short stories for the living 3

Yarden takes out his phone
How was the fish? he texts Barak.

It was really good. You should've come. smiley Why don't you get a pole? Your dad carves stuff right? Have him make you a fishing pole.

Fat chance.

Yarden searched in his pocket for leftover bait. The water had flowed heavily that night. A great storm flooded the river with torrential rains. Parts of the city flooded. It wasn't so great for business. The city relied mostly on its profits for logging for business. The trees would be cut and flow with great force down the river south towards the county of                 . It had been like that for centuries. Despite technology the best path was still the path of least resistence. Yarden had since decided to become a vegetarian. Not for moral reasons but because he didn't like Chinese food.

Why didn't Barak come? The two didn't really talk much but that was ok. The water flowed powerfully that day flowing over the bedrock that used to define the rivers edge. The fish must love it Yarden imagined. All of that bubbly water saturated with oxygen must be blissful. Yarden dipped his feet in the cool rushing water. He had forgotten how his feet could drink. How could feet get that thirsty? The water a magnifying glass illuminated his feet tickling with them in a waves herd of white horses.

Bruno, behind him was chasing a butterfly, tying to eat it.  "Why hadn't Barak showed up today?"was he mad at him for not coming over for dinner? It was a gunshot. Bruna howled, tail alert her hamburger body struggling to follow the gunshots sound form upstream. Yarden found himself on the ground .He looked up.

 There were two men in blaze orange in the distance Bruna licking their hands with her long distinctive drool. It was too early for deer hunting season. Pheasant season?Bruna ran as fast as her jello hung body would take her; her face drooling with a big pheasant in between her jaws towards Yarden. "Son, its pheasant season. You should be careful"said the blaze orange stranger.  I could hardly see you back there! Where did you find my dog?"

                    Suddenly Bruna never looked happier. The mid-aged man put a leash on her and took the pheasant from hi her mouth. The dog whimpered."Do you know how to get back "home son? I am telling you, its not a good time to be running around these woods. Not this time of year. Do you need any help getting home?"

Yarden looked at his phone. It wasn't even 10am yet. The men watched him, not ready to keep on their way until Yarden turned around to head home. Slowly picking up his shoes, he put them back on. Couldn't he just fall between the grass blades and pretend this had never happened? He had been  planning on trapping fish and eating blueberries. He would sleep with on a deer bed and who knows maybe he would make a birch bark canoe. Why go home? There wasn't any other treasure to be found. He wanted the men to go away but it was the other way around and Bruno wasn't coming with him.

Eventually Yarden would become hungry and tired and lonely but he imagined himself running in and out of poplars sparkling in their glimmering sunshine halleluja! He felt it in his bones. He felt the water cold cling to his tibia, the light shine through his body, free Tibet! He knew that he loved this forest as much the forest loved him. He believed that it could take him to heaven or earth in a single second. And if it buried him, he wouldn't blame it.
No fish, no forest, no Barak, no butterfy and no Bruna. Yarden hadn't caught much that day but a bit of luck that trip.

He was ready to go home now. Butterscotch light of the carpenter's garage melted into the heat of midday. His dad was sitting down, drinking a cold beer. "How are you doing there kid?"He asked Yarden. "Where've you been."
Ï went down to the river to fish, you know. I went on a walk in the woods for a bit. I thought Barak was going to meet me."
"What he didn't come? ,Magnificent day, though?"
"A bit hot, no?"
"ya, especially in here."
"I sent the shingles to the Skrypeks. Bit difficult with all the flooding. Hopefully this sun will dry things up a bit"He took a sip of beer.
"Dad you know, I was thinking. Maybe you could make me a fishing pole?" "Id like to trap some fish. I get kinda bored just walking in the woods."
"Sure, son. Sure I would like to do that but you shouldn't trap 'em. Its wrong to trap fish just like its wrong to poison birds. You want me to go with you sometime?"
"No, no, no. But you know I don't even know where to go anymore because there were some men in blaze orange there who told me to leave because of hunting season. "
"Ya, but that doesn't start for another week! you sure"?
" I heard some gunshots and I found their hound."
His father licked his lip, pensive. Was he tasting the left over beer or thinking?