War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1007 The Warrior and the Wendigo
"Finally I can go back." Before the white light drifted away, Wei Ran sighed in relief, but then, he realized something was wrong!
Although his eyes were still dazzled by white flowers, his ears could clearly hear the sound of crashing waves, the annoying cries of seagulls, and the roar of engines.

Even his nose could clearly smell the fishy smell of the sea that made people want to vomit, and even his feet were shaking slightly!

it's over, isn't it
Wei Ran blinked his eyes quickly, and when his eyesight returned to normal, he immediately noticed that he was on a tin fishing boat that was only more than 20 meters long.

However, he didn't see the sailors on the deck of the broken ship, and even the fishing nets were dried and fluffy.

Subconsciously looking at himself, the upper body is wearing a slightly worn-out green jumper deck suit, the MK43 telescope that once belonged to Captain Evans is hanging on the chest, and the black leather Robert camera bag is blatantly hanging on the shoulder. There is also an American kettle fixed on the other side of the waist.The lower body is a pair of loose board shorts and a pair of slightly worn US Navy service shoes.

Subconsciously raised the binoculars and looked straight ahead. In the bright and sharp lens, he could clearly see a beautiful atoll and a long and narrow green island. On the island, there were groups of seabirds constantly Circling, landing, or diving into the water around the island like a dive bomber.

"Clap!"

Wei Ran put down the binoculars subconsciously, and soon after, he found that a puddle of bird feces fell on the back of his hand, and at the bow not far away, there was a black frigate bird standing at some point.

"boom!"

Before he could recover, there was a gunshot behind him, and the frigate bird also fell headlong into the sea, leaving only a few blood-stained feathers, which were not counted as falling. Clean deck.

Turning his head subconsciously, Wei Ran saw Hawkes standing at the door holding a 1911 pistol in both hands.

At this time, Hawks was wearing a brown cowboy hat, and the upper body was also wearing a pullover handyman's deck suit. He also had an American water bottle on one side of his waist, and a bulging gas mask bag on the other side. The mask bag and his body In the middle, there is also a hard leather pistol holster.

But for the lower part of his body, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a pair of equally worn navy service shoes.

Before Wei Ran could speak, Hawkes put away his pistol and walked towards the bow of the ship and said, "I hate frigate birds, just like I hate eating seafood and coconuts."

"I hate frigate birds, seafood and coconuts too"

Wei Ran shook the bird feces on the back of his hand, and while handing the binoculars to the other party, he couldn't help but think of the painful experience of diarrhea back then.

"We're almost there"

Hawkes took the telescope from Wei Ran, looked at the atolls and islands in the distance, but asked, "Victor, where did you go after we separated?"

"Hawaii, of course Hawaii."

Wei Ran nonsense, "I've been waiting to invite you to the striptease, what about you? Where have you been?"

"I returned to the mainland of the United States on a freighter, and then changed my name and identity." Hawkes returned the telescope to Wei Ran, "Now I am a hunter, and I don't want to be a sailor anymore."

"Since you don't want to be a sailor anymore, what's going on this time?" Wei Ran asked the other party with a smile, and at the same time, he tapped the dirty deck with the toe of his shoe.

"This fishing boat was rented by me"

Hawks put his hands on the railing on the side of the boat, "I promised the chief to help him bring back the flowers and seeds of the flower in the camp. Although he didn't say where to plant the flower, I Already figured out where to go."

"Where?" Wei Ran asked curiously.

"You'll know when we get there"

Hawks patted the railing, took out a small Japanese-style cigarette pouch from his pocket, stuffed it with shredded tobacco skillfully, and recalled, "At the beginning, I used the piece of gold inlaid on the shredded tobacco bag that matched this small pipe. The gold rings we brought out gave the two of us the citizenship of Palau. It’s just that we didn’t expect that we would become Americans again when we came back this time.”

"That's right." Wei Ran sighed, and said vaguely, "And Palau will return to the recruiter's hands soon."

"What did you say?" Hawkes looked at Wei Ran puzzled.

"Nothing." Wei Ran waved his hand, "Don't you care about the cab?"

"Don't worry, I don't want to be a sailor anymore, but my sailing skills are very good."

Having said that, Hawks turned around and walked into the dilapidated cockpit, leaving Wei Ran standing alone on the dirty deck.

Seeing that there was still some distance before landing on Helen Island, Wei Ran simply walked to the aft deck, took out the camera from the camera bag, checked it, skillfully replaced it with a wide-angle lens and winded it up.

Reluctantly, he took out the oil barrel containing hot cocoa from the metal book, and then he took out the British P44 kettle and unscrewed it, and filled it with the still hot cocoa together with the American kettle on his waist.

After tightening the lid and putting away the oil barrel, Wei Ran poured himself half a cup of hot cocoa contentedly, then took off the steel cup of the American kettle, poured half a cup of cocoa for Hawkes and sent it into the cockpit.

"Where did you get it? Why is it so hot?" Hawkes asked in surprise after taking the steel cup.

"It's been drying on the deck before"

Wei Ran made an excuse casually, but he didn't care whether the other party believed it or not, he just took out the camera and took a photo of Hawkes who was holding the steering wheel with one hand and holding cocoa in the other with a surprised face.

"It tastes very similar to the cocoa on the destroyer Hall!" Hawkes couldn't help but took another sip, but he didn't care about Wei Ran taking pictures of him.

"It tastes very similar to the cocoa on the Johnston." Wei Ran clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, sighing with emotion about the cup of cocoa that was too late.

"Many people on the Hall did not survive"

"So is the Johnston"

Hearing this, Hawks took another sip of cocoa carefully, but didn't say anything, but slightly increased the throttle of the fishing boat.

More than half an hour later, the fishing boat dropped anchor at the spot where they had run aground and extinguished the engine.

Under Hawkes' command, Wei Ran helped put down a small boat, and the two paddled the boat to the beach, then lifted the boat to the lagoon on the other side of the beach, and rowed straight to the south of the small island. side of the beach.

"In this season two years ago, I remember that when we first landed on this island, there were a lot of coconuts on the beach and in the lagoon." Hawkes got up and left the boat while speaking, picked up a coconut with cracked skin and threw it into the in the cabin.

"When we left, there were a lot of coconuts in the cabin."

Wei Ran followed and got off the boat, and together with the other party pulled the small wooden boat to the beach, and kept saying, "I even remember that you smoked the fiber in the coconut husk as shredded tobacco."

"yes"

The vicissitudes that did not match his age appeared on Hawkes' face. He took out two shovels from the cabin, distributed one of them to Wei Ran, and said as he walked towards the camp, "I often think of the shovels on this island. what happened above.

When I have a good dream, I think of fishing with you, building a camp together, collecting food together, and talking about women together.When I had nightmares, I thought of Mr. Akira, his companions, and the scene when the great chief died. "

"Forget about those experiences, the war is over." Wei Ran patted the other party's shoulder, and walked with him to the camp on the south side of the island.

In two years, this place has completely turned into its original appearance. The only thing that can barely make them sure that they have found the wrong location is the bonfire platform surrounded by stones by Wei Ran himself, and the not far away. Leafy jasmine.

"I'm here to clean up the camp. Do you remember the location of their graves?" Hawkes waved the shovel in his hand as he spoke, and shoveled away the wanton bushes around him.

"Remember" Wei Ran paused, "Are you going to take them away?"

Hearing this, Hawks stopped what he was doing, shook his head after a short silence, "Let them stay here. Just like what the chief said, let him sink with the Johnston. And "

"what?"

"I think their families can't afford a second blow."

Hawks sighed, "I went to find their family secretly, and the moose's mother died, shot and killed by the white police, it seems that she accidentally walked into the restroom that is only open to white people.

Sterling's wife appears to be ready to start a new life, and the War Chief's wife is strong in raising their two sons.

Victor, let's not break the calm now.The big chief is three-quarters Indian after all, and I'm not sure if bringing him back would have made for a better result. "

"This is not something a 20-year-old sailor can say." Wei Ran said, and finally walked towards the grave not far away.

"Everything that happened here two years ago doesn't seem like what an 18-year-old boy should go through, does it? But those just now are indeed suggestions from my father."

Hawks continued to bury his head in cleaning up the weeds and dead branches, "He is waiting for me on the main island of Palau now, Victor, after we go back, we can find a place to have a drink, and we have specially brought you Our own maple syrup."

"If only we had maple syrup"

Wei Ran sighed secretly, and stopped beside a tropical tree whose trunk was full of healing marks.

The marks on the tree were left by him chopping with a sapper shovel.Around here, you can even vaguely see the waterproof embankment he built with stones to prevent the cemetery from being flooded.

Wielding a shovel to clean up the weeds and shrubs here, Wei Ran cleaned it carefully, untied the American kettle filled with hot cocoa at his waist, and gently placed it on the fine white sand in the center of the cemetery.

Looking around, Wei Ran used the shovel to leave some traces on the trunk of the tree, and then turned back to the camp.

After such a short time, Hawks also cleaned up the camp. At this time, he was picking up the black seeds scattered around the jasmine plant, and beside him, there was also a shell casing of a 127mm naval gun. , engraved with those English words that Wei Ran is extremely familiar with.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Wei Ran asked after a pause, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to plant these seeds in the shell casings I brought and see if it grows."

Hawkes pointed to the bonfire stand not far away without looking back, "Dig out those things."

Hearing this, Wei Ran immediately waved his shovel and dug up the stones around the campfire, and then dug up the dry fine sand.

It wasn't long before he found a tattered body armor under the sand.

Pulling out the body armor, he pulled out a red rubber bag from underneath.

Even if he didn't untie the tightly wound paracord, he could still see that this was the sea anchor bag on the life raft, and under the sea anchor bag, there were two American steel helmets stacked.

Without any hint from Hawks, Wei Ran took out the gravity knife and cut the rope, and opened the tightly sealed sea anchor bag.

There are not many things in this sea anchor bag, there are neatly stacked hammocks with blood stains left, and also neatly stacked sailor bags.

In addition, it is the handle of the ax with three warship bird feathers tied on it. Wei Ran remembers clearly that the three feathers were tied on by Captain Evans himself, and the original owner of the three feathers was Let them almost die at sea from dysentery.

Continue to take it out, and there is still a can with an ax head in it. He remembers clearly that this can was originally Hawkes' pet, the home of the hermit crab named "Halsey", but it was in Harbin. After Erxi worshiped everyone's five internal organs temple, he used this jar to hold the oil that acts as sunscreen.

Apart from these few things, the only thing left in the bag is the long lunch box.

Opened the lunch box under the signal of Hawkes, there are not only the gold bars that once belonged to Akira, some rings, and the two rolls of dollars, but even the roll of dollars that Wei Ran found in the canned tobacco And a photo of the artillery chief's girlfriend.

"Take these things away, I don't need them."

Hawkes said, and pushed the long lunch box to Wei Ran, "Hagen, the gunnery commander, survived. I don't think he needs these things anymore. I will give them to you."

"Forget it, I don't need it, you can keep it." Wei Ran waved his hand to reject the other party's kindness, he really didn't need these things, let alone take them away.

"If those seeds can bloom in the shell casings, I will send these things back to Evans and Sterling's respective homes and tell them where the island is and what happened."

While talking, Hawkes took out a screwed can from the gas mask bag on his shoulders, shook a waterproof book inside towards Wei Ran, put it into the sea anchor bag, wrapped it tightly and tied it up Then put it aside.

Until this time, Hawks skillfully pulled out the mouthpiece of the ax handle, picked up a few jasmine seeds, pulled out a few flower buds and stuffed them into the mouthpiece, and then reassembled it before continuing, "I take good care of the seeds planted in shell casings, and if they don't end up blooming, I just keep them for myself."

"What did you put in?" Wei Ran asked curiously.

"As for the memories of everything that happened here, I have recorded them in as much detail as possible."

Hawks scratched his neck with a hint of shyness, "I think they will always be found, and I hope that at least they won't be discarded as unimportant, nameless corpses, which would be too much for them." It's not fair anymore."

"You are good enough"

Wei Ran pushed the long lunch box to the other party again, "Take these things, treat them as storage fees, at least it will make your life more comfortable."

Hawkes didn't refuse Wei Ran's kindness. He walked towards the cemetery with a sea anchor bag containing cans and said, "I forgot to tell you that I'm a marijuana adult now. Our family moved to Superior. On the north shore of Erhu Lake, I bought a small piece of sugar maple forest, usually hunting, it doesn’t cost much at all.”

"Anyway, take it." Wei Ran stood up while speaking, "I want to visit the North Shore, do you want to go together?"

"I'll forget it." Hawks quickly waved his hand, "But I will wait for you."

"See you later," Wei Ran said, carrying a shovel and walking towards the north side of the island.

I deliberately went to look at the location where Hawks killed Jiro, but unfortunately, there was no trace of the Wendigo on the beach.

Walking to the northern end of the island under the bright sunshine, the camp here is also full of weeds and shrubs, but even so, it is difficult to cover up the Japanese one-piece flight suit still tied to the trunk, and it is even more difficult to cover up the The pile of dead bones in the tattered flight suit, and some bones left in the toppled helmet.

Bending down to pick up a Japanese-style officer's kettle and glanced at it, Wei Ran casually threw it beside the corpse, clapped his hands and turned to leave the deserted camp.

When he returned to the beach at the southern tip of the island, Hawkes had packed everything in the sailor bag he had dug out, including shell casings.

"We should get out of here"

Hawkes let Wei Ran help him carry the sailor bag, and said while walking towards the boat in the distance, "I won't come here again in the future."

"They will always be found," Wei Ran pointedly reminded.

"I know," Hawkes smiled, "I'm even looking forward to that day, and dreading it at the same time."

"What are you afraid of?" Wei Ran squinted his eyes and looked at the sparkling calm sea in the distance, and deliberately teased, "Are you afraid that those recruiters will attack Pearl Harbor again?"

"I'm afraid the Americans at that time had forgotten the Great Chief, Captain Sterling and the moose."

Hawkes paused, and added mutteringly, "Forget their bravery and the justice they defended with their lives."

Speaking of this, Hawks put the sailor bag that the two of them carried together on the small wooden boat, and smiled self-deprecatingly, "Forget it, I'm a grown man with marijuana, and I'm just a 20-year-old Indian. I’m afraid it’s not my turn to worry about such things.”

"Yes." Standing by the water, Wei Ran took one last look at the camp in the distance, raised his camera and pressed the shutter.

At the same time, behind him, Hawks also pulled out a bright silver sailor's whistle from his collar, puffed up his cheeks, and blew a deep and deep whistle.

"beep--!"

Amidst the whistle resounding on the beach, a strong white light appeared in front of Wei Ran's eyes again.

Also, there must be. Wei Ran muttered to himself, and at the same time closed his eyes, waiting patiently.

A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, he sighed out of concern for gain and loss, and he finally saw the things on the table in the darkroom in the basement—and a titanium alloy oil barrel with cocoa remaining!

Under the gaze of Wei Ran gnashing his teeth, the metal quill slowly floated up, and wrote the follow-up story on the pale yellow paper.

warrior and wendigo
Sailor Moose (Binney Muse), shell porter for the colored sailors of the destroyer USS Johnston.

On October 1944, 10, due to the sinking of the USS Johnston, he fell into the water to rescue Captain Evans and Vice-Captain Sterling, and was later included in the DD-25 missing and killed list.

On November 1944, 11, he died in battle due to organ failure caused by long-term lack of water. On November 17, he was buried on the north side of the camp at the southern end of Helen Island.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Evans, captain of the destroyer USS Johnston, sank on October 1944, 10 due to the battle of USS Johnston, and was later included in the DD-25 missing and killed list.

On December 1944, 12, he was shot and killed by a nuclear pilot on Helen Island in Palau, and was buried in the camp at the southern end of Helen Island.

Captain Elton Bernard Stirling, deputy captain of the destroyer USS Johnston, sank on October 1944, 10 due to the battle of USS Johnston, and was later included in the DD-25 missing and killed list.

On December 1944, 12, he was shot and killed by a nuclear pilot on Helen Island in Palau, and was buried in the camp at the southern end of Helen Island.

Pilot Akira Kano (Akira), who failed to escape from the battlefield during the Wright Gulf naval battle, was injured by the Hall's anti-aircraft guns, and died of starvation on Helen Island on December 1944, 12.

Pilot Jiro Kano failed to escape from the battlefield during the Wright Gulf naval battle, and the plane made an emergency landing on the sea.

On December 1944, 12, he was killed by a throwing axe, and after being dismembered by Hawkes to vent his anger, he drifted into the Helen Lagoon with no bones left.

Hawkes, the third-class cooking officer of the destroyer Hall, sank on October 1944, 10 due to the battle of the Hall, and was later included in the DD-25 missing and killed list.

On December 1944, 12, according to his last wish, the captain and deputy captain of the USS Johnston were buried on Helen Island.

On December 1944, 12, the repaired Johnston traffic boat left Helen Island. On the 18th of the same month, it was rescued by the aborigines of Toby Island.

In September 1945, as a Palauan sailor, he left Palau on an Australian cargo ship.

In February 1946, he arrived in the United States on a freighter, and then returned to his hometown on his own. He concealed his experience and moved to the northern shore of Lake Superior with his parents to join his tribal relatives and friends.

In October 1946, returned to Helen Island, took away some of the relics of Captain Evans, Deputy Captain Sterling and the nuclear pilot Akira, and then returned to the shore of Lake Superior to settle, and set up a DD on the top of the redwood tree. - Compass Deck 10, commemorating Captain Johnston.

In July 2000, Hawkes died in a thunderstorm night dream.

After a short pause, the quill pen listed an address in Palau after listing a set of coordinates with extremely small latitudes.

After a short pause, the metal quill wrote in a new line, "In this seemingly peaceful world, the warriors are about to be forgotten, and the Wendigo is also quietly recovering."

"The land that once gave birth to warriors is now full of Wendigo"

Wei Ran sighed secretly, and let the pale yellow paper turn over to the back, let the metal quill write under the slowly rotating red swirl: "Soldier, welcome aboard the Johnston."

Almost subconsciously, Wei Ran's heartbeat doubled, and he looked around subconsciously. Obviously, if there really was a USS Johnston destroyer in that small red vortex, he had to find a room that was spacious enough. The place will do!

(End of this chapter)