EARLY RISING

Unable to sleep the man rose and dressed in the dark with scarcely a
sound, then coming downstairs let himself out of the unfamiliar house
into the cold January morning. Walking as briskly as his sluggishness
allowed,he went down to the lake. There was little or no wind, just
black water under a dark sky.

As such an inhospitable hour it might have seemed odd behaviour, but
later he was to take a hydroplane on to the lake and push her to the
limit of their combined capabilities. Shivering at the thought as well
as the weather, he rubbed his hands together and blew on them. Sane
citizenry were still asleep leaving only madmen to prowl abroad.

He lit a cigarette, far too early but what did it matter? If anyone
had been in the vicinity, the flame from his lighter would have shown a
familiar face. Most newspapers had carried his image. Under a receding
hairline he looked well-fed and obviously healthy. Recently black
pouches of fatigue under his eyes showed that he had been working too
hard. His wife said he was impossible to live with. He had been rude to
her and bloody-minded with his crew, but prior to a record attempt that
was just his way. He justified the unjustifiable by saying that when
the chips were down, he took the risks. He was the one strapped into
the confines of an impossibly small cockpit with five hundred pounds of
thrust at his back. He was the one who would have to endure the noise
of the Bristol- Siddeley Orpheus jet engine. He was the one who in
excessive heat, bone-shaking vibration, noise, immense risk and keeping
the lid on fear had to keep the boat on the straight and narrow at a
world record water speed of 300 mph plus. Black pouches? It was a
wonder they weren't cabin trunks!

Then he saw the boy - first as a blur, almost as something imagined
until his outline was defined in a pool of moonlight. He was a
distraction, something else to think about. What was he doing out of
bed at this ridiculously early hour? What was he up to?

When the moon clouded over the boy disappeared. There was movement in
the thick brush. Fully alert,the man bent low, knowing he might see a
silhouette against the sky. He didn't, but he was conscious of the boy
moving away from him. Taking a deep breath, he followed.

They moved north to south, parallel to the lake. What started as
scrubby brush became a tree line. One had to be careful: it was
possible to walk smack into one of the numerous silver birches or tall
Norwegian pines. His instinct for self-preservation was well-developed.
He negotiated what was rapidly becoming a forest if not with ease then
certainly in safety.

The boy was some way ahead, moving quickly over what was obviously
familiar ground. The local police had not yet started the shoreline
patrol and the water bailiffs would still be tucked up in bed.

Suddenly man and boy were out of the trees and moving down grassy
banking towards the lake. The man ducked down, anxious to remain
unseen. His curiosity in the youngster was overwhelming. Praying for
the sky to remain clear he watched as the boy bent to the surface of
the lake and plunged his hands and arms below the icy surface. He heard
a gasp, and a mild oath. Both made him smile.

The boy pulled something towards him in a hand-over-hand movement. It
took time for whatever it was to reach the shallows. The boy removed
his shoes and socks and waded into the water. The man heard a clicking
sound. He saw that the boy was holding a fish trap and had just opened
the lid to remove a good-sized trout which he dispatched and threw on
to the banking.

After re-seting the trap the boy waded into deeper water to place it
on the bottom. Satisfied, he retrieved the end of another rope and
started to pull a second trap in. With yet another fish caught, he went
through the same routine as before.

Not knowing quite what drove him, and almost expecting the boy to see
and shout at him, the man scuttled from his hiding place to pick up two
of the fish. Leaving banknotes in their place, he scuttled back into
hiding again. Pocketing the surprisingly heavy fish, their tails
sticking out on either side of him, he climbed the slopes away from the
lake.

Elated, he made his way through the trees. When they thinned,he saw
street lights and walked towards them. Safe for the moment, he started
to laugh.

Fish for breakfast!

Some days it paid to be an early riser!

End