Ivory King Finale

Setting: Adak Island, Alaska 1956

The taste of the white fleshed chinook never left Caleb's mind. He greatly anticipated the end of winter so he could attempt to catch another one. However he would have to wait a little while before he could get back out there since a heavy storm battered the island. Anything that was left outside was either destroyed or swept away by the storm. If Caleb hadn't fastened a metal cage to the side of the shipping container, that was his home, he would have surely lost all his firewood and froze to death. And because of the island's limited resources, he would have to travel to Adak Island to gather the supplies he needed to rebuild everything.

Even once winter passed, Caleb had to wait a couple weeks before he could travel to Adak Island. The ocean currents were still quite rough and he didn't fell comfortable traveling from island to island in his small skiff. But this did give him time to take an inventory of everything he would need to replace what had been lost. Caleb made his list and as soon as the water was calm enough, he grabbed his backpack and made his way to Adak Island.

Whenever Caleb traveled to Adak Island, there were two things he always did; visited Sam and his family and check his mail at Adak Station. He planned to stay with Sam and his family for a couple of days before heading to Adak Station to check his mail and order his supplies. Sam lived in a small community of native islanders on the southern shore of Adak. Many of them had moved back to the island after being displaced once the war ended. Caleb had stayed with them before and they were all familiar with him.

When one of the residents saw Caleb coming in his boat, he ran to get the others attention. A group of young men came to the shore to greet Caleb. They helped him shore his boat and walked him up the slope where everyone else was. He was welcomed by everyone there and he was just as happy to see them. Not long after arriving, he found Sam playing with one of his young daughters.

"My friend!" Sam shouted. "I didn't expect to see you so soon this year."

"I know and I didn't plan on coming this early either. But the winter storms destroyed some of my things and I'm here to order supplies so I can start rebuilding."

"Well you are always welcome here. Come on let's get you settled in."

Caleb only planned on staying a few days with Sam and his family. He eagerly wanted to finish his business on Adak and return to Atka to begin the rebuilding process. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could try to catch another white fleshed chinook. The very next day, Sam took Caleb to Adak Station to order his supplies and check his mail. When they got there, Caleb had Sam take him to the army supply depot to order the things he needed. Because of the list he had made, he was able to order everything quickly without wasting time on finding the right material. After just 20 minutes, his time at the supply depot was finished. They would have all of his things delivered to Atka Island since he would not be able to fit everything in his skiff.

Around the corner from the supply depot was the post office. Since it was so close, Caleb chose to walk over there to get his mail. Normally the only mail he would get would be from the military regarding his bank accounts. But this time the mail contained something different. He found a hand written letter that had been addressed to him. He had no idea who it was from. Caleb opened the letter and began to read it.

Caleb,

It's your old spotter Mark Jensen. It's been a long time since we've seen each other. I recently met up with some of the guys we served with back on the Solomon Islands. I asked about you and one of them told me you got called up to Aleutian Islands in Alaska to fight the Japanese. I know you kicked their butts right off the islands, no need in asking how it all went down. He said that you were stationed out of Adak Island. So I decided to write you a letter hoping that you were still up there. I'm making plans on coming up there in the summer to reconnect with you. Thought I'd give you a heads up. Didn't want to show up unannounced, haha. Anyway, I should be up there in June and if you're still there, which I'm sure you are knowing you, let's get together for old times sake.

Your Buddy, Mark

Caleb couldn't believe what he had just read. It had been over a decade since he last seen Mark and had almost forgot he existed. As Caleb started walkng back to Sam's truck, he immediately began recollecting all the times they served together and all the missions they took part in. Once back to the truck, Sam could tell by the look on his face that something important had happened.

"Everything okay my friend?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I just received a letter from an old friend that I served with before I got called up here. He says he's coming up this summer to visit me."

"Well that's great news. Be sure to bring him by the village so I can meet him."

After hearing that Mark would be coming up in the summer, Caleb wasted no time in getting back home to begin rebuilding his lost assets. The supplies he ordered came a week after he returned to Atka Island. He got straight to work and finished everything just as spring gave way to summer. Then he turned his focus towards making sure everything was prepared for Mark's arrival. He cleaned up his home and set up Mark's bedding. He also checked his food supply, ensuring that he had enough to spare for his friend. It was while doing this he was reminded of the white fleshed chinook and he wanted his friend to experience that for himself.

Caleb traveled back to Adak Island the week before Mark was set to arrive. He stayed with Sam's family as he usually would. While there he asked if Sam would be willing to help him catch another white fleshed chinook so his friend could taste it. Sam told him that those kind of fish aren't the ones you can really pursue. It all comes down to luck. But he was more than willing help him try to catch one.

As the days drew nearer to Mark's arrival, Caleb was overflowing with excitement. It had been so long since they last seen each other that Caleb couldn't wait to reconnect with his friend. Then the day finally came. The airplane landed and Caleb watched closely as the passengers exited onto the runway. Eventually he spotted a man that looked like Mark, so he called out to him. The man turned around and immediately smiled once he saw Caleb. It was definitely him but he wasn't the Mark that Caleb remembered.

As Caleb walked up to greet his friend, he noticed that Mark had changed a lot since he had last seen him. Mark had always been a short, lean man. But he had put on a considerable amount of muscle in these past years. He also used to be clean shaven but now he had a large, reddish beard that reached down to the center of his chest. And he couldn't help but notice his prosthetic leg. The two men hugged before Caleb showed him where the truck was parked. Once there, he introduced Mark to Sam. On the way back to Sam's village, they all shared stories about their experiences during the war.

They arrived at the village late in the afternoon. Sam took the time to show Mark around and introduce him to his people. Everyone was warm and welcoming towards him. Everyone settled in for the evening and Sam's wife prepared a special meal for their guest, smoked walrus with kelp. At first Mark wasn't so sure about eating it. But once he saw Caleb could eat it, he took a bite. To his surprise he loved the taste. It reminded him of venison, though it did have a slight fishy flavor. Sam remarked how eating walrus always reminded him of the stories his grandfather would tell him about when his people used to hunt sea cows. Though his grandfather never got the chance to hunt one before they went extinct, stories of those hunts were passed on and told to Sam when he was young.

Mark was interested in hearing more about the sea cows since he had never heard of such an animal. Caleb, who was somewhat aware of what they were, described them as an oversized manatee. Sam went to the back of his home where a rib bone laid on a makeshift stand. He brought the heavy bone to Mark and Caleb so they could see just how big these animals were. Even with the deep curve of the rib bone, it still stood over six feet tall. Sam said that his grandfather's family came to the islands from Russia and hunted the sea cows for their meat and skins. At that moment, Caleb learned something about Sam that he never knew before.

"Wait a minute Sam, you're Russian?"

"My Grandfather's family is Russian. After the sea cows disappeared, his family settled on the islands. Eventually he married an Aleut woman as there weren't many Russian women available to him. So at best I'm only part Russian. Though I speak the language well." Then Mark interjected.

"So what did your family do when the sea cows went extinct?"

"They had a business partnership with a trading company in central Canada where they would sell the sea cows skins. Once they disappeared, they switched to providing resources that the trading company couldn't get themselves. Things like dried kelp, seal meat along with the furs, smoked halibut and crab."

After the meal, everyone settled in for the evening. Sam lit a fire outside where Caleb and Mark joined him. Sam asked Mark if he had ever been fishing, to which he replied that he had never tried. Sam laughed and said, "This should be fun". Mark, confused at what he meant, asked Caleb what Sam was talking about. That's when Caleb talked about the white fleshed chinook salmon that he had caught the year before. Mark had never knew such a fish existed but was excited at the opportunity to try and catch one. Sam said it was still too early in the year for them swim up river but there was always the possibility of catching some of the younger salmon as they swam from the rivers to the ocean. He said they should try to catch some there before heading offshore.

In the morning, Sam loaded his truck in preparation for the day ahead. His wife made coffee for everyone while they all got ready to leave. As they sipped their coffee, Sam told Caleb and Mark about a spot on the river where he often would catch the young chinooks as they made their way to the ocean. He said there was no guarantee of catching one with white flesh but it was always a good spot to go to.

When they finished their coffee, the men hopped in Sam's truck and headed to his spot. It took an hour to get there, mostly because there were no roads that led to it. The terrain was bumpy and uneven, leading to an uncomfortable ride. Sam said that the discomfort would be well worth it as he had always caught salmon from this particular spot. Sam stopped the truck near the edge of a hill. His spot was a section of river that flowed through a small valley. Sam said that they would have to head down to the river on foot. They grabbed the gear out of the truck and followed Sam down the hill.

Sam told them to walk slowly and as lightly as possible. The vibrations from their footsteps could alert the fish and cause them not to bite. Because of Mark's prosthetic leg, he had trouble making it down the hill. Eventually he decided to take it off and made it down on his good leg while carrying the fake one. When they got down to the base of the hill, Sam stopped them before reaching the river's edge. He scanned the water carefully, looking for any breaks in the current. Sam did not see what he was looking for, so he told Caleb and Mark to follow him up river. A few minutes later he found the current breaks he was looking for. He told them the large rocks that fall into the river create pockets of slower moving water that fish like to rest in. Once Sam had located his spot, everyone began setting up their gear.

Since this was Mark's first time fishing, Caleb helped him get set up and went over some of the basics. While this was happening, Sam reached into his bag and pulled out an old sardine can. Inside were some feathered lures that he had made. He handed a couple to Caleb and Mark and showed them how they should be used. Sam wanted them to cast upriver and allow the current to drag their baits past the breaks. He also told them to jerk the rods to mimic a baitfish in distress. After the instruction from Sam, Caleb and Mark cast their lines.

It did not take long to hook their first fish. Just a few minutes after they started, Mark hooked into a salmon. As soon as they saw him hook up, Caleb and Sam rushed over to coach him. Mark, having never fought a fish before, was filled with adrenaline and tried to muscle the salmon to the riverbank. But this caused the line to snap and he ended up losing the fish. Sam laughed when he saw the line go slack. Mark asked, "What's so funny?" Sam jokingly replied, "That is why I gave you more than one lure."

While Sam tied on another lure for Mark, Caleb had cast his line and quickly hooked a fish of his own. Since he had experience fighting salmon, he was able to land his without much difficulty. His salmon measured just over 20 inches. "Now that's how you land a fish!" He said while waiting for Mark to get his line back in the water. After seeing Caleb catch his salmon, Mark was even more determined to catch one of his own.

Following the example Caleb had set, Mark made sure to do everything they same way he did. Not long after catching his first salmon, Caleb had hooked another one. This one was only slightly bigger than the fish he had caught before. Mark looked on as he continued to work his own lure. Now that both of them were set, Sam was able to cast his line and start fishing for himself. He hooked a fish not long after he started. But instead of landing the fish, he gave the rod over to Mark so he could have the experience of catching a fish.

This time Mark was more patient and listened to the advice he was getting from Sam and Caleb. They coached him through the fight, doing everything they could make sure he landed this fish. Mark was careful and more patient this time around. He listened to what Sam and Caleb were telling him and successfully fought the fish to the riverbank. Sam went into the water and grabbed the salmon for him. Mark was overjoyed after catching his first fish. He hopped around like a little boy who just got a brand new toy. Caleb said he wished he had a camera to capture Mark's first fish. He simply said, "Don't worry, this will forever be captured in my memories."

They continued to fish for a few hours and covered a lot of river in doing so. At the end of the day, they had managed to catch six fish total, two for each man. While they were excited about their catches, none of them were happy about climbing back up the steep hill. Especially because they now had to carry all their fish with them as well. They were also a good distance from the truck. Sam had the idea that he would walk back down river to where the incline wasn't as steep and climb back up to the truck and drive over to them. It would take over an hour but those long Alaskan summers meant they would have plenty of daylight.

Caleb and Mark made the steep walk back up the hill and stood near the edge. While they waited for Sam to come back with the truck, Caleb asked Mark what he had been up to since he was discharged from the army. He talked about his difficult recovery and how it took him months to get used to his prosthetic leg. He initially never felt comfortable putting his full weight on it and would overcompensate by leaning more on his good leg, which caused him pain in both his leg and lower back. Because of this, he had a hard time keeping a job for more than a couple of months. Some places refused to hire him because of his disability. With no income, he lost his apartment and had to move in with his younger brother and his family.

Mark told Caleb that not being able to work and take care of himself made him feel worthless. This, combined with losing the structure and routine of military life, caused him to fall into a deep depression. He managed to gain over 100lbs because he spent his days just eating and drinking beer. This led to numerous arguments with his brother, who was growing tired of him laying around and getting drunk everyday. One of these arguments caused Mark to storm out of the house. When he sobered up, he found a crumpled business card from a local gym in his pocket. He didn't know how it got there but after he took a look at himself in the mirror, he decided to give it a try.

It was at the gym he noticed a help wanted sign for a janitor position. Mark went inside and asked about it. One of the perks of the job was that he would be able to exercise at the gym for free. The idea of earning money while getting back in shape was too good of an opportunity to pass up. He took the job and started working the very next day. He worked hard everyday and after each shift would spend close to an hour exercising. He slowly but surely started to lose weight and get his health back. He had also managed to quit drinking a few months later. Mark said he fell in love with training and fitness. The discipline and commitment it took to get in shape reminded him of his days in the military.

Later on he learned that the man who owned the gym was a lieutenant who served in the Second World War. They started talking a lot and formed a bond that went deeper than just employer and employee. The lieutenant told him about a group of former soldiers who get together every weekend to do various activities. Mark was invited to join and quickly made new friends as they all shared their war stories. One of the men had spent time on the Solomon Islands, the place where Mark broke his leg. Mark asked him if he knew a sniper named Caleb Hansen. He said he didn't know him personally but the last time he heard about him, he had been called up to Alaska on a special assignment. Mark gathered as much information as he could and set out to find Caleb.

Caleb and Mark continued their conversation as they waited for Sam to come with the truck. Caleb talked about his special assignment and why he decided to stay in Alaska. "I loved it here, even during the war. The land, the sea, it all just felt right to me. I feel like these islands called to me through the army. Even after my assignment was complete and the war was over, I didn't want to leave. So I made a home for myself, learned from the locals and created a life for myself here."

When Sam arrived with the truck, they loaded up their gear, placed the salmon in a basket and settled in for the bumpy ride home. They got back just after 3 pm. They immediately started processing the fish, Caleb hoping to see one with the milky white flesh. But all six of the chinooks they caught had the deep orange flesh that you would expect for them to have. Caleb was disappointed but Mark didn't make a fuss about it. He was just happy to have the experience of catching a fish.

They cooked and ate the salmon later in the evening. Caleb apologized to Mark about not having the opportunity to taste a white fleshed chinook. Sam saw Caleb's disappointment and offered a solution.

"There is another spot we can try, if you're up to it, my friend."

"Where?" Caleb asked.

"There's a place far from shore where the chinooks like to gather and I have caught a number of white ones there. However the water is quite rough and it's not safe to go out there alone. We'll need at least one more group of fishermen to accompany us."

"How long would that take?"

"I could ask around the village. I'm sure I'll be able to get some men by morning."

Sam went around the village gathering other fishermen to join them for tomorrow's expedition. He managed to round up seven fishermen, adding two extra boats to the group. Sam was confident that amongst all of them, someone would manage to catch the elusive white flesh chinook. In the morning, everyone gathered at the shore and prepped their boats for the day. They all made sure to pack plenty of food and water since it would be a long day of fishing. The area Sam spoke of was over 2 hours from the village, so they expected to be on the water for at least 10 hours. Once everyone was ready, they launched their boats and made the long ride to the spot.

Caleb asked Sam what was so special about this particular spot. Sam said that he discovered this spot by accident years ago when he was hunting for sea otters. He was looking further out from his usual hunting grounds in order to find new areas. To his surprise he found a bunch of sea otters floating above a giant kelp forest. After shooting two of the otters and retrieving their bodies, he saw multiple large salmon swimming less than ten feet below the surface. He came back to that spot a couple days later and caught so many salmon that he couldn't walk in his boat without stepping on one.

When they got to the spot, all the men tilted the propellers from the motors out of the water so the kelp would not get tangled in it. Sam said that here they would be fishing by jigging up and down to entice the salmon. It was the most productive way to catch them since the kelp was so thick I made the trolling method almost impossible. Some of the men in another boat started gathering some of the kelp in their boat. Mark, with a confused look on his face, asked what they were doing. Caleb explained how Sam's people actually eat kelp, so they were collecting some for later.

As usual, Sam had brought out some lures he had made himself. It was a simple gold hook with a large, white feather attached to the shank. At the top of the hook, where the knot was tied, was a piece of whale bone carved in a circle. The bone was painted red to mimic an injury on a baitfish. Sam told then to drop the lure straight down and allow it to sink. Caleb asked how deep they should allow it to sink. Sam said to count to ten and then stop it. Letting it sink too deep could cause it to get snagged and eventually lost.

While Sam, Caleb and Mark dropped the lures, they could hear the men from one of the other boats cheering as they hauled in their first salmon. This one was much bigger than the ones they were catching the day before. From a distance they could tell the fish was over fifteen pounds. Mark was so mesmerized by the fish's size that he accidentally let his lure sink to the bottom and it got snagged in the rocks. Sam handed Mark his rod while he tried to get the other one untangled. As soon as he took Sam's rod, Mark hooked into a fish.

Mark fought the fish just like Sam and Caleb told him to. But this fish was much bigger than any other he had hooked. He was amazed at how strong a fish could be, especially considering all the time he spent in the gym. He thought that he could easily pull in any fish but this salmon proved to be much stronger than he expected. The kelp added another challenge for him since it was getting caught around the line. Sam told him to reel it in slowly while he used his gaff to clear the kelp from his line. After a few tense moments, Sam finally started to see the salmon beneath the surface. Mark continued to bring him in slowly and once he was close enough to the boat, Sam gaffed the salmon and tossed him into the boat. It was Mark's biggest salmon so far, weighing close to twenty pounds.

The salmon were aggressive and the bite stayed active. Almost every drop generated a strike and every salmon caught weighed ten pounds or more. In just two hours, they managed to catch 37 salmon. Majority of them being chinooks, though a few coho's were caught as well. Once each boat was filled with fish, they all headed back to the village. They didn't even have the chance to eat any of the food they had packed since they were too busy catching fish.

When they got back to the village, they brought all of the salmon off the the boats and started processing them. Some of the other residents helped with the task since there were so many to handle. Caleb showed Mark how to properly cut the salmon and gave him the opportunity to try it for himself. As he watched Mark cut up the salmon, he hoped that at least one of them would have the white flesh he was looking for. About thirty minutes after they started, one of the villagers started yelling and jumping up and down. He picked up one of the salmon and showed it to everyone in the area. Someone had caught a white fleshed chinook.

Caleb and Sam were both very excited to have caught one. But Mark did not yet understand the significance of what they had. Caleb tried to explain to him what made that fish so special but he knew that Mark wouldn't truly get it until he tasted it. Once all the fish had been processed and distributed among the people, Sam and a couple other men lit a fire to cook the white fleshed salmon. They cut slits on both sides of the fish and sprinkled sea salt on it as it cooked. The smell alone made everyone anticipate the meal to come. They also tossed some of the kelp they brought back on the fire to go with the salmon.

When the salmon was done cooking, one of the village elders started to cut it up, along with the kelp. The salmon weighed nearly twenty pounds, so it was just big enough for everyone to have a piece. Something this special was always shared with the entire village. Everyone was handed a slice of kelp with a piece of the salmon on top. Sam told Caleb and Mark that the best way to eat it is to take a piece of kelp and pair it with a piece of the salmon. Caleb watched Mark as he took his first bite. At first his expression was blank, almost as if he was confused. But shortly after chewing into it, a big grin showed up on his bearded face. The crunchy, salty taste of the kelp along with the soft, and savory taste of the salmon created a flavor combination unlike anything Mark had ever tasted. As the others ate, Caleb leaned towards Mark and said to him, "This is what I wanted you to experience. Not just the meat itself but the experience that comes with it." Mark just thanked him.

Mark would spend the rest of the week with Caleb at his home on Atka Island. He wished he could have stayed longer but he had to return to work. Mark told Caleb that if he ever got tired of Alaska, he was more than welcome to stay with him. Caleb thanked him but doubted he would ever get tired of living there. He would spend the rest of his life on Atka Island, just as he predicted. His love of the environment, his friendship with Sam and the introduction of caribou to the islands as a food source gave Caleb all the reasons he needed to stay right where he was. Mark would visit him every year during the summer. And every time they got together, Mark asked the same question: you think we'll get one of those white fleshed salmon this year?

Thank you for reading my story. If you enjoy hunting and fishing content, check out my other short stories that I have published on my profile. I also have a novel, Tale Of The Gamekeepers Book 1, available on Amazon Kindle. Follow my Instagram @stonecreekthehunter for photos of my personal hunting and fishing trips, along with updates on upcoming projects and other content.