The Untouchable

Chapter 81

The thrill of the hunt stirred something long forgotten in Daniel, something buried beneath layers of apathy and depression. Leading the way ahead of Darima, he jumped enthusiastically from one promising mound to the next, eagerly brushing aside a thin layer of rotting leaves with his stick in search of mushrooms. So far, he'd been quite lucky: twice he had stumbled upon clusters of hidden boletus beneath the fallen foliage, found several chanterelle mushrooms, and even the prized porcini. In contrast, Darima, taking her time and enjoying the hunt leisurely, had only managed to fill a third of her bucket, while Daniel's was already half full. This fact pleased him immensely.

"Break tiiime!" Darima called out wearily, waving to get his attention. She put her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Take a break, Daniel! I'm thirsty and hungry!"

"Alright!" Daniel agreed reluctantly, straightening up and removing his sweaty baseball cap. The bright sunlight immediately dazzled him, and he squinted, letting the warm rays bathe his face and create a red glow behind his closed eyelids. He shifted slightly to stand under a pine tree and took a moment to appreciate the edge of the forest - something he hadn't done while preoccupied with mushroom hunting.

The forest seemed almost ethereal in the slanted sunlight filtering through the treetops, giving it a magical quality akin to a scene from "Alice in Wonderland." The trunks of pine, larch, and cedar trees were bathed in a warm, golden light, resembling giant, glowing candles. This gentle luminescence complemented the vibrant, joyful colors of the forest edge. A light breeze stirred the pointed grass and flower tips, silently dropping delicate petals to the ground. The air was filled with the buzzing of gadflies, bees, and the faint hum of mosquitoes, while a cloud of gnats hovered nearby. The forest was alive with the occasional creak of wood and the soft sighs of the earth beneath the hot sun.

Daniel inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet, complex scent of the forest, and leaned against the warm tree trunk, feeling an unexpected peace wash over him. It was a moment of pure happiness that made him want to smile for no reason - something that would surely have earned a reproachful shake of the head from Baba Songolik.

The spell was broken as Darima entered the clearing noisily, her energy disrupting the quiet. She dropped her bucket, spilling the bouncing mushrooms, set down a backpack with water and food, and plopped down beside them, removing her hat and waving it for relief.

"You had to rush around like that, huh? I'm exhausted, and if you get lost, Songolik Gidargunovna will have my hide," she said.

"I'm sorry. But how could you get lost here? Baikal's right there as a landmark," Daniel gestured towards the invisible lake.

"It's piss easy to get lost here, even with Baikal," Darima laughed when he raised his eyebrows. "What? I can use a little language too. Anyway, let's eat," she said, untieing her backpack and spreading out a bag on the grass like a makeshift tablecloth. She started unpacking their simple meal: hard-boiled eggs, sliced homemade bread, soft butter, and raw-smoked sausage. Daniel added his own provisions, pouring kurunga into plastic cups, which exuded a tangy, fermented milk aroma, and took a bite of an egg half.

"Look at this! I picked some wild garlic on the way here. There could have been more if you weren't rushing like a wild animal," Darima teased, holding up a bundle of herb with purple-white roots. "It's a miracle I found it; it's past wild garlic season, but it's cooler in the lowlands." She cut off the dirty tips with a mushroom knife, folded one stalk several times, and dipped it in salt. "Here, try it like this."

Daniel hesitated before following her example, folding the stalk and dipping it in salt. The tart, salty taste immediately filled his mouth, awakening his appetite. He eagerly paired the wild garlic with a piece of sausage on a soft slice of bread.