Snowflake, the writer and the vet

Chapter 23 - Birthday

The week went by quickly. Magnus wrote by day, working on his secret project at night while Alec slept. Alec was studying. He was preparing for his exams. Their days passed in perfect peace, their mobile phones never rang. In the afternoons, when they were tired, they'd explore the area. They became frequent visitors to the farm, Alec couldn't get enough of the cows. Magnus introduced him to the locals. Everyone welcomed him warmly. One sunny afternoon, Alec found something in the shed next to the house.

"Magnus, what is it?" he asked.

"I haven't seen that in ages. I brought it here so it wouldn't remind me of my old stuff. This is my old bow and my archery equipment next to it. "

"Oh, forget it, I don't want the bad memories to come back."

"I don't mind the memories anymore. They don't matter next to you. You know what? I'll show you. Have you ever done archery before?"

"I've never had anything like this in my hand."

Magnus took the package in his hand and opened it. It was a beautiful matte black reflex bow. He gently ran his fingers over it. "Hey, girl. Long time to see you," he murmured as Alec stood with bated breath. He didn't want to interrupt this intimate moment. It was clear Magnus was very attached to his bow.

"Let's try. Here's the target somewhere in the shed. Please stand behind me." Magnus took an arrow and put it on the bow. He stepped in, turning slightly to the side. He strung the bow. He held his arm straight, the lower part of his arm slightly turned out. The bowstring was almost touching his nose when he stretched it. Alec watched as Magus tightened the bow. The way his abdominal muscles seemed to tense, the way he held his breath As he concentrated, the way the muscles bulged in his arms and back as he drew back the bowstring. And finally he released the string. The arrow pierced the center of the target.

"How much I've missed this." Magnus sighed. "How do you like it?" asked

"Actually, it's one of the sexiest things I've ever seen," sighed Alec almost unconsciously.

"I mean, in the sense of, ...you and the bow... and the way you strung it... God, I can't breathe..." With that, Alec stepped over, cupped Magnus' face with both hands, pinned him against the wall, and kissed him passionately. When they ran out of air, Magnus started to laugh. "If I had known it would have this effect on you, I would have taken it out sooner. Would you like to try it?"

"Why not? I like a challenge"

"Come. stand next to me in a little spread. Good. Hold the bow here and lower your hand so you can feel the weight. How is it?"

"It's not heavy, it hardly weighs anything."

"You feel right, but to pull it out, you have to apply about 25 kg of force, hold it with half of it and meanwhile you have to aim. Lift it up. Your arm should be straight and stable. That's good, a little higher. Don't pull it out yet, wait. Then turn the lower arm out a little bit, because when you release the string, it's going to hit you. When you stretch it out, your nose should be almost touching the string, then you can aim well. Breathe in, hold your breath, pull out with a definite movement and release. Come on."

The arrow missed the target, drilled into the shed.

"Wow. It's so, I don't know, calming and gives you a sense of freedom. I like it."

"And you know how good a shot it was the first time? Usually the first few arrows are lost because they are shot so far off target. Did the string hit your hand?"

"Yes, a little."

"Show me. Does it hurt much?"

"Not too bad, I can take it."