somewhere and guessed it wouldn’t be long before some bird or other swooped down to peck at the bloody lip of flesh where the body had been and its one exposed eye.

She felt the cut with her thumbs and opened it up to inspect its belly and insides and she told Sonny she’d done a good job.

‘You sittin starin at that thing till dusk or you gonna help fetch firewood?’ Sonny asked.

‘I’m comin.’

‘Dark will be comin in soon and if we don’t find wood we won’t be able to cook fish and you know what that means.’

‘What?’

‘Sushi. You ever tried eat raw fish?’

‘No, you?’

‘Nope and don’t want to start tryin neither so let’s go.’

They carried two lengths of rope with them and made their way back towards the woods they’d skirted earlier and although there wasn’t much in the way of trees, standing or otherwise, they managed to lift enough wood for a cooking and sleeping fire.

‘Good job,’ smiled Sonny when they returned to their camp. ‘Good job all ways, I reckon.’

Sonny nodded her way and Ennor knew she was close to saying something nice about the big fish without actually saying it and Ennor felt herself steam with pride when she looked at her catch.

Sonny built her spit above the damp smoky fire and both girls bent and coaxed the flames until the glow came back to their faces and Ennor finally passed over the fish.

She wished she had a camera to take its photo so she could show Dad when she got home. He would be so proud of her. Maybe even give her one of his trophies like he used to when she was a kid.

She watched Sonny thread a thin greenwood spear into its muscular side with a satisfying stitch.‘You want to put it on the spit? Say goodbye in your own special?’

‘No you can do it. I’ve done enough, catchin it and everythin.’

They sat and coaxed the fire some more and Ennor made pine-needle tea as they waited for what seemed like for ever for the fish to cook.

There was still a little light to the sky and they watched as a kestrel circled the lake, suddenly dropping like a weight to claw up the fish head.

‘We were a long way out, weren’t we?’ said Ennor.

‘Maybe too far out, when you look at that bird, just a speck in the dust.’

‘Poor bugger.’

‘Who?’

‘The fish. One minute he’s swimmin in his own glory and then bam.’

‘Flat on his back same as you,’ laughed Sonny. ‘Good fun though, weren’t it?’

Ennor poured the tea and turned the fish and she agreed that she quite enjoyed fishing. ‘Guess I’m lucky you came along.’

‘I had to help you out. Couldn’t stomach comin cross your crow-pecked corpse when spring arrived.’

‘That the reason you come?’

‘Bit of adventure, why? What you pokin at?’

‘Just wonderin stuff, your home life and that.

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