The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 36 Fish-sub non launch

Saturday was an auspicious day for the twins. It was their birthday, there was no school and it would be the launch of their Fish-sub. Their birthdays were usually tinged with sadness because their mother had died just hours after their births, as it was the anniversary of her death. But today there was too much at stake for morbid rememberings.

Kapitán Bláznivý Marek and First Officer Slepý Bobek were in their rather disreputable boathouse with light streaming into the building through the roof, which had seen better days. They were trying to push a rather unusual looking miniature submarine, in the shape of a carp, into the water... but so far they had not succeeded to budge it a single centimetre. 

To launch Fish-sub it was necessary to shift it from the top of the boathouse, where it was supported by the mud, down a hastily constructed muddy slipway to the other end where there was sufficient water for it to float. The lake entered the boathouse via a narrow channel down the centre.

The boys were bickering as usual.

"It must be fins." Bláznivý Marek said. "They stick in mud!"

"I simply lift fins then!" asked Slepý Bobek.

There was the familiar sound of giggling from outside.

"By the way are you pushing Fish-sub or not?" Bláznivý Marek asked. "You Bullock! It's moving on my side."

"Liar it doesn't move at all your side either you bullock." Slepý Bobek retorted. "If it were moving on your side it would be moving my side and of course I am pushing Fish-sub up you bullock. If I pushed any harder I would simply Fred myself!"

There was more giggling from outside.

"Get in and lift fins!"Bláznivý Marek commanded.

"We need lever to push this fine craft into water." Slepý Bobek retorted. "For her maiden voyage. Today the lake tomorrow the world."

"I am starting to think that we need just little bit of Semtex." Bláznivý Marek said with wicked glint of glee in his eye."

"No absolutely NOT!" His brother shouted.

"I know exactly where to get some!" Bláznivý Marek, teased with an almost maniacal look of euphoria just the very concept of using explosives.

"No no no no." Slepý Bobek. "You remember what happen last time?"

"I was only thirteen then I have grown whole year wiser!" Bláznivý Marek boasted. "And Mr Vanek is walking much better now."

"Yes but he will probably have no children." Slepý Bobek remonstrated. "Don't you think that we should ask for help to put Fish-sub in water?"

"That would spoil surprise!" Bláznivý Marek protested.

The argument continued throughout the morning as they inched the little submarine towards the water, and all this despite the ever longer levers that they employed. But there was one compensation, at least Bláznivý Marek seemed to have conceded that Semtex was out of the equation. There was no way that Slepý Bobek was going to allow his brother blow all that effort to smithereens.

"It might be fun being ghost though." Bláznivý Marek said unhelpfully. "I hear that ghost can walk through walls. We could go and watch girls bathing."

The look on his brother's face said it all. "You Bullock! Ghosts have to stay where they were killed. I can't walk through walls but I have seen girls washing several times."

"I knew that!" Bláznivý Marek lied.

There was further giggling from outside.

"Are you two just going to giggle outside or will you help us launch Fish-sub?" Slepý Bobek shouted.  

"We thought that you'd never ask!" Greta said triumphantly.  

Bláznivý Marek shot him a poisonous look. "You bullock you are traitor!"

"I am simply being scientific!"Slepý Bobek protested.

"Do either of you know how to cook?" Bláznivý Marek asked, because he was feeling hungry and they still had the cans of food.

"Of course we do!" Stepa asserted.

"We will share some of our food with you and then we will all launch Fish-sub together." Bláznivý Marek said. " Once we have sufficient calories!"

Greta and Stepa looked at the cans dubiously.

"They look very old!" Stepa observed.

"I have it on good authority that they have not been kept indefinitely yet!" Slepý Bobek asserted.

"That's good isn't it Greta!" Stepa said brightly and they both giggled. Neither of them had the slightest idea what Bobek was on about but they were too hungry to argue. It sounded as though the Slepý Bobek was confident that they wouldn't die immediately in horrible contorted agony.

"Don't forget to save some for me!" Eliška thought at them.