The Water’s Touch
a short story
by
LK Hunsaker
Elucidate
Publishing
Smashwords
Edition Free Read
©2008 LK Hunsaker
This
story may be printed and shared as a free read in whole with title
page and copyright notice attached. It may not be copied in part or
posted anywhere online without express written consent by the
publisher. Governed by United States copyright
laws.
staff@elucidatepublishing.net
Cover photo and design: Scottish Highlands ©2008 LK Hunsaker
To find more info about the author, visit www.LKHunsaker.com
The Water’s Touch
LK
Hunsaker
Lobbing a smooth stone across the loch, Duncan watched the ripples spread from each bounce until it lost speed and sank.
It was the last one in his hand … the last he found with the necessary flatness needed to skiff the water. Flatness made the difference. He’d learned that during the days of nearly drowning. When he straightened his body, he didn’t sink as fast as when he curled up within himself.
The other difference took longer to learn. Control. He learned to control the fear and appear relaxed regardless of how nervous or angry or terrified he was. Stand straight and look in control: two lessons he wasn’t likely to forget.
A seagull’s cry shortly over his head served as a test. He didn’t duck away from it. Instead, he rose taller and readied himself. Against a bird. He supposed that was taking it too far.
Watching the creature aloft onto the sand where it was just safe of the water’s touch, Duncan remained still, studying the creature’s movements. The nonchalant strutting changed when another joined it. A pause acknowledged the newcomer and the dance shifted, adjusting rhythm and intensity. The first seagull showed no concern about sharing its current habitat, enjoying the company, maybe.
Until a third came, landing close to the second only for a moment before the first flew at him, squawking. In the midst of the battle, the second gave up and moved further down the beach. The female. Duncan knew nothing of seagull gender but the two squabbling had to be male. The smart one finding quieter territory had to be female. Rarely was it the other way around, unless things were different for gulls than for humans. He doubted it.
“Hey, mate.”
Turning to the voice in the distance, Duncan was relieved to see his friend alone.
Cupping his hands to his mouth on approach, Collin yelled. “Enough warning? I didnae spook ya, I pray. Not gonna hit me if I get closer?”
“Nae, but I will throw you into the loch if you want to keep being a smartass.”
“Bad day?” Relinquishing the grin, Collin paused within arm’s reach, but kept his hands to himself. “Come on, mate. Let’s go for the highest. I got energy to spare.”
Duncan watched him turn and head toward the path they often took up one of the hills of the Pentlands. He didn’t follow. He knew he should. It was his last day of freedom, or at least what freedom he’d ever had. He had to give up rugby, or Danny did.
“Hey. Coming or what?” Collin threw his hands up in question.
Duncan looked at him a moment, and turned away, walking closer to the water, to where the waves nearly touched his shoes. He felt his friend come up behind, knowing he needed to talk but allowing space. Collin could be a royal ass at times, but he knew better than anyone else how to deal with Duncan’s moods.
“The ol’ man on your case again?”
Rubbing a hand over the fuzz on his skull that passed for hair, Duncan clenched his jaw … and pulled off his shoes, tossing them further away from the water. The rest of his clothes followed, down to his boxers.
“C’mon, mate. It’s too fuckin’ cold to be swimmin’ today.”
“You donae have to.” His jaw clenched tighter against the frigid water splashing his ankles, numbing his toes as he wandered in, his eyes on his mark: a large rock formation some hundred metres away or so. It was colder than he expected. Still, he kept going, amidst Collin’s exclamations of his craziness.
“Hell.” The resignation in Collin’s voice washed over the ripples.
Duncan slowed his descent, waiting on his friend he knew would follow. Collin was right; it was too cold. Still, he wasn’t backing down. The only thing to keep him from reaching the rock formation would be if his friend cramped up and had to be rescued. Or if he did himself, although Duncan sincerely doubted Collin’s ability to be a rescuer if he needed one.
The thought of giving his friend a case of hypothermia, hearing the continuing exclamations catching up with him, nearly changed his mind. Duncan liked Collin’s parents. They were among the very few who didn’t look down on him because of who he was … what family he came from. Collin’s mom always asked after Duncan’s mom. And she always insisted he come in and eat whenever he was around. He wouldn’t want to destroy what tolerance they had for him by risking their son’s health. Although, it wouldn’t be close to the first time. And he never forced Collin into anything.
“Y’ are daft, y’ ken.”
Now chest deep into the water, with controlled breaths keeping his blood circulating, he looked over at Collin. “Breathe deeper.”
“Deeper? Hell, I am going back. This one I am nae followin’ y’ on.” He shivered.
“Gud idea. I will meet up with y’ later.” He turned back to continue in. “By the way, I am quitting rugby. The team is yours.” Not waiting for a reaction, Duncan plunged into the water full force, coming back to the surface and going into a fast front crawl.
The warm pull of his muscles countered the light sting of the cold water trying to hold him back. It wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t hold him back. It wouldn’t pull him in. He’d conquered it long ago. There was no more fear of losing to it.
He did pause to make sure Collin made it back to shore.
Treading water, forcing his breath to stay even and deep, he shook his head. Despite the tantrum, Collin was just behind him. Waiting until he nearly caught up, Duncan surged forward again.
Breathing grew harder as the cold pressed him, trying to slow his blood. He felt the sting in his ears, and the ache of his lungs from grabbing air every three strokes … the prickling on his face from pulling up into the warmer air and descending again into the cold.
Collin. Suddenly, Duncan realized his friend wasn’t beside him and slowed his pace to turn. Still not seeing him, he stopped, treading water … and saw Collin’s head rise. Floundering.
With a powerful breast stroke, keeping his head above water and an eye on his friend, Duncan kept back an arm’s distance and grabbed at his head, yanking his hair while yelling at him not to fight or he’d knock him out. They were too far from shore. Collin wasn’t quite panicking but too close to it. He would never get him back that far. They had to get to the rocks. How he would get him back from the rocks, he didn’t know.
With one arm propped around Collin’s neck and under his arm, Duncan pulled him, stroking hard with the other. He had to move fast. Without his own exertion helping to warm him, Collin would move into hypothermia faster.
His lungs burned. His arm ached. They were too far. “Still with me?” He didn’t feel any response. “Damn it, stay with me. Y’ gotta help me ou’ here. Move your legs a’ least, or we are nae goin’ t’ make it.” He was too tired. The day had already been too long. It was too cold.
“Y’ are nae quittin’ rugby, mate.” Collin pushed away with a grin. “See if y’ can keep up now.”
Breathing heavy, treading the icy water while Collin went into a front crawl toward the rocks, Duncan watched until fury took over. He got to the low part of the formation alongside his friend, pulled up onto a mostly flat area and tried to calm his breathing, coughing cold out of his lungs.
“Y’ think y’ can better me a’ swimmin’ when y’ cannae at the game?”
The humor in Collin’s voice added to Duncan’s anger and he shoved him, nearly back into the water. “That wasnae funny.”
“Yea and neither were you. Y’ are daft if y’ think I believe you would quit.”
Letting his cough interfere and give him time to calm his temper, Duncan looked out over the water toward the shore, up to his hills and the one leading to the house, to chores that had to be done, to a father who had no regard for anything anyone else wanted, or needed.
“Hell mate, y’ arenae serious?” The humor slid away from Collin’s voice while he sat staring. “Y’ cannae quit the team. Y’ are the damn captain o’ the thing. We are all countin’ on you.”
“Co-captain. They will still ‘ave you. Y’ donae need me.”
“Hell we donae. You and I are wha’ make it so strong. It takes both of us.”
“Move Danny up. He is the best of the younger league. He is ready…”
“Great. Move ‘im up, then. I willnae argue. Y’ may get bitched at tha’ he is your brother and y’ are playing favorites, bu’ I will back y’ up. Y’ are right. He is ready. Doesnae mean we cannae have two O’Neils on the same team…”
“Only one of us can stay in.” Duncan kept his eyes on the waves. “The old man says he is nae gettin’ enough help. If I donae stay and do it, he will make Danny.”
“Bullshit. There is nae that much t’ need t’ be done. Hell, tell him I will come an’ help with wha’ever you and Danny cannae do and…”
“Y’ know that willnae work. He willnae le’ y’ do it. And he is makin’ up things needing t’ be done. Y’ know that as well as I do. He knows I willnae let Danny quit.”
“Prove him wrong. Let Danny quit.” He paused at the silence. “Hell, DJ, y’ already do twice wha’ he does and y’ already hear five times the bitchin’ from the old man. It is your last year. Finish it out.”
The parting clouds shot warmth over the rock to his side and he moved into it, lying on his back with his bare feet kicked up on an adjacent rock. Closing his eyes to the sun and the silence, he considered Collin’s words. They were the same as his own thoughts. He told himself he was right and his friend was right. He did more already. He’d dealt with so much more … of everything. His brother didn’t have the scars he had, physically or emotionally. But he had nothing else, either. Rugby was the only thing Danny did outside of chores and school. He needed it more.
“Deej.” Collin moved to sit facing him, blocking the sun from his face.
“I am sorry abou’ letting the team down…”
“Hell with the team. They still get t’ play, even if we donae win another game. Bu’ y’ cannae quit. Y’ need this…”
“Danny needs it more.”
“How so?”
“I still have music, the guitar. I still get t’ Doc McClellan’s at times…”
“So give tha’ up. Stop spending the time at that doctor’s place so y’ have time for the work a’ home and for the game…”
“I cannae.”
“Why?”
“I donae want t’ be nothing all my life. It is my best chance t’ pull myself up ou’ of this. I willnae give it up for a game.”
Collin pulled back, standing to look out toward the shore.
Seagulls circled, complaining about the two intruders using their space. The waves kept washing in and out, their splashes soothing Duncan’s soul even though he knew it would be a struggle to get back to shore with the overworked arm pulsing throbs down through his nerves and his overtired body from the earlier chores stiffening as he lie still.
“Y’ know I will stand by you, mate.” Collin turned to face him. “Bu’ I am truly pissed a’ your old man and some day he will know.” His chest heaved a sigh. “I am going t’ miss having you there. It willnae be the same.” He stuck a hand out. “C’mon. I am already going t’ be bitched at abou’ being so late.”
Accepting it and rising, Duncan held him there a moment. “This is nae the time t’ ask, bu’ I have t’ ask y’ a favor.”
“Ask if y’ want. I willnae do it since I am mad a’ y’, but ask.” He threw a grin.
“If it ever comes t’ it … watch over Laura and Danny for me.”
“What? Are y’ admitting I am the stronger of us? Have y’ finally realized it?”
“I am nae playin’. Promise me y’ will if it is ever needed.”
Collin stared, catching that something was on Duncan’s mind. “Y’ know I will. Y’ donae have t’ ask.”
Nodding, he headed back to the low spot on the rocks, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders, readying himself for the coming cold surge.
“Deej.” Collin stood at his side. “Y’ have never been nothing, no matter wha’ your old man has said t’ y’ or done t’ you. You ‘ave always been worthy of more respect than y’ get from ‘im and y’ have plenty of it from a hell of a lot of us. Donae forget that.”
With a light grin, Duncan dove into the water, heading back to shore, fighting again against the cold he wouldn’t allow to defeat him.
----------------
Duncan
is a main character in the Rehearsal series – literary romance
novels featuring friendship, family, and a young rock band trying to
make their way to the top in the turbulent 70s.