He who speaks the truth must keep one foot in the stirrup.
Polish Proverb
God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe said, "Man, you must be puttin' me on!"
God said, "No." Abe said, "What?"
God said, "You can do what you want, Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run..."
So Abe said, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
And God said, "Out on Highway 61."
Bob Dylan
| Once I started it, I couldn't put it down! - reviewer Melissa DeLorme. |
A gripping read... I wanted it to go on longer. - David Hext, The Royston observer |
From Chapter Six
But Nanuq knew none of this. All he knew was that his lungs had run out of air, and he had to get himself to the surface, just a few inches above his head, and stick his nose out of the water, and grab a breath of air. But try as he might, it just wasn't happening. His lungs, acting on their own behalf, spasmed and sucked in some water. Pain tore through Nanuq's chest, and the muscles in his throat siezed, momentarily pinching shut his trachea and shooting the last few remaining drops of adrenaline through his system, just enough to make his great paws take a few more desperate strokes. But it was too little, too late. Nanuq's world was going dark, the muscles around his trachea giving up the battle, and starting to relax...
But wait... what was that? Did he feel something with his paw? Another desperate stroke. Yes! There it was again! He stretched his three inch long claws out as far as he could, and yes! he was touching bottom! But it was too late. His lungs couldn't wait any longer. Oh, to come so close... But then he felt his entire body lifted and carried forward - a wave! He stretched his neck and felt his nose break the surface just long enough to suck in a gulp of air. The air mixed with the water in his lungs and fire raced through him. But so did a tiny bit of oxygen. Just enough for a couple more strokes with those mammoth paws, and now he was pushing along the bottom. And then another wave and another gulp of air.
Nanuq was barely conscious when his head broke free of the water, and he began to cough, and snort, and vomit, and the water around him was flecked with drops of blood. His legs were too weak to hold his weight, but somehow he managed to hold his head above the water as inch by painful inch, the waves of an incoming tide slowly moved him closer to shore. Then he couldn't hold on any longer, and his world went black.
To receive a copy of Highway 61, please contact rick@mexicanskies.com
Follow not truth too near the heels, lest it dash out thy teeth.
George Herbert
More Selected Works By Richard J. Kerk-Hecker
