If you properly respect what you are after, and shoot it cleanly and on the animal’s terrain, if you imprison in your mind all the wonder of the day from sky to smell to breeze to flowers—then you have not merely killed an animal. You have lent immortality to a beast you have killed because you loved him and wanted him forever so that you could always capture the day.
—Robert Ruark, The Old Man and the Boy
Chapter Six – 1961
Heinz packed it in all right.. All the way in!!
Last Friday, the day before the season opened, Heinz and Grant were loading us up in the new pickup when Heinz grabbed his chest and fell over dead as a first year goose who had suckered into his first decoy spread.
Sweet Jesus! I’m twenty years old and I’ve never felt so horrible. I’d have cried my eyes out if I could.
Heinz and Grant were really looking forward to this season. Last year was kind of a dud. Grant had been off his feed most of the year and finally figured out that he had diabetes and was now back in good shape. Bird numbers are up, the season had been lengthened, and now this has to happen.
I wonder what will become of me? I hate sitting on the shelf nine months out of every year, but, the three months of hunting more than make up for it.
Grant was out here in the shop last night with his son, Glen. Glen used to hunt with them, but he moved away and just doesn’t have time to come back very often. He and Grant were talking about whether or not Grant should continue hunting alone. Glen, who thinks Grant is too old to be out on the river by himself said, “What if you got in over your waders, Dad? What if the truck wouldn’t start? What if one of those freak blizzards blew in and trapped you out there in the blind? You know that with your condition and all you’d have a hell of a time.”
Grant just stared him down. Fathers and sons have such a great way of communicating sometimes. That stare said it all. I actually thought Glen was gonna start bawling like he did when he was nine years old. That was the time he stuck his tongue on the propane bottle when the temperature was down around zero. I actually felt sorry for him but everyone else laughed till they cried. To their credit, they didn’t laugh till they got him unstuck.
That stare just kind of withered poor Glen and they walked out of the shop with an arm over each others shoulders.
Hello! Someone is coming in the door. Grant! What the heck? What are you doing here this time of the night? And his pickup is backed up to the door. All Right! We’re goin’ huntin’. I knew it. I just knew it! I knew he wouldn’t listen to that kid and leave us here to rot.
He loaded Peter and Willum and Gert, and me, and all the others except those two that Heinz just finished into the pickup and headed down the road. We’re just about to the blind. Umph! This old road hasn’t gotten any better over the years.
Hey, Grant, don’t back any further or you’ll be in the river. You went right by the blind.
What the hell is he up to?
I just realized he doesn’t have his waders on and he didn’t have his shotgun in the gun rack. Ginger is with him but she’ll have a tough time retrieving birds that ain’t been shot.
He’s just sitting in the cab, drinking a cup of coffee and talking to Ginger. She’s more than ready to go. Whinin’ like she’s been beat, and her teeth are chattering she’s shaking so hard. Ol’ Buck was her granddaddy and she’s been a good one. Not as good as Buck, but she’s done a dandy job. She’s just about past her prime, too. We better hope we don’t have any ice this year or she’ll have a heck of a time.
Grant’s finally getting out of the cab and coming around to the back of the pickup. “Mornin’ fellas. It’s a sad old morning. I never figured this day would come. I always thought I’d check out before Heinz did. What a man. I never ever had more fun doing anything with anybody than I did down here in this old blind with him. The memories are so many and so wonderful that I kind of ran on at his funeral. I didn’t want to talk, but, no one in the family could handle it so it was me or the reverend , and we all know how Heinz would have felt about that.”
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought the last couple of days. Maybe Glen’s right, he sure is his mother’s son. But, I am gettin’ up there in years and I’m sure too old and set in my ways to break in a new partner. I don’t think it would be much fun out here by myself, anyway, but, I sure could do it. Only thing is, I never could baste eggs the way Heinz could. And I never did figure out how he kept the taters from burnin’.”
“Heinz did a wonderful job making all of you. You’ve all got a fresh coat of paint and look your finest. You’ve been a great crew for Heinz and me over the years. I just can’t bear the thought of you gathering dust in the shop, or of selling you to somebody else. So…I’m gonna do something pretty stupid and I may regret it, but, I’m just gonna set you all free and hope for the best for you. Heinz and I actually talked about it over the years. Every time we’d see a decoy come floating down the river we’d wonder what tales it could tell. We never did try to retrieve one. We just figured they’d earned their freedom. I imagine somebody’ll grab you when you drift by, though. I guess I hope that, too.”
Grant took out his barlow knife and proceeded to cut the anchors off of all of us. I’ll tell you, the tears were just running down his cheeks. I wanted to cry with him so badly, but I couldn’t muster a single tear.
Grant picked me up and set me in the water. “Gustav, you’ve always been the leader of this spread. Good luck ol’ fellow. Take care of the rest of the spread, they’ll be right behind you.”
Grant nudged me out into the current and away I went. The horizon was just turning from pink to blue. The sun was about half way up and it looked like it was going to bleed to death in the sky. Another bluebird day. I spun around a couple of times and saw Peter, Willum, and Gert following me.
Peter, Willum, Gert, hurry up!, I called.
Then I spun around again, went past a big fallen tree, and never saw any of them again.
Chapter Seven
All alone. Floating down this cold ol’ river. It sure seems darker when you’re by yourself.
I wonder why that is? I guess it’s because you can only look one direction, and for me it’s even harder because it takes such an effort to get turned around to look any other way. Maybe that’s a good thing.
I just bumped into another snag. That makes about one hundred and sixty two of them, but who’s counting. Even worse than that is being bumped by things I never see. Now that’s spooky. I’m just miserable about life in general, mine in particular.
I keep thinking about Heinz and Grant and the dogs. We sure had some incredible times together. Grant sure was miserable when he sent us down the river. I’m kind of glad I’ll never know what happens to him.
But! What’s gonna happen to me? I’ve been in the water for two days. Just drifting along.
Here comes another flock of geese. They’re calling hard trying to get me to come up and join them. I sure wish I could. I’ve had three flocks of geese come in to me. They didn’t hang around long when I didn’t participate in their gossip. I must have drifted by at least fifteen blinds. Some of them had pretty good decoy spreads, but none as good as ours. Four hunters have tried to catch up with me but I avoided all of them. Maybe the next time I’ll just let ‘em catch me. I’m awfully lonesome.
There’s a nice looking decoy spread coming up. Nice location. No trees, big sandbar. Hmm? I wonder what the men in the blind are like.? You’d think with a setup like that they might be all right.
“Fetch him up! Get him Fifty!” somebody yelled. Funny, I didn’t hear them shoot and they’re just standing up in the blind. Oh! He’s sending his dog after ME!! Man, that dog is big and black and a strong swimmer, there’s no way I can get away from her. I guess this is going to be my new home. Easy now. Those are massive canines you got a mouth full of there. Hey! I am impressed. She’s got me pinned against her chest and she’s swimming back to the sandbar. This might just be the place for me to hang my hat for a spell.
Hronk is a serialized book-length work. First serial rights have been licensed to OnStand by the author. Book rights are currently available. The author can be contacted through OnStand.