The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 84 Vengeance is a food best taken cold

Most of the men had migrated from the mine to the primeval lure of the bonfire outside. Elektra had joined Pawel, Michal and Basil because inside was increasingly becoming the territory of the women and children.

"And where does this man Kelp stay?" Pawel said innocently, trying to make it sound as though his motives for asking were merely so that he could pop in for a social call, have a coffee, and perhaps, discuss world events.

"Yes it sounds very interesting that job he does!" Michal commented.

"You two leave Kelp to me. Let your wounds heal!" Elektra said, seeing the real motivation behind the question. "Kelp's days are numbered anyway."

"You bullock! You think these are wounds?" Pawel blustered. "These are mere scratches... I get worse cuts shaving!"

"Yes!" Michal said supportively, "He is very bad shaver! Very bad shaver indeed. I have never met a worser shaver in my life!"

Pawel shot his brother a look to shut him up. Michal looked hurt.

"But you don't usually shave your leg do you?" Elektra asked. "I hope not.

"Only on special occasions you bullock!" Pawel said laughing. "Michal shaves his legs to look pretty!"

"I do not!" Pawel refuted laughing.

"Basil you must not try anything stupid... like trying to kill Kelp!" Elektra added, speaking in English for Basil's benefit.

"Oh!" Basil said, not previously being aware that it was something that he was required to do. "Right!"

He was finding the day increasingly strange and incomprehensible, even when some of it occurred in English.

"None of you need to bother!" Samuel said, suddenly appearing in front of them.

"You bullock!" Pawel said "I wish that you would stop doing that sir."

"Why don't we need to bother?" Elektra asked.

"Let's just say that I won't need to feed the wolves tonight!" Samuel said.

"How did it happen?" Elektra asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say that Kelp chose an injudicious moment to dispose of some mouflon bones and then go for a walk still smelling of them!" Samuel said. "They went back for the bones!"

"Which bones?" Elektra asked.

"All of them... including Kelp's!" Samuel replied. "But on the bright side Adolphus says that on the whole he prefers mouflon!"

Accepting the proposal

"Yes, Samuel. Do you know I think I will marry you..." Katka said rather too loudly not to be overheard. Her discussions with Eliška had guided her inexorably to this opinion demolishing her objections one after the other.

"Oh well at least that's settled then!" Samuel said. Katka felt disappointed. Samuel's answer spoke rather more of pragmatism than of passion and Katka had wished for at least some romance. Something on the lines of "Oh Katka you have made me the happiest man on Earth!" So she felt obliged to add.

"There are no guarantees in life about me making you happy... or happiness in general!" Katka said, surprised by her own certainty of purpose in the matter, "You are old man."

Samuel laughed and then he saw Katka's worried sad face and felt that she thought that she was stepping out onto the abyss with no net to catch her below.

"Katka perhaps my body does not know this yet." Samuel replied taking her in his arms. "I may never get a chance this good again. At the very least. I get a ready made family and a beautiful wife who will never burn the pans and might make me some more suitable clothes."