Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING
and reluctantly ripped out pages he had already read. “Never mind!”
he yelled again.
Thus shaken from a drinking game, two Nats in the form of mili­
tary police jumped to their feet. Earlier they had left their guard
posts and sneaked into the field, so that they might smoke cheroots
and get drunk on palm toddy. The soused men shouted in Burmese
with the prerogative of those on guard. “What the fuck’s going on
out there?”
Walter, hearing their curses, had no desire to discern whether they
were farmers or spirits. He summoned the rest-stop takers to re-
board quickly. Trousers were yanked up, dark figures hobbled toward
the vehicle while tugging on their zippers. But Harry, happy wan­
derer and slow pisser, was oblivious of all of it. He was farther down
the road, gazing at brilliant pinpricks of stars, when he heard the
commotion. He glanced back and saw the others mounting the bus.
Time to walk back. He assumed the same leisurely pace that had
taken him there. A second later, the bus engine started, and the rear
brake lights glowed red. What’s their big hurry? Harry began to walk
a bit faster. A sharp pain shot through his right knee. He bent down
and clutched where it throbbed. Old ski injury, the onset of arthritis.
Drat, he was getting old. Well, no use aggravating it further. He slowed
to a walk again, deciding he would simply have to apologize for the de­
lay once he reached his companions. But instead, when he was some
twenty feet away, much to his astonishment, the bus pulled off.
“Hey there!” he shouted while hobbling forward. The bus belched
black fumes, and in reeling from this noxious assault, Harry leapt to
the right and fell into a shallow ditch, landing on his left shoulder
and in a manner not conducive to proper arm rotation. A few mo­
ments later, he climbed out, coughing and swearing. Was this a joke?
Surely, it had to be, and a wretched one at that. He rubbed his shoul­
der. He’d be lucky if he had not torn his rotator cuff. All right, ha,
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