The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 46 Airlift

Vladimir suggested several locations that were good for carp fishing, but Spencer was keen to move the helicopter as soon possible and she was a heavy beast. Vladimir said that only one of the locations was really near the jetty if they were thinking about going out in a boat. This was at the far end of the waters, close to where the lake flowed into the river, and away from the noise and the bustle of the building site, where the fish would be nervous and less likely to bite.

Vladimir's eyes sought Spencer's looking to gauge whether Spencer was suitably impressed. He wasn't.

"And I also know where quicksand is." Vladimir added.

"Oh is there quicksand there?" Spencer asked, finally showing the interest that Vladimir had been hoping for. Spencer had a brief but enjoyable vision of Sir Percy up to his neck in it. Eliška giggled even though it was most un-Mík to do so.

"You wouldn't know that you're in quicksand, until you were so far in it, that you couldn't get out!" Vladimir said eagerly, finally satisfied that he had got a reaction. "I've seen that mire swallow horses and ponies in seconds and leave no trace." He exaggerated. Eliška shot him a look.

"Well maybe small horses and ponies!" He corrected. Eliška shot Vladimir another look. "Well... dogs anyway!" He corrected for a second time.

"Fakt," Spencer said and then he thought, "I wonder how long do you think that Sir Percy would last?"

Vladimir smiled as if Spencer had said it out loud and replied, "If you'll pardon me observing sir. I hear that this particular gentleman is simply fatty like pregnant sow. His Lordship certainly gets more dinners than he needs to and stays too long at table. He probably eats more food in one meal than my whole family eats in fortnight. He would sink very fast just by gravity especially if he thrashed about like pig like this."

Vladimir was clearly relishing the thought, that the man who had spoiled his fishing career and made him unemployed, would perish ignominiously in a horrible smothering death and he pantomimed the moves that he conjectured Sir Percy would make as he sank inexorably down and met his maker. He warmed to the theme. "and he looks like type to do just bit of thrashing like pig. Like pig being slaughtered that one. Marsh would swallow whole him too fat as he is! All that you would see then is few bubbles like this... blub, blub, blub."

Vladimir fluttered his fingers in the air. Then he made popping sounds by gently tapping his pursed lips with his fingers. He was clearly enjoying the pantomime. Eliška was giggled uncontrollably as Vladimir mimicked his vision of Sir Percy disappearing under the mud.

"Oh dear!" Spencer said, "We can't allow that to happen can we?"

"No sir!" Vladimir asserted triumphantly. "which is why you need help of Vladimir Horník!"

"Do you think that you should be talking about my employer in such terms?" Spencer asked awkwardly. Though Spencer tried not to, he was smiling when he said this. Eliška had finally managed to suppress her laughter but with one look at Spencer's unsuccessful attempts at keeping his own face straight she erupted back into fits of giggles again. Vladimir liked a good audience and so he continued.

"A helicopter is it? He asked, "Well if you don't land your smelly flying craft in right place then you could all sink into mud rotors and all. Maybe it too would sink without trace."

Eliška shot her uncle another one of her warning looks.

Spencer found the thought of Sir Percy disappearing into stinking mud rather a tempting proposition, though he found it highly unlikely that the whole Sikorsky could sink in. Suddenly he was shocked out of the comedy by the hailing tone of his Dudat.