Moon Young-sook - Across the Tumen: A North Korean Kkotjebi Boys Quest

The Border

The sky above was as clear as a pane of glass, so clear that you could crack it just by touching it with a needle. There wasnt a single scrap of cloud that Yeong-dae could hide behind.

His heart had been pounding since the sun started falling toward the hills in the west. His friend Nam-sik swallowed nervously.

Our fate will be settled tonight. After the night guards start their watch and finish their first patrol, thats when we cross. Since its after midnight, the guards will take a short nap after their patrol is over, Nam-sik said.

Fine, but what happens if we get caught?

Nam-sik slugged Yeong-dae on the shoulder. Do you want to jinx us? If were caught, well just say we were going to China to forage.

When people talked about foraging, they meant leaving their town and going elsewhere to find food.

Yeong-dae shut his mouth and nodded. He was afraid he might say something he shouldnt at the wrong moment.

It was getting darker fast, and Nam-sik, who was right in front of him, looked a little like a black rock. He spoke in a low voice.

From now on, we watch the lights carefully. When the guards are changing, the flashlight beams will start waving around. We stay still and wait until the new guards take over and go off on patrol. Whatever happens, dont hurry.

Nam-siks voice had a sense of authority that made him sound like a bureaucrat from the Workers Party. With his fists clenched tightly, Yeong-dae licked his lips once and swallowed hard. The palms of his hands started to sweat right away.

Flashlight beams came on around the guard post. There were two of them. The beams gradually moved closer to the next hidden sentry station. The lights waved around wildly and then a moment later, they vanished. They seemed to have gone back inside the guard post. After that, no sound could be heard for some time. The guards seemed to be handing things over to the guards who were there to relieve them. The lights were back. It was the flashlights of the guards who were off duty and heading back to their barracks.

In a little while, the guards on duty will go on patrol. We have to be careful until they finish their rounds, Nam-sik whispered.

I got it.

Time passed very slowly. At last, a light came on in the guard post. The guards on duty were going on patrol. For some time, the beams of light wandered here and there, dancing on the surface of the frozen river. The two beams flickered back and forth like fireflies on a sweltering summer night. They stretched long and then shrunk, traced arcs and then angles, came closer and then slinked further away. Yeong-daes eyes were locked on the lights, and every muscle in his body was tense. The beams peaked from behind the trunks of trees like they were playing hide-and-seek. The moment the lights disappeared into the guard post would be the fateful moment. No matter what, they had to make it. They had to slip like ghosts through a gap between the hidden sentry posts. Yeong-dae wondered why people didnt have wings. He wished he could muffle the sound of his footsteps like a cat. It would be even better if they were invisible. If only they were already in China!

At last, the lights vanished.

All right, count to ten and off we go. One! Nam-sik whispered.

Yeong-dae counted to ten with him. Two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight. His whole body was trembling. Nine... ten!

Okay, thats it. Lets move! Yeong-dae said as soon as they finished counting.

He took the first step. All they had to do was descend a steep slope and they would be at the river. Afraid he might slip and roll down to the bottom, he moved carefully, one step at a time, testing the ground with his toes. Finally, he was standing right next to the dark surface of the river. The moment he stepped on the riverwhich looked so black because it was frozen all the way throughhe would have to run with all his might. Yeong-dae took a deep breath.

Now we make a dash for it, OK? Nam-sik said.

Yeong-dae was about to answer when they heard it.

Fwee! Fweeeee!

It was the sound of a whistle blowing. In a flash, Nam-sik was crouched on the ground.

Get down! he told Yeong-dae in a whisper.

Yeong-dae dropped down and flattened himself on the ground. He felt like hed be hit by a bullet if he lifted his head. The shriek of the whistle was getting louder. He raised his head slightly and looked in the direction of the whistle. The sound was coming from below the guard post. Several beams of light pointed across the surface of the lake in several directions.

Todays not going to work, Nam-sik said. There are guards crawling all over. Looks like they found some people trying to sneak across at the hidden sentry station downstream from here.

Yeong-dae climbed back up the steep slope. They wouldnt be safe until they reached the place they had hidden during the day. While they were upstream from the guard post, they couldnt relax because of all the hidden sentry stations. If they didnt hurry and hide in the woods, they could be nabbed in an instant if the guards showed up.

Yeong-dae was making his way up the hill when he heard gunshots and fell to the ground. For a moment, all thoughts vanished and a strange whiteness filled his head.

Yeong-dae! What happened?

Filled with terror, Nam-sik shook his friend until Yeong-dae slowly returned to his senses and got back to his feet. He was all right. He had been so startled by the gunfire further down the river that he had collapsed. Yeong-dae crawled to the top of the hill. He couldnt tell where anything was in the darkness. He was so nervous that he could barely breathe. No more gunshots could be heard. Downstream by the guard post, the flashlight beams were still waving around wildly.

Yeong-dae caught his breath and sat on the ground. When he took off his backpack, he found that his body was drenched in sweat.

If wed tried crossing the river, we wouldve gotten caught, Nam-sik said after catching his breath. Where did all of those guards come from? There were so many of them!

No kidding! There could be even more guards out tomorrow night. What do we do?

Tomorrow night, we have got to cross, and thats final. That means weve got to stay put and wait one more day.

Nam-sik, wheres our hiding spot?

Well know when the day comes. For now, lets rest here.

As the sweat on his body cooled, Yeong-dae began to shiver violently. Despite the cold, the two boys could not light a fire. The only way they could keep warm was by rubbing their bodies energetically. They took more clothing out of their backpacks and put it on over what they were already wearing.

A little later, the day slowly began to dawn. It was only then that they could vaguely see their surroundings.

The spot where they had hidden for the past three days was right next to them. Frost had dusted the dead leaves with a layer of white. Yeong-dae cleared away the ice-covered leaves. Fortunately, a boulder was there to shelter them from the wind. Yeong-dae pulled some cornmeal out of his backpack.

Nam-sik, lets have a bite to eat first, Yeong-dae said. He put some of the dried corn kernels in his mouth and started chewing.

Yeong-dae and Nam-sik collected more dried leaves and stacked them higher in the hiding spot. But though they were sitting on a pile of leaves, they kept shivering. They battled the cold by carefully moving to stay in the sunshine. They had to stay where they were and wait until it became night again.