Excerpt
Eteocles’s pocket is full of stones and on his back he carries a
hunter’s bag with food for later. Anthony carries an empty hunter’s
bag for what they might get today. In ten minutes they are away from
the houses and under the protection of the olive trees. Here the
morning sounds are different: muffled echoes from the rustle of the
breeze in the tree branches and cries of the occasional startled bird
as it flies from the trees or the osier bushes they pass here and there.
The morning star is slowly fading and the first rays of sunlight are
not far off now.
Irma plunges into the thickets of osiers or bunches of cane fields
trying to spring a rabbit from these property dividers that make a
good hiding place for rabbits. Anthony loads his shotgun and nods
to Eteocles to be vigilant and to watch the dog closely. They both
know that, when Irma gets agitated and wags her tail, these are the
signs that a rabbit is close. Eteocles stops and Anthony moves forward
ten steps, enough to give him the openness of the field in case he has
to shoot.
A few minutes later Irma begins wagging her tail excitedly. Anthony
encourages her with a familiar call, “Eheheheheh…Irma…”
and the eager dog intensifies her search around an osier bush when,
suddenly, a rabbit is spooked and dashes out of the bush to Anthony’s
left. He follows the animal for a second or two with the barrel of the
gun and then fires. The rabbit seems to jump in the air before falling
on the ground dead. A delighted Irma runs and grabs the animal in
her jaws, then brings it back to her master and proudly stands in front
of him with the limp body in her teeth. Anthony takes the rabbit out
of the dog’s mouth and weighs it in his hand. It’s still small, a yearling,
but a good start to the day nevertheless.
They already have their first catch and it isn’t even full daylight
yet. Excited with this early success, they carry on walking among the
olive trees. the light rustle of the leaves and the chirping of the awakening
birds create a natural symphony conducted by an invisible
maestro. Eteocles tunes his ears to the avian arias, eager to identify
one close enough to try a shot.
