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Hunting Muskie Spotlight: The View from Above the Story “5 Iron”

February 17th, 2018 by Michael Dyet

Sunlight Shining Through Forest Nagano-ken, Japan

Hmmm, would a bird’s eye view help you read between the lines of “5 Iron”?

It was just by chance that I was there to witness that pivotal round of golf between AJ and his brother Davis. I don’t usually hunt in that area. It isn’t prime territory. But my usual spots were turning up empty, so I was improvising.

Oh, did I forget to tell you that I’m a hawk? A Northern Harrier, to be precise. I get that you might think it’s odd that a bird would be writing a guest post. But since I play a key role in the story, Michael thought it would be interesting to get my point of view.

I noticed AJ as I was cruising over the parking lot. Something about the way he watched me piqued my curiosity. Most people just think “Hey, there’s a hawk” and then lose interest. But I could tell that AJ was an admirer of birds, so I decided to follow him for a while. It was a slow hunting day anyway.

There was something going on between AJ and Davis. I could tell from their body language as they teed off on the first hole. (Hawks have a sixth sense for this kind of thing. It makes us good hunters.) It could be the fact that Davis clearly had the big money. He arrived in a black Mercedes and had custom-made clubs. AJ was obviously envious but tried not to let it show.

When they were on the second hold, I feigned a freefall like I was locked on prey. It was really just a ruse to get a closer look. Davis was talking about “the trail I’m leaving behind me” and that it wasn’t what he hoped it would be. AJ wasn’t sure what to make of this humility in his brother.

Things really got interesting when Davis hit his ball ten feet into the woods. I did a discreet flyby and saw the look of disbelief on AJ’s face as Davis pulled out a 5 Iron to try an impossible shot. You can tell a lot about a person when you observe those moments when they go off script. It’s often a sign of a rite of passage, as Michael would say.

I can’t tell you much more without making this post a spoiler. But picture me swooping down just as Davis’ ball took an unlikely bounce, Davis giving his custom-made clubs to AJ and the lid blowing off a family secret. And consider me to be a metaphor.

Before I soar off into the sunset and other horizons, let me cue you into the fact that birds are a recurring motif in the stories in “Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage”. In the words of one reviewer:

“Whether a pair of mourning doves, a golf ball-stealing hawk, or soaring turkey vultures, they are by turns harbingers, guardians, or Greek chorus, always reminding us that nothing we do happens in isolation.”

Off you go now and start reading “Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage”. Remember to look up and tip your cap to me as you read “5 Iron”.

Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

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