Disclaimer:
I have taken liberties in this story with the geography and social conditions of Russia. I apologise to any who feel I have misrepresented Russia or Russians - I have no such intention-it is merely my chosen location for a fiction. I selected this location because I consider it remote and exotic. We Australians are fascinated by huge lakes full of fresh water -- very different from Lake Eyre! This is a work of fiction and none of the characters involved is based on any real person.
I have written this in English. Those accustomed to US English may find the spelling a little unusual, for instance 'arse' (ass). I have, however, used imperial measurements in preference to metric throughout much of this story. That is because I am old enough to have grown up with feet and miles, which were in use when I went to school, in the sixties.
I acknowledge the work of Elizabeth KΓΌbler-Ross in developing her five-stage model of grief. I have used it in this story, but my thanks are also because of its benefit in understanding my own reactions and those of others to some of life's problems.
And many thanks to Jenna 112211 for great editing. I wasn't an easy subject for that!
Prologue - a new country
I was a middle-aged lawyer specialising in the fields of criminal law and Asian law, becoming a little jaded with my career in Australia. My personal life was worse: I was divorced and had no family living. In every respect I was isolated and stale. I saw an advert on the internet for lawyers to work a three-month stint in remote parts of Asia. While I had no idea what this might be like, I felt I needed a dramatic change in my life. I answered the advert and got the job.
I resigned my job and arranged an agent to rent out my house and manage my investments. I also started learning Russian, which was much less intimidating once I understood the Cyrillic alphabet. Three weeks after seeing the advert I boarded a plane for Irkutsk via Beijing. I walked on feeling both excited and worried about the future for the first time in many years. As instructed I had just one bag, packed mainly with warm clothing. Siberia was going to be cold for the approaching winter, certainly much colder than I had experienced in Australia.
During the long flights I started to worry about the bold step I had taken, but as we prepared for landing and I saw Lake Baikal below I was focused again on the great adventure before me. Irkutsk Airport seemed refreshingly normal, and I was met by Valery, a young man who exuded confidence - and a little alcohol. He drove me to the house where a room had been set aside for me. I had time just to drop off my bag and was then taken straight to the office. The work was urgent and I started immediately before I had even properly moved in. I had expected long hours and the job fulfilled those expectations. However, the money was good, and nearly all of it was going safely into my account. I was given an old Lada four-wheel-drive to get around in, and it was perfect for my short drives around town. On a few occasions, I was able to find the time to go out and mix socially. I took note of what appeared to be a surplus of beautiful young ladies, and was interested. However, despite my ability to argue a legal matter in a court I become completely tongue-tied when talking to attractive women, even in English. As a result my involvement here was limited to watching and dreaming.
Three months passed in a whirl and I was offered, and accepted, another three months at a higher rate and a large bonus. I was certainly financially secure now, not that finances had been a problem beforehand. The next three months were not quite as enjoyable, and I was ready to leave after this second period. However, having seen little of the area in my time there, and recalling the lovely view of Lake Baikal when I had flown into Irkutsk, I decided to explore the early spring in the countryside a little before leaving Russia. I had asked around about the countryside, but no one seemed to know anything about it. My former employer had no further use for the little four-wheel-drive and was happy to give it to me to use for as long as I wanted.
Into the unknown
I serviced the Lada, stocked up with food and petrol and a few other supplies, and bought myself a few other items familiar to bush travellers in Australia. The next day, free of any ties, I drove northeast, aiming for Khuzhir on Olkhon Island, which was in Lake Baikal. I had seen Khuzhir shown on maps, and those maps showed a ferry that would take me across to the island. The trip to Khuzhir was uneventful, and I arrived there in time to find a basic room for the night.
The next morning I set out to look at the far tip of the island, less than 30 km away. The island was only just over 10km wide at its widest and my maps showed only one road running that direction. It was impossible that someone experienced in travelling throughout outback Australia could get lost in such an area. However, I have a talent for achieving the impossible. I have no idea how it happened, but somewhere between the irregular terrain, the awful condition of the road, the confusing signposting and the heavily overcast skies preventing any sightings on the sun (or later the stars), I travelled 50 km in 15 hours on very rough boggy tracks without reaching the end of the island. I was now completely lost in the dark. I was also cold and hungry, and not looking forward to sleeping either in or outside the car.
I finally saw a light in the distance. I drove towards it and found an old stone cottage. Some light was bleeding out from behind heavy curtains. This was my only hope to find somewhere warm to sleep. I parked the car outside and tried the door. Inside it was not much warmer than outside and it was poorly lit, but someone was serving drinks. There were a dozen or so others there, but in their warm clothing and fur hoods I could barely make out whether they were men or women. I was able to make myself understood enough to buy a drink, but no one seemed to understand English and my Russian wasn't cutting it either.
Finally the one behind the bar understood enough to get me a meal. I could see when she pulled back her hood a little to talk to me that she was a woman, maybe in her 30s. She started to talk to me about my family, my destination, and my timetable. It was fortunate indeed that I knew the Russian word Π½ΠΈΡΡΠΎ (