Chapter Fifty: Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Fifty: Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER FIFTY      Crossing the Rubicon The ship’s fantail had been abandoned, in the Lindy’s pell-mell run for the open sea. After a while, heads reappeared over the high lip of its solid steel railing. “Indy, how are you doin’ down there?” I heard Don yell into his...
Chapter Forty, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Forty, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER FORTY Wet Work   On the way to the Lido deck, I stopped at Don’s room, and assured myself that the Basque was going to be on the radio while the rest of us were ashore. I opened Don’s door, unannounced, then greeted his bedmate. She held up her radio. I...
Arch Patton, Thunder Marine, Chapter Three

Arch Patton, Thunder Marine, Chapter Three

“So, what’s the point of this exercise, since it would appear we are not under attack by the hordes from hell?” David asked, as the Mercedes G-Wagon headed pell-mell along the surface of the winding asphalt road. He was cradling the lethal machine pistol…….

Chapter Twenty, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Twenty, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER TWENTY The Eigenfunction We climbed back aboard the World Discoverer (aka ‘Lindy’). Benito was nowhere around, which provided some much-needed relief. I hesitated for a brief instant. The supervisor’s throw had caused me bruises I had only begun to...
Chapter Nineteen, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Nineteen, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER NINETEEN THE REINDEER Our Zodiac rounded the end of a long gravel spit. I was relieved. I had not wanted to trudge through another interminable stretch of deep sucking stones. Not with our frail doctor in tow. The bay we entered was flat, round and large. The...
Chapter Sixteen, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Sixteen, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER SIXTEEN NOT UNMINDFUL OF THE FUTURE Dutch smoked his Lucky Strike and then started another. I allowed him some time alone, to think about his situation, as well as what we might do about it. I climbed back toward the cleft, to examine the vein of copper and...
Chapter Thirteen, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Thirteen, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER THIRTEEN MAKING WAY TO THE PRIBILOFS Filipe brought the Zodiac close into the steel hull. Three adventurers—dirty, disheveled and nearly naked—in the bottom of the craft. My watch, the canvas bag, `and my jockey shorts were all I had saved from the island. Don...
Chapter Twelve, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Twelve, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER TWELVE Down to the Sea I awoke to find the fire burned out. Not even a plume of smoke came from the pile of ash. I sat up and rubbed my eyes and face. We had the Bic and my Stryker flint if re-ignition were necessary. If we remained atop the island plateau for...
A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE …..

A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE …..

Dateline: Lake Geneva September 6, 2017 Opinion/Editorial A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN It’s not a hard time for your country. It’s a hard time for a lot of poor people, a lot of underemployed people struggling more with self-identity than income, a...
BENTLEY arrives

BENTLEY arrives

The name Harvey had always been special to me. I knew my owner and partner in life, who I now refer to as my human, had named me after a giant rabbit in some old movie, even though I was just on the cutting edge of cat perfection. The name had worked very well for me,...
Chapter Eleven, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Eleven, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER ELEVEN The High Cliffs of Russia Dutch moved the bottle of Bacardi back to his lips, runnels of tears falling from his cheeks. I pried the half-empty bottle out of his clenched hand. I propped it back into a cleft between two nearby rocks. “Stop blubbering and...
Chapter Ten, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Ten, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER TEN The Isle of the Tsar of Russia The slow stuttering trip out of the current and into the island’s lee took less time than it seemed it should because of the back current. Dutch had held to a dogged steady pace, stroke after slow stroke, swimming out in...
Chapter Eight, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Eight, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER EIGHT The Pass of the Isle of the Tsar of Russia Instead of going to my own cabin, I headed directly down to Botany Bay’s number 36. There was something about the way in which the Basque woman had looked at me earlier, which was drawing me back. Don had stayed...
Chapter Seven, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Seven, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER SEVEN Hull Down in a Following Sea I moved through the throngs of passengers now populating the corridors of the ship. Murmurs of “doctor” came from some of them, as they reacted to my surgical scrubs. I had removed my coat. The temperature maintained inside...
Chapter Six, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

Chapter Six, Arch Patton: The Bering Sea

CHAPTER SIX The Island The washroom door swung open. Felipe stepped through the entrance, dropped a pile of dry clothes on the floor, and then looked at my nakedness. I had nothing cover myself with. He stared for a few seconds, looking openly at the roadmap of my...
Shares
Share This