by Darrel Bird
of his peripheral vision, but when he turned his eyes that way he saw only forest, and he struggled on through the deep snow. There was at least a foot of fresh powder over an additional two feet of snow that crackled when his feet pushed through it.
As he went further he thought he saw the shadow again. He stopped and stared around him, but saw nothing, the forest stretched out before him in a panorama of frozen wilderness, and the darkness was descending fast.
He started down across a gully that was choked by a tangle of growth when he was hit from behind, and knocked flat. Another figure came in swiftly, and grabbed him by the arm, while another grabbed him by the leg. “Oh my God, I’m being attacked by wolves!” He beat at the dog with his fist as he saw several other wolves standing watching the two tear at his arm, and leg. They were waiting for the two Alphas to injure him before they moved in for the kill. He kicked and screamed at the wolves, they had already torn through the special artic gear he was wearing, and he felt a pair of fangs penetrate his wrist as the eighty pound beast dug his haunches into the snow, and gave a mighty yank on his arm. He was splayed between the two animals while the others looked on.
All of a sudden the wolves turned loose, and ran into the forest, leaving him lying there gasping for breath. A man appeared out of the trees, and knelt by him, speaking to him in Russian. “Are you well?” He quickly gathered his wits about him enough to answer in Russian, “I am glad you showed up, they were tearing me to shreds.”
“You must have been floundering in the snow.”
“I suppose.”
“Your Russian is good, but not good enough, are you English?”
“Who are you?”
“I am Yuriy, I have a reindeer herd near here, I was just checking on them when I came across you.”
“Thank you Yuriy, I am grateful to you.”
“It is nothing; do you want to stay at my camp?”
“That might be the best thing.”
“Good, follow me, and I’ll take you to it.”
He followed the man for about a quarter of a mile before he saw the herd of about forty Reindeer scattered through the tree’s. Hooking up with a Russian wasn’t his ideal of the safe way to go, but neither was dieing by being torn apart by a pack of large wolves.
“Won’t the wolves attack the herd Yuriy?”
“I will build a fire at the base if that dead tree just ahead. They will see the fire, and won’t attack the animals. The wolves know me, and I know them.”
The Russian began laying dead wood at the base of the large tree, and then lighted the wood with a small amount of Kerosene. He put the can back on a sled and then began to prepare his bed which consisted of Caribou hide, and fur. A sort of sleeping bag in which, after he pulled off his boots, and coat, leaving his fur cap on, he wriggled down into the sleeping bag.
All the trouble to make warm clothing for us to survive the arctic in and this guy has us all beat.
He unrolled his bag, and laid it on the snow. The man looked at it, “People go to a lot of trouble just to keep warm, will it keep you warm through the night?”
“I hope it does Yuriy, but I’m losing confidence fast.”
“Why have you come to Russia?”
He was caught, and he knew it, and there was no use in putting on much of an act. Not all Russians agreed with the government, and that might work in his favor, also it could get him life in a Russian prison.
“There is heavy underground activity near here. My government wants to know if they are building nuclear missiles. It is a very dangerous times in history my friend.”
“They are mining for coal there. My son works at the mine. It is very hard and dangerous work, but the young want things, trinkets and such, it is bad for them, but you can’t convince them of that.”
“I still have to get in there and take a look. Would you be willing to get me close enough to look?”
“Why not? The government has done me no favors; they won’t subsidize a small herd such as mine. There is nothing for you to see anyway.”
“Can you take me tomorrow?”
“Yes, now we sleep.”
The man disappeared inside his sleeping bag as Jerry lay there thinking, They dropped me in here knowing full well that it was only a coal mine, I should go to the lake, and call in the pickup tomorrow. The CIA is doing make work. I’ve no doubt that the Russians are trying to start another cold war, but not here. They spend money like water, and you can’t believe a damn thing even your fellow workers say. This is not what I thought the CIA was.
Yuriy woke him while it was still dark, “Up, we must be going to see the mine, the government does have guards there, but the guards are to keep the workers in.”
“How many miles?”
“About three miles”
He had asked to check to see if the Russian lied, he already knew where they were, and how many miles away the mine was by checking the Sat-Nav under the cover of his sleeping bag. He felt he could trust the man.
It took them the better part of the day to get a look at the mine from the edge of the cleared forest. He spent thirty minutes studying the mine thru a pair of binoculars. It was a coal mine just as the Russian had said. The CIA had risk his life for nothing. He now knew that he was that tiny cog in a giant machine of mistrust, lies, and delusion.
When they got back to the camp, he thought about the wolf attack, and Yuriy appearing just in the nick of time to keep him from being torn to shreds, My wife has been right all along, and I wouldn’t listen. If I get out of here alive, I’m going to attend that church with her. Why didn’t I see the realness of God before? I have been a fool in so many ways. A fool to get into the CIA, and a fool for wasting my family.
He heard Yuriy steering around, “I have to go check on the herd; Reindeer have a mind of their own most of the time.”
“Yuriy, I have to get to that lake that’s just north of here, that is where I can get picked up. My government has misused me, and I have to get back to my family.”
“Your government is the same as mine, it is on the way, so I will get you there.”
“Thank you my friend.”
“It is good that two people meet from the warring countries. By that we are assured the people are still the people.”
“Yes it is Yuriy.”
He found a tree to tie the antenna wire to, then spoke a few words into the radio, “The goose is cooked.”
A voice came back, “The gander is flying.”
He and Yuriy raced to get to the lake, and as he walked onto the frozen lake he waved goodbye to his new found friend.
He set up the cable in the chute then leaned back into the soft cloth as he waited for the shock to come. He heard a whistle of air, and then the shock of the hook as it grabbed the cable and lifted him into the air. When it came he almost lost consciousness, his whole body felt as if he had been hit by a freight train, and then he was being pulled into the door of the plane. “Welcome home sir. We’ll be feeding breakfast in fifteen minutes, coffee, eggs and toast.” The sailor said while he grinned and smacked his gum.
“Crap, I feel like I’ve been torn from limb to limb.”
“I’ll bet you do sir, remind me never to volunteer for that circus stuff you guys cook up.”
“My last time, I can assure you.”
“They’ll check you over on the ship, I’m a medic but you don’t seem to be broken.”
When the plane landed on the ship, they brought a stretcher, and carried him to sick bay where they poked and prodded. He had a slightly dislocated shoulder, but all his limbs were still attached. He slept deeply for four hours before the CIA operatives entered his room, and told the medic to get lost.
“Glad to see you’re ok.”
“Oh, I’m sure you are.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing, I suppose you want to hear about my little trip into Siberia.”
“That would be nice since we have over a million dollars of tax payer money inve
sted in you. What have you got for us?”
“Nothing, that place is just a coal mine, nothing else. I think you suspected that.”
“Did you get close?”
“Yes, it’s a coal mine.”
“We suspected it was, but we had to be sure.”
“I respect the CIA’s need to know. What I don’t respect is the CIA’s attitude toward human life. The cover up of information, even between its own men, and women. When I get back to DC, I’m out.”
“You mean you want a transfer back to Atlanta? That can be arranged.”
“No, I mean I’m out, I’m not going back to Atlanta. I know of a farm in Missouri for sale, and I aim to squat on my own land with my wife and kids, and have my own shitter out back. You’re going to pay it off for me free and clear or I take this to the Senate sub-committee.”
“Are you threatening us Mr. Gray?”
“No threat, just get me my land, and I’m done with you.”
“Could you write the property address down for us? I’ll see what I can do.”
He scribbled the name of the farm, and the real estate agent out. The men left and never returned. He was on ship two weeks before a pilot came to get him to fly him to Virginia Beach Naval Shipyard.
He flew directly to DC from there, and got a cab back to the apartment. Ellen met him at the door, and kissed him fiercely. It was good to be home. He smothered the kids in kisses, sat with them a while, one on each knee until it grew late, and they were sleepy.
“Past your bedtime squirts.” Ellen took the two children down the hall to bed, and than back to ease onto his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder and began