winter in greenland

Four days later, August stood at Keflavik Airport, southwest of Reykjavik, with a simple handbag in hand.

Reykjavik has a pleasant climate in mid-June, just about to enter the most charming season.The air is filled with the sweet fragrance of unfinished flowers, mixed with the unique bitterness of high latitudes.Next to it is the endless sea. Occasionally, a few albatrosses fly across the sky, their broad wings gliding in a light arc in the blue sky.

August stood at the gate of the terminal building for a while. Although he changed into his usual clothes, his body shape formed in the army all the year round made him different from other tourists around him.He had asked for Dan's cell phone from Harvey before, and was hesitating whether to make a call first, when there was a frivolous whistle behind him.

He turned his head subconsciously, and saw a tall, thin girl standing behind him, with long brown hair pulled into a neat ponytail behind her head, revealing a smooth forehead.She only wore a vest on her upper body, sunglasses hung on her chest, a bright yellow shirt was tied around the waist of her jeans, she was carrying a shoulder bag, and she was pushing a half-person-high suitcase in her hand.

Seeing him turn around, the girl showed a generous smile: "Going to Reykjavik? Together?"

August looked at her suitcase, then at a simple handbag in his hand, and shook his head politely: "No."

The girl was not frightened by him, but took a step forward, and said with interest: "So you are waiting for someone? Someone is coming to pick you up?"

August took a half step back with some discomfort: "No."

The girl "tsk": "Let's go together, my name is Catherine, what about you?" She said and stretched out her hand.

August was not used to the girl's familiar way, and cautiously reached out and shook her hand: "August."

The girl obviously ignored his previous polite refusal, raised her hand to stop a taxi on the side of the road, and turned to invite August: "Get in the car?"

Seeing that the girl had opened the trunk to put her luggage in, August sighed inwardly, and stepped forward to help her put the suitcase into the trunk, and then put his handbag in it too.

The girl's self-study skills are obviously perfect. Even if she asked and answered questions along the way, she has already asked about August's occupation, why he came to Reykjavik, and recommended a few tourists. Where you can see geysers.

August felt his ears were buzzing all the way, and his childhood education did not allow him to be cold-hearted to a strange girl he had never met, and this girl was very good at observing her words and asking questions. It was clever, as soon as she realized that August didn't want to answer in depth, she would immediately change another topic.August finally breathed a sigh of relief when she got off at Hallgrims Cathedral.

"I'm leaving first. This is my phone number. If you want to chat with friends in Reykjavik or... want to go to nearby scenic spots, please call me anytime." Catherine said from her shoulder bag He took out a small notebook and a pen, tore off a page and wrote a series of numbers and handed it to him.

August took it over, didn't say anything more, simply nodded to show that he understood, and said goodbye to her.

The hotel he booked was near the Old Port, not far from Harvey's bar. After he checked in and left his things, he didn't go directly to the Old Port, but went to Corena first.

Harvey happened to be in the store, and he was a little surprised to see him enter the door: "I thought you had already left."

August nodded: "We did return to the base after the mission, but I'm on vacation now."

Harvey is a fine person. He has seen all kinds of people in these years, and he has countless thoughts in his mind, and his face remains calm: "Are you looking for Dan?"

"Yes, is he still working in the Old Port these days?"

Harvey shrugged: "What a coincidence, I just received a message from him three days ago. He went to the North Pole with a scientific research ship with tourists."

August: "...the North Pole?"

"He didn't go into too much detail about the specifics. Maybe he went around a few islands near the polar circle, but he won't come back until at least a week later."

August paused, said nothing, thanked Harvey, and turned to leave.

Harvey looked at his back, crossed his arms and touched his chin.Although Dan didn't mention the past to him in detail, judging from his drunkenness that night and his deliberate avoidance of August, this person is probably the person he wants to confess.But judging by August's appearance, this trip was made to find Dan, and Harvey himself would not believe that there was nothing between the two of them.After pondering for a few seconds, he decided to reach out and give them a push.

"Hello, August," he called before the man walked out the door of the bar.

"?" August looked back with some doubts.

"If you are looking for Dan, you can take a walk around here these few days. Dan said that he likes this city very much. Of course, if not, then I didn't say it."

August was stunned for a second, and a clear smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "I see, thank you."

The "Moby Dick" took less than 20 tourists on this trip, which was considered a relatively easy voyage.In recent years, the development of tourism within the Arctic Circle has been relatively complete. While increasing the number of routes, no-man's land has been delineated, and no tourist boats are allowed to bring tourists in and out.The destination of their trip was several archipelagos near the polar circle. The time for tourists to land on the island was only three days, and the rest of the time was spent on the boat.

On the first night of departure, Dan was a little uncomfortable.In addition, during the extreme daylight, Dan tossed and turned on the boat for a long time without falling asleep.It was past midnight, so he simply got up from the bed and quietly walked to the deck outside.

The sea is calm.The sun was hanging in the sky, the sky was cloudless, there was no one on the deck, and there was silence everywhere. The sun lightly sprinkled on the sea surface, making the sea water soft as silk.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered that summer in Greenland.During the days of the training camp, when I looked up for a long time, I suddenly felt that the blue sky seemed to be connected with the glacier on the ground line. chill.How insignificant human beings are in such an environment.But at this moment on the sea, he felt as if the sky above his head was closer.

"Not used to it?" Xia Zuo's voice came from behind him.

Dan turned his head and saw that Xia Zuo had also walked onto the deck at some point, with a bottle of beer in his hand, leaning casually on the armrest beside him.

Dan probed to look in the direction of the cockpit, Xia Zuo sneered: "Don't look, the second officer is already on guard, it's 2 o'clock in the morning, I'll come out to get some air." Then, he raised his head and took a sip of beer , moved closer to Dan: "You don't get seasick, do you?"

Dan shook his head: "I'm not dizzy, I just haven't gotten used to it yet."

"Habit, it's really hard to say whether this thing is a good thing or a bad thing."

Dan tilted his head: "How long have you been doing this?"

Xia Zuo counted: "It's been about 10 years. I've been floating on this sea all day, and it's been ten years before I know it."

"Always on the Moby Dick?"

"Yes. I started out as a sailor, and I worked with Fitch. Later, he bought the ship, repaired it and refurbished it, so I came here with him as a matter of course."

There was some thought in Dan's eyes, and he thought about it and said, "Having been floating on the sea, do you feel that you miss the land... the down-to-earth feeling?"

Xia Zuo laughed: "You don't know sailors. In our line of work, we are destined to be adrift on the sea. Maybe we will spend our whole life on the sea. Land? It's too far away."

Dan didn't speak, but looked at the sea in the distance.

"What about you, what did you do?" Xia Zuo raised his head and took a sip of his wine, then tilted his head and asked Dan.

"Me? From the army."

Xia Zuo showed a surprised expression on his face: "No wonder I always feel that your body is different from other people's."

Dan also smiled: "Why is it different?"

Xia Zuo waved the beer bottle in his hand to him: "Simply put, it's the style of doing things. There are many old sailors on this ship who are more experienced than you, but even if you add newcomers, none of them do things like you... Tsk, carefully "

Dan heard the ridicule in his tone, and raised his eyebrows: "Why, as my boss, don't you want me to be more careful?"

Xia Zuo laughed loudly: "Sometimes you really have to be careful. The reason I hate taking those rookies is that they not only don't know anything, but they are also smart. You are very good." He patted Dan on the shoulder, and He took a sip of his wine, "Don't be dazed on the deck if you can't sleep, there is still work tomorrow, go back early." He walked away humming an unknown tune.

On the third day of sailing in the Greenland waters, they saw two arctic whales on the sea.At that time, just after lunch, Dan finished writing the duty record and handed it to the crew on shift. As soon as he walked to the first deck, he heard a burst of cheers, and a group of people gathered around the right side of the ship.

Xia Zuo happened to be on the periphery of the crowd, so he called Xia Zuo: "What's wrong?"

With a slight smile on Xia Zuo's face, he looked relaxed and comfortable: "Greenland Whale, good luck today."

Dan heard the words and squeezed two steps into the crowd, with a curious expression on his face: "I haven't seen it yet."

Xia Zuo put his hand halfway around his shoulder: "Although we run this route several times a year, we rarely see it, especially in recent years. Let's go, I'll take you to a high place to see, don't stay here Squeeze with them."

Dan was led by him up the stairs leading to the second deck, with a blank expression on his face: "What high place?"

Xia Zuo winked at him: "It's a good place, but it's usually hard to get in."

Until seeing him take out the key to the captain's lounge by magic and open the door of the captain's room smoothly, Dan looked helpless: "Is this okay?"

Xia Zuo raised a finger at him mysteriously: "Shh, no one will know if you don't tell. Fitch will have a lecture in the activity room at 3 o'clock later, and he won't come. Come with me." Turning familiarly to the right side of the room, he opened a floor-to-ceiling window, turned his head and waved to Dan.

Dan hesitated for a moment, then followed.

This is a small balcony of a few square meters. From this position, one can clearly see the deck below and the sea area on the right side of the ship.

On the blue sea, a black Greenland whale about ten meters long was lazily floating on the sea, and seemed to be following the "Moby Dick". From above, it could be seen more clearly that its head was a huge And unique bow.

After swimming for a while, it slowed down a bit, as if it had noticed something.Suddenly, it raised its upper body high, jumped up from the sea, drew an elegant arc, and then fell back into the water heavily, splashing waves several meters high, and the people on the deck below screamed and dodged.

As if satisfied with the effect of the prank, it reappeared from the surface of the sea, its head raised slightly, and it looked a bit smug.

"Hush—listen—" Xia Zuo put his finger on his lips, motioning Dan to look into the distance.

Dan carefully distinguished for a while, with a puzzled look on his face: "There is nothing?"

Xia Zuo sighed, raised his hand to cover Dan's eyes: "Listen—"

Dan was a little uncomfortable with the sudden darkness, Xia Zuo's palm was dry and covered with calluses, with a faint smell of sea fish, and his warm breath seemed to be sprinkled in his ears.

Unaccustomed to such a close distance, Dan moved his body, but was stopped by Xia Zuo: "Don't move, don't look, listen carefully."

Dan gave up struggling, and simply focused on what Xia Zuo said. At first, he heard various sounds: the chatter and laughter of tourists on the deck, the splashing of sea water on the hull of the ship, and the flying of unknown seabirds. The time-honored and long chirping sound, faintly, he seemed to hear something else.

The voice was a little weak at first, but once it was captured, other noises in the ears were automatically filtered, leaving only the ancient and primitive voice, deep, thick, and distant, but with an indescribable loneliness.

"This is..." Dan murmured.

"Whale song." Xia Zuo's voice was very soft.

The author says:

Xia Zuo: This guy is nice, I want to flirt