Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Fogbound Encounter 5

   By Katzmarek

   Kimi felt the wind tugging his hair and brushing his padded overalls. 
He began to shiver again as the watery sun radiated heat into his chilled
body.  Slowly he chanced to open his eyes.

   At first the light dazzled him but after a while of squinting, to cut
down the rays, he managed to open them completely.

   He looked at the partly cloudy sky for an age before he began to make
any sense of it.  He then remembered details of how he came to be lying in
the field.

   He tried to move first one arm, then the other.  They were stiff and
they ached but they seemed to be undamaged.  His leg was harder to move,
but eventually he managed to lift one knee, then the other.  Again, despite
the aches and pains they appeared undamaged also.

   The problem came when he attempted to roll over.  A sharp pain gripped
him in the side.  `Ribs,' he thought, `damn!' He tried easing himself onto
his elbows.  Again the stabbing pain, but he persisted and eventually found
himself propped up like he was watching a band play in the park in Danzig
on a summers day.

   His neck creaked as he turned his head to take in his surroundings. 
Tree line, field, herd of cows peacefully grazing and a stone fence with an
old wooden gate.

   It had stopped raining, he was glad to see, but the sky threatened more.

   Kimi managed to roll on to his stomach.  Holding his ribs as hard as he
dared, he struggled, first to his knees, then onto his feet.  His left side
felt as though someone was continually jabbing him with a knife every time
he moved.  But at last he got his feet working and set out for the gate.

   He stumbled along until the wooden boards of the gate stopped him, then
propped himself against it while he pondered his next move.

   He saw that the gate opened out onto another field that ended at another
fence but this time, with a cottage behind it.  Opening the latch he fell
through into the next field, landing on his face.  The smell of cattle dung
assailed his nostrils and he realised he'd fallen into a pile of cowpats.

   Wiping the smelly stuff off his face with his sleeve, with supreme
effort, he got to his feet once more and headed in the direction of the
cottage.

   The pain in his side served to keep him alert, at least.  Kimi noted a
large bull about 100 metres away that stared suspiciously at him.  He tried
to keep his eyes on the cottage, believing the bull would be ok providing
you didn't fix him in the eye.  He remembered someone once cautioning never
to get between a bull and it's harem, so Kimi stumbled as fast as he could,
away from the previous field.

   Eventually he reached the other side.  The bull trotted over casually to
observe him, he noted it had been polled.  `At least he won't gore me,' he
thought, `merely crush me between his head and the fence.'

   He chanced to look at the bull and found it was coming nearer and
picking up pace.  He decided to throw himself over the fence, no matter how
much it hurt.

   He landed spread-eagled on the ground on the other side.  He shook with
the pain in his side.

   `Ere, what are you doing there, love?" came a woman's voice.

   Kimi looked towards the voice and found a large, middle aged woman
standing with arms akimbo.

   "C'mon love, what are you doing there?  Where did you come from?

   "There," Kimi croaked, pointing behind him.

   "Are you alright?  Are you injured?  You haven't been in the bull
paddock?  What in blazes do you think you were doing?"

   The woman came over and stood over him.

   "Come on, up you get?"

   "Help!" Kimi croaked.

   "My goodness, you're a mess, C'mon up you get," she said bending down
and grabbing him by the shoulder.  "Roger!  Get your pa," she called behind
her, "we've got a visitor."

   Roger turned out to be a boy of about 15, his pa was a whiskered man in
his 30's, or 40's.  Kimi found it hard to tell.  Together they assisted
Kimi inside.  The man spoke first.

   "Broken rib I shouldn't wonder.  Hurt eh lad?" Kimi nodded.

   "Now where have you been?  Are you some sort of flier, dressed like
that." Again, Kimi nodded.

   "Ah, I thought so.  Probably from that aerodrome outside of Chelmsford.
They're always coming over here, bloody rowdy buggers," he told his wife,
"You're lucky Algie didn't have a piece of you lad."

   "Algie?" croaked Kimi.

   "The bull lad, the bull.  You're lucky he didn't throw you over the
fence.  Or did he?"

   "No, I jumped."

   "Good for you!  Margery, a cup of tea for the lad, he looks all in."

   The tea was piping hot, and sweet.  Kimi reckoned there must have been
about 5 teaspoons of sugar in it.

   "Roger!  You'd better go over to the camp at Clacton.  Get them to bring
a cart, this lad's not marching anywhere.  Now, lad, what do we call you?"

   "Kimi," Kimi croaked.

   "What's that?  Timmy?"

   "Kimi, K_i_m_i," he spelt out his name for the man.

   "Kimi, Kim, sound's like a child's name."

   "Oh dad," said his wife, "leave the lad alone."

   "So!  Where did you come down, lad?" the man asked.

   "The field."

   "Did you say the field, lad?  Didn't hear a thing, did you Margery?" His
wife shook her head.

   "Last night."

   "Ah, must have been when we were over at the Evans's, eh Margery?  You
been out there all night?" Kimi nodded.

   "Well, he'd better have some of that stew, eh Margery?  He wouldn't have
eaten.  Fix him a plate, love?"

   Kimi gratefully accepted the plate of beef stew.  He was so exhausted
that the thought he was not being completely honest with these generous
farmers didn't really occur to him.

   The farmer's wife, Margery returned from outside,

   "I don't see any aeroplanes out there.  What field did you mean?" she
asked Kimi.

   "Must be over by the river, love," her husband answered, "that right,
lad?  By the river, was it?"

   "He couldn't have walked that far, surely," replied the woman, "must be
close on 12 miles across those fields."

   "That so, lad?  Did you walk all the way from the river?"

   "'Ere," said his wife, peering at Kimi's sleeve, "I've never seen that
badge before.  I saw a lot of different insignia when our Albert joined up.
But I've never seen one like that.  What do the letters S.M.K.L.D.  stand
for?  Do you know dad?"

   "Leave off him, Margery.  He can't tell you those things, can you lad?
Military secrets you know."

   "But it's got a Maltese cross on it, dad, right there."

   "Maltese cross?  Give us a look.  Well I never... What do those letters
stand for lad, tell the truth?"

   "Seine Majestaets Kriegsmarine Luftschiffe Dienst," answered Kimi.  (His
Majesty's Navy Airship Service)

   "And that crest, WII, Willy the second, your bloody Kaiser!  Margery! 
Go to the village and fetch the Constable.  Tell him we've captured a
bloody Hun.  Don't you move lad... Here!  Give me that plate back.  I'm not
feeding an enemy."

   "Oh he's only a lad..."

   "Go Margery!"

   Eventually an elderly Police sergeant arrived on horseback.  Red faced
and puffing with exertion he staggered in to the cottage waving a revolver
he clearly wasn't used to.

   "Stay there you," he demanded, "none of your Hun tricks or I'll shoot
you."

   "Oh calm down Ted," said the Farmer, "he's not going anywhere.  Busted
his ribs, he has."

   "He's probably a spy, landed by one of them U-boats."

   "Oh he is not," replied the Farmer, "Kimi and I have been having a chat,
haven't we?  He's a mechanic, fell out of a Zeppelin that came over in the
storm last night.  Hey, he speaks English better than you Ted."

   "A mechanic?"

   "Yes.  While he's here he can look at that plough of mine.  What about
that motorbicycle you have at the station?  He could get that going to,
couldn't you?"

   "Sure," shrugged Kimi.

   "See?  A good mechanic's worth their weight, ain't they?" He told the
astonished Sergeant.

   It was getting on towards the middle of September and unknown to the
inhabitants of His Majesty's Prison Camp at Galston, near Kilmarnock,
Strathclyde, Scotland, the war had a little more than three weeks to run.
Already the German General Staff had made overtures to the Allies via
Switzerland.

   Kimi finally received his little parcel from his Grandmother in Danzig.
It contained some shaving gear, letters, writing materials and a hand
knitted sweater.  He had to admit that the rations the British provided
were better then those supplied at Nordenham.  Even better than the few
things smuggled over from the Netherlands.

   Life, in fact, was pretty tolerable.  The weather had been cold but the
barracks had been well heated.  Now, however, spring was coming and the air
was becoming warmer.

   Kimi had proved useful to the camp authorities.  His excellent command
of English meant he was frequently called on as a translator. 
Additionally, his mechanical skills were in high demand.  Being personable,
and young, he'd managed to establish a few relationships among the guards,
some of whom took quite a paternal interest.

   "Jock," he called to the old Warrant Officer, "how's the bicycle?"

   "Better than new, Kimi boy.  Here," he said, pressing a small parcel
into his hand, "Mrs.  Smyth thought you'd appreciate a little Hymnal cake.
She made it yesterday, Y'know," he said confidentially, "she puts a little
drop of whisky in it.  Against the weather, you see."

   "Thank Mrs.  Smyth from me.  Um... did you... Y'know... post that little
letter, yesterday," Kimi's voice dropped to a whisper.  The big man clapped
him about the shoulder and laughed,

   "Now which one would that be?" Kimi blushed.

   "Was it alright?  I mean... you won't get into trouble?"

   "Well now," he replied, "If I had a day in the brig for every time I've
broken Kings Regulations... I couldn't see myself ever being a free man
again."

   "Thanks Jock, I don't know what to say."

   "Don't worry lad.  She'll get it, unopened too."

   "How?"

   "I stamped it `Official Mail'.  The censor won't touch it."

   "I'm in your debt."

   "Nonsense!  Just be as happy as Mrs.  Smyth and me.  That will be reward
enough.  Will you live here or in Germany?"

   "I don't know.  I don't even know if she'd have me."

   "She'd be a fool if she doesn't.  If you decide to stay in Britain,
well, there's this cottage my brother owned.  Before he... bought it in
Flanders.  Well you can have it if you want.  Just a thought.  There's
always room for good mechanics around here."

   "Thank you Jock... I..."

   "Run along now... or I'll be before Colonel Melrose for fraternising."

   In London, Rosy called to Eliza from the bottom of the stairs,

   "Hey, Miss Eliza Simpson, Official War Office letter for you.  Who have
you been flirting with?"

   "Official?" Eliza replied.

   "That what it says.  Do you want me to open it for you?"

   "No, no!" she said, running down the stairs.  She grabbed the letter and
ran back up to her room.

   "Well, excuse me!" Rosy said in annoyance.

   The Letter read,

   `Dearest Eliza.'

   `I am presently in Scotland as a guest of His Britannic Majesty's Armed
Forces.  This to let you know that I think of you my every waking hour and
long to be with you.  I am in camp GA 127N near Galston Kilmarnock.  I am
doing very well and am well fed.  I hope you haven't forgotten our
conversation on the pier.

   Love Kimi.

   Eliza rummaged under her bed and grabbed a old pewter box.  She
frantically tipped out the contents on the candlewick bedspread.  She
grabbed a rolled up wad of notes and fled out of her room.

   "Ere, where are you going in such a hurry?" Rosy yelled after her.

   "Scotland!" Eliza yelled back as she dashed off down the street for the
bus.

   Eliza stood outside the forbidding looking barbed-wire gate.  Two guards
from the 12th East Glasgow Volunteers were arguing with her.

   "I'm telling you this is a restricted area, Miss.  you're not supposed
to be on this side of the river at all.  You'll have to see Major Monroe,
Miss, back at the guards barracks."

   "But I've come all the way from London and..."

   "Look, you could come from heaven, Miss, but you'd still need a pass."

   As she turned to go, a large elderly guard approached.

   "You wouldn't be Eliza Simpson by any chance?" he asked her.

   "Yes... do you know k..."

   "It's alright boys, I'll take it from here.  Back to your posts."

   "Yes sir, Warrant Officer sir!" they snapped, and marched off.

   "Now then, lass.  Would you be after a friend of ours by any chance?" he
asked Eliza.

   "Yes, his name is K..."

   "Not here lass.  Come with me." Eliza followed her away from the camp.
When they had walked a while the WO said,

   "He's very special, your Kimi, isn't he?"

   "Yes, can I see him?" Eliza asked anxiously.

   "It'll take some arranging.  Things are pretty slack here, but not that
slack.  That lot are not in a hurry to return home but you can't let them
loose to roam around the countryside.  Tell me, have you ever thought of
moving to Galston?  I know a little cottage..."