Fishy Dinner

REEDSY WRITING CONTEST #249: Breaking Bread

Start or end your story with two characters sitting down for a meal.

The man, seated with his back to a large tree, its roots shielding him on three sides, hastily dropped the raw fish he was eating to grab his rifle. The woman who stood before him wore the uniform of the enemy. Her rifle, capable of shooting much further than the one he carried, was casually slung over her shoulder, across her back, signaling that she didn’t consider him a threat. The string of fish that hung from her belt held more than he had caught in a week. If she had wanted to kill him, the rifle she carried could have done it. The bullet would have passed through his body before the sound of the shot had reached his ears.

“The war is over,” she said.

“Yes, I had heard,” he replied.

“Did you get left behind when your army withdrew?”

“No. My enlistment contract had ended, so I mustered out here.”

“Among your former enemies?”

“Yes.”

“And they let you keep your weapons?”

“Yes. The officers were in such a hurry to break camp, they ignored what I did. I was stunned at how much usable material they left behind.”

“May I join you?”

“Certainly. Please sit. I was afraid to light a fire for fear of being detected, but I guess I needn’t have worried. You found me anyway.”

The woman smiled. “I’ve been tracking you since you left the camp. If I had not seen you leave, I probably would not have found you.”

The woman removed a fish from her string. She efficiently gutted the fish and removed the skin before eating the raw meat. They sat in silence while she ate.

The man said, “I noticed some fruit on a tree over there, but I was not sure if it was safe to eat.”

“The speckled yellow fruit?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not. You would not have died, but you would have wished you could. You were wise to pass it by.”

“Thank you.”

“So, why did you decide to stay here among your former enemies instead of returning home?”

“I have no home to return to. Everything was destroyed in the war. My wife, my children, my parents, my brothers, and my sisters were all killed. The home where I grew up and the village where I lived were leveled. There is nothing left.”

“And you decided to live amongst those who did this to you?”

He shook his head. “You did not do this. My own government did. They claimed that a traitor was being sheltered by the community. Then, after they killed everyone and searched every house and found nothing, they burned it to the ground. They even burned the orchards and the crops in the fields. They butchered the farm animals and ate them.”

“And still you fought for them?”

“I didn’t learn of it until after the war ended.”

“Ah. I understand. So, what will you do now?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps, I will find a neutral country where I can build a life of solitude and peace.”

“There is money to be made as a soldier of fortune. With your training, you could command a high price.”

“No. I have already killed too many. But, look, we need to take the remains of our dinner and dump them in the river so we do not attract scavengers.”

“Yes.” She stood. “Would you rather I walked in front of you?”

“Either way. If you wanted to kill me, you would have already. I believe that I can trust you, but you do not know if you can trust me.”

The woman smiled. “I trust you. We should walk to the river and find shelter for the night. The cave you have been using is too small for two.”

The man smiled. “It is.”

They cleaned the site where they had eaten to avoid attracting predators. Then, they dumped the fish bones and remains into the river. After washing their hands and faces in the flowing water, the woman asked. “What is your name?”

“Artur,” he answered.

“I’m Oma.”

“Oma, it has been lovely chatting with you, but I have delayed too long. I should start walking to the coast so I can find a boat to steal and escape across the ocean.”

“Perhaps I could go with you. I also have nothing to go home to. I am an orphan and was brought up in military schools. They do not encourage friendships, and the people I went to school with have all died.”

“I see no harm in it. It’s a long walk.”

“Perhaps we should go back to the camp and see if we can find materials to build a raft. The river smooths out after the falls and is gentle all the way to the ocean.”

“Are those the falls I can hear from here?”

“Yes, they are less than a thousand stride lengths away. We can carry what we need to make the raft below the falls and float to the ocean.”

“It will be faster and easier than walking.”

“We should wait for the darkness before we return to the camp. In the meantime, we should scout out a place to gather the materials and a place to find shelter.”

“Yes.”

With Artur leading the way, they followed the animal trails along the river past the falls to the river below. Unfortunately, the animal trails were severely overgrown. Most of the larger animals had been killed by the armies that had battled over this tiny piece of land for the last two years. Only the smaller nocturnal omnivores remained. The larger grazing animals and predators were gone.

They found a cave big enough to shelter them for the night. A large predator had used it for its lair, but judging by the age of the bones strewn around the ground, it had been unused for at least a year. They quickly removed the evidence of the previous occupant and dumped the refuse in the river.

The quarter moon provided barely enough light for the expedition back to the camp. In fact, the camp was an embarrassment of riches. They found far more tools than they could ever use and enough water-resistant fabric to make a dozen rafts. They even found some two-wheeled carts to haul it in. They gathered everything that they thought they might need for the raft. By daybreak and half a dozen trips to the river, they had gathered everything they needed.

“We should rest,” Artur said. “There is no hurry, and we will injure ourselves working when we are tired. I’ll take the first watch.”

“Yes, I am glad we found those saws. It will make cutting the logs much easier.”

“I agree. Go lie down. I’ll wake you when it’s time for your watch.”

Artur listened carefully to the sounds of the forest. The small birds and arboreal animals he heard were familiar since they were the same type as what he had had at home.

The sun was well up in the sky when Artur woke Oma. They shared the packaged rations they had scrounged from the camp.

“Do you ever think about getting revenge on the people that murdered your family?” Oma asked when they had dumped their trash into the river.

“I think about it, yes. It is a discussion for another time. First, I must get safely out of here and across the ocean to a neutral country. I can’t stay here. Your comrades will not be happy to see me remain alive. I can’t go home because I will be suspected of being a traitor. So, if I am to live, I must cross the ocean.”

“Have you thought about where you will go?”

“That will depend on the wind and the sails. They will guide me. I do not guide them.”

“I see. I have friends who can help you seek your revenge,” Oma offered.

“I suspected as much. That is a conversation for after I arrive safely in a neutral country. You are welcome to accompany me, and we can speak of it then.”

“Very well. Get some rest.”

Artur rolled out some bedding they had taken from the camp and pretended to sleep. He did not have long to wait. A man approached the cave.

“Did it work?” He asked.

“Perfectly, My Lord.”

“Excellent. Do you think we can trust him?”

“He may not live long enough for us to find out we can’t.”

“Assets with his training are hard to find. Do not squander this one like you did the others.”

“I will be mindful of your instructions, My Lord.”

“Very well. The war is far from over, and you have a vital role in our ultimate victory.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Artur heard the man’s footfalls as he walked away. Artur recognized the man’s voice. His suspicions had been confirmed. He had identified the traitor. He knew who had intercepted the letter with the fictional account of the destruction of his fictional village. The challenge would be staying alive until he could do something about what he knew. He agreed that the war was far from over.