don’t know how long I was out there, only that I was nearly exhausted and ready to give up when a two-foot long Black Jack saw the light and came over to check it out. It swam around me in circles for a few minutes before it finally darted in close enough and tried to nibble at the light in front of my face.
I was instantly alert, and all the fatigue left me. For a moment, I could see and hear everything around me clearly, even through the murky water. I knew the location of every muscle in my body and the relative tension of each. My skin tingled, waiting for the moment when I would strike. It was the same feeling I had at the start of every tournament. Anticipation for the battle, yes, but so much more than that.
Total awareness.
You will feel it when you are ready. Absolute focus.
The knife went right through the side of the big fish, and the creature jerked swiftly right and left. I already had an arm around it, feeling its scales cut into my bicep and ignoring the pain as they imbedded in my skin. I twisted the knife back and forth before yanking it up and into the base of the skull. It stopped its jerking and sank onto the blade.
I broke through the surface of the water holding dinner over my head and saw Raine up on the edge of the raft, clapping her hands with a huge smile on her face. I couldn’t return it because the snorkel was still in my teeth, but I could feel the corners of my mouth trying to smile back at her anyway. I shoved the flashlight into my shorts and used the rope lead to get myself back to the edge of the raft where I spat out the snorkel.
“Oh, wow! I have never seen anything like that!” Raine shouted, looking like she wanted to start jumping up and down and probably toss herself right off of the raft.
I lifted the fish onto the folded down canopy and pulled myself up after it. As soon as I was back in the raft, I felt her arms wrap around my shoulders and her lips momentarily press into my cheek.
“That was the most incredible thing I have ever seen!” she squealed. She looked flustered as she moved back away from me. “I mean – I couldn’t see very well because of the water, and you drifted a little ways away, but I could see the light, and I saw the fish try to jump out of the water, and you just held it, and…”
“Raine! Relax!”
“How in the world did you do that?”
I arched an eyebrow at her and gave her a half grin.
“I’m just that good,” I answered, winking at her.
“Oh, Daniel!” she exclaimed, her eyes darting down to my bicep. “You’re bleeding!”
I looked over to my arm and saw about a dozen scales imbedded in my skin. I quickly yanked them out and held the towel to my arm for a minute.
“It’s not deep,” I said. Raine had her hands over her mouth and looked like she wanted to puke. “Don’t you dare get sick on me!”
She nodded and swallowed hard.
“Besides,” I smiled up at her, opening my eyes wide, “I like a little pain and blood – it makes people think it was a lot harder than it really was.”
“You look so smug right now!” Raine laughed.
“Well, I know what’s coming next,” I said.
“What’s next?” she asked, her jovial tone dropping down a couple of notches.
“You get the best part of the fish.”
“I do?”
“Yep.” I sat down and handed her the light so she could point it down where I was working. I ditched the crappy little survival knife and reached across the raft to my jackknife instead. I split the fish open from the top and carefully cut around the vertebrae, paying special attention not to pierce the spinal column. “You might have to close your eyes and not think about it, but this is definitely the best part.”
Raine sat back on her heels, eyeing me warily now. She glanced as I pulled out the entire length of vertebrae with the intact spinal column.
“What am I supposed to do with that?”
“Well, if I were you,” I told her, “I
I was instantly alert, and all the fatigue left me. For a moment, I could see and hear everything around me clearly, even through the murky water. I knew the location of every muscle in my body and the relative tension of each. My skin tingled, waiting for the moment when I would strike. It was the same feeling I had at the start of every tournament. Anticipation for the battle, yes, but so much more than that.
Total awareness.
You will feel it when you are ready. Absolute focus.
The knife went right through the side of the big fish, and the creature jerked swiftly right and left. I already had an arm around it, feeling its scales cut into my bicep and ignoring the pain as they imbedded in my skin. I twisted the knife back and forth before yanking it up and into the base of the skull. It stopped its jerking and sank onto the blade.
I broke through the surface of the water holding dinner over my head and saw Raine up on the edge of the raft, clapping her hands with a huge smile on her face. I couldn’t return it because the snorkel was still in my teeth, but I could feel the corners of my mouth trying to smile back at her anyway. I shoved the flashlight into my shorts and used the rope lead to get myself back to the edge of the raft where I spat out the snorkel.
“Oh, wow! I have never seen anything like that!” Raine shouted, looking like she wanted to start jumping up and down and probably toss herself right off of the raft.
I lifted the fish onto the folded down canopy and pulled myself up after it. As soon as I was back in the raft, I felt her arms wrap around my shoulders and her lips momentarily press into my cheek.
“That was the most incredible thing I have ever seen!” she squealed. She looked flustered as she moved back away from me. “I mean – I couldn’t see very well because of the water, and you drifted a little ways away, but I could see the light, and I saw the fish try to jump out of the water, and you just held it, and…”
“Raine! Relax!”
“How in the world did you do that?”
I arched an eyebrow at her and gave her a half grin.
“I’m just that good,” I answered, winking at her.
“Oh, Daniel!” she exclaimed, her eyes darting down to my bicep. “You’re bleeding!”
I looked over to my arm and saw about a dozen scales imbedded in my skin. I quickly yanked them out and held the towel to my arm for a minute.
“It’s not deep,” I said. Raine had her hands over her mouth and looked like she wanted to puke. “Don’t you dare get sick on me!”
She nodded and swallowed hard.
“Besides,” I smiled up at her, opening my eyes wide, “I like a little pain and blood – it makes people think it was a lot harder than it really was.”
“You look so smug right now!” Raine laughed.
“Well, I know what’s coming next,” I said.
“What’s next?” she asked, her jovial tone dropping down a couple of notches.
“You get the best part of the fish.”
“I do?”
“Yep.” I sat down and handed her the light so she could point it down where I was working. I ditched the crappy little survival knife and reached across the raft to my jackknife instead. I split the fish open from the top and carefully cut around the vertebrae, paying special attention not to pierce the spinal column. “You might have to close your eyes and not think about it, but this is definitely the best part.”
Raine sat back on her heels, eyeing me warily now. She glanced as I pulled out the entire length of vertebrae with the intact spinal column.
“What am I supposed to do with that?”
“Well, if I were you,” I told her, “I
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