The Untouchable

Chapter 78

Stiff fingers grasped his shoulder, jostling it carelessly and shaking him awake, pushing away the sweet, deep sleep of the morning. Daniel mumbled as he woke, blinking sleepily. He sat up, shaking off the sticky sleep, scooted his feet into his unlaced sneakers, and stared dully at the velvet darkness where dawn was just beginning to glimmer, pale against the bright stars. Grim Sergey was rustling and rummaging behind the curtain that concealed the sleeping area. Fresh, invigorating air seeped through the open cabin door, chasing away the musty smells of stale bodies and smoke.

"Hurry up, we'll miss the bait," Sergey crawled backwards onto the seat, dropping a plastic bucket and a short shovel on his knees. Even in his groggy state, Daniel was surprised. He rubbed his bruised thigh, picked up the dropped items, and asked hoarsely.

"What should I do with this?"

"Put it on your head," Sergey advised with a chuckle. "We're going to dig worms. Don't you think at all? City folk."

The greasy, soft earth was easy to dig. Daniel threw it to the edge of a shallow, wide hole and dug into the cold, crumbly mass, pulling out slippery, wriggling worms with a shudder of disgust. Sergey, squinting one eye from the acrid tobacco smoke, pulled a few maggots from a broken stump and commented contentedly, "A squirrel is dead - we're lucky. Fish bite well on them, but they might turn their noses up at earthworms. The fish here are spoiled; they won't eat just anything. That's enough. Let's go. Move quietly, don't scare the fish away."

On the shore, Sergey assembled a folding fishing rod, unwound the line, baited the hook, and set it aside. He took out bread from a plastic bag, a pierced can of condensed milk, covered his head with his hand for some reason, and, bowing on all four sides, scattered the bread and poured a viscous trickle of milk. Daniel sat on a dry log by the shore, rinsed the mud off his hands, and splashed his face. The morning dawn shone softly pink on the horizon, illuminating the river, and squeezed his heart with an ironic longing. Daniel sighed noisily.

"I'm Orthodox, of course, but we can't do otherwise. All of us here put candles in churches, listen to lamas in the datsan, and run to shamans. You're surprised, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not surprised. Every land has its own rules," Daniel whispered.

"Naaaw," said Sergey, casting his fishing rod. This long "naw," used by the locals instead of "yes," had become habitual during the two-day trip. Silence followed. Daniel tried to breathe steadily, focusing on the rippling smoothness of the wide river and the breathtaking beauty of the landscape. Large fish splashed their tails, crickets chirped, the wakening forest breathed peacefully, birds sang joyfully, wood crackled. Sergey croaked contentedly, pulling out one fish after another, their carcasses gleaming in the pink light.

But a dark murk spread in Daniel's soul. Sergey, sticking the end of the rod into the ground, nimbly gutted a still-alive fish, its mouth opening helplessly. He rinsed the fish giblets and blood in the water and sprinkled coarse salt on the pink-blue bellies, soaking into the still-fluttering flesh. Daniel spat, but the saliva continued to flood his mouth in anticipation of vomiting.

"Five grayling, one omul, and one lenok. Look at this beauty! We'll salt it, and we can eat it by lunchtime," Sergey lifted a striped, pot-bellied lenok by the gills and turned it from side to side. The black fish eye gleamed senselessly in the glowing light, the white mouth opened in a silent scream. Daniel, unable to hold back, fell into the black, terrible, greedy abyss.

A shriek ripped through the blissfully silent forest. Daniel broke in two and collapsed to the ground, choking on dry sobs. He dug his fingers into the dewy grass, raking up clods of earth, struggling to regain consciousness. He was desperately drawn back thousands of kilometers to strong, reliable arms, to the man who loved him, the only one who made him feel safe. Phantom Alexander whispered soothingly, hummed, beckoning to him.