Swimmer in the Secret Sea by William Kotzwinkle Read Free Book Online

The trail went through alder bushes, and down, to the larger trees, where no lumber had been cut for many years. Laski went on, through the old trees to the high bank above the stream. There the bank sloped down, with thin firs growing on its sides. Below was the stream, frozen but still flowing and the sound of its flowing came up to his ears. He stopped in a square of four small spruce.
    They shoveled off the snow, clearing a space of earth in the little square. 'The ground doesn't appear to be frozen,' said Laski.
    'No, it'll be good digging,' said Ben, raising the pick. When he'd loosened the dirt, Laski shoveled it and threw it into a pile. The sky remained gray and the hole took shape and grew deeper, Ben chopping and Laski shovel-ing out the loosened earth.
    'Don't appear to be many roots,' said Ben.
    'No, it's not bad.'
    'Has to be wider though,' said Ben. He broke more surrounding earth and Laski shoveled it off so that he was able to climb down into the hole and work at the walls.
    'How deep do you want it?' asked Ben.
    'So an animal won't dig it up.'
    'Nothing will touch it,' said Ben, but they shoveled deeper until Laski was in up to his waist, throwing the dirt out.
    'You go and bring the box back down,' said Ben. 'I'll get the hole squared up.'
    Laski climbed out of the hole, put his snowshoes on, and followed the beat back up through the pines. The dampness of the morning brought many smells into the air, of dead wood and leaves, and from time to time he caught a faint trace of the musk of some animal who had passed by. All around in the snow were rabbit tracks weaving in and out through the trees, and there were also the tracks of a bobcat going in his gracefully curving line deeper into the forest, to the cedar bog, where the deer stayed.
    The old barn came into view, and Laski went past it, toward the cabin. At the shed, he removed his snowshoes and stuck them in the snow. He entered the shed and laid the toboggan down on the floor, placing the little coffin on top of it. Then he roped it down.
    When it was securely fastened, he went into the cabin. Diane was sitting up on the couch. 'Did you find a nice spot?'
    'On the high bank above the stream,' said Laski. 'I'm taking him down there now.' He returned to the shed, and carried the loaded sled out into the snow. He put his snowshoes on again and took the rope in his hands. The load was very light and went smoothly over the crust.
    On the slope behind the old barn, the toboggan moved on its own and he ran alongside it, guiding it with the rope through a stand of young spruce. The arms of the little trees touched the box, shedding some needles upon it, and a few tiny cones.