Taken by E. C. Roderick

Author:E. C. Roderick
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781737435709
Publisher: Sandy Pier Press

We had come upon a water hole fed by a small stream, where we decided to rest. Leif carefully set me down on a nice-sized limestone rock slightly away from the silt shoreline. He paced around the area, scoping out something. After a moment, he finally found a good enough bush and hacked off a lower branch with the tomahawk stuck in his belt. He pulled up the sturdy branch and briefly looked it over with satisfaction before he came near to sit next to me. He took his dirk in hand and propped up one end of the branch, then began whittling it away.

Soon, the end of the branch was shaved into a clean, sharp point, and Leif had turned it into a sturdy spear. He proceeded to remove his boots and stockings, then went toward the water and waded in a shallow area between several medium-size rocks in the stream. He stood there quiet and still, gazing silently into the water like a stone sculpture. His spear was raised just enough above the water, and he patiently waited. I wasn’t certain how many minutes had gone by, but my stomach gave away my hunger and growled angrily. I leaned over a little, trying to quell the grumbling, when within the blink of an eye, he sharply drove his spear down into the water between his knees. He lifted his fishing tool and pulled out the largest rainbow trout I had ever seen. I grinned with sudden surprise, utterly impressed, as he quickly turned around in the water and faced me proudly, showing off his prize.

“Bravo!” I exclaimed, applauding him. “Qué magnifico! Excelente!” I poured on the ovation with my affected Italian accent in Spanish. His pleased face brightened further with a blatantly proud smile as he made his way back out of the water.

“A fair size, nae doubt,” he said.

“It looks like it was on steroids,” I commented.

“Steroids?”

“Never mind.”

“Weel, at least ye ken that I can also feed ye, àille dhubh,” he boasted.

“Yes, I suppose so. Thank you,” I said gratefully.

“Alrecht, now let’s prepare it,” he promptly suggested.

“Actually, sushi looks very good right about now.”

“Whit is sushi?” He gave me a puzzled look.

“Raw fish to eat.”

“Raw fish? Tae eat?” he echoed with a disgusted look.

“Yeah,” I said.

“That disnae soond fairly appetizing,” he said, shaking his head somewhat. I laughed a little. “Ye eat yer fish uncooked?” he inquired oddly. He was staring at me with a shocked expression as if I were an extraterrestrial.

“Not really,” I lied, shaking my head a little with a slight, uneven smile.

“Whit do ye mean, then?” he inquired curiously.

“Well, people in Japan do,” I said unthinkingly.

“I beg yer pardon?” He gazed at me, astounded.

“I mean that I read about it—that they eat it that way,” I said unevenly. I realized that I had to lie again.

“Och,” he said strangely. “Weel, we Scottish folk care tae cook ours before we eat it.” He winked at me, causing me to smile at him.

Leif was skilled with a tinderbox and quick with building a suitable campfire for our fish.

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