Howler in the Mist

I.

All for could hope creature of this Earth is a merciful peace of oblivion and comfort of inaccurate senses. Everyone on us is designed to receive just a small portion of knowledge about world that surrounds us. And normally we know exactly what we are capable to comprehend. Just few individuals are marked by data that she or he is not ready to understand. In such a case the flaws of our canine mind are very helpful. Usually.

I haven’t such a luck – I saw what I shouldn’t had to and remembered much more that it was reasonable to. Somehow security limits of my consciousness didn’t work. That’s why I’m here where I am and that’s why my life soon will come to end.

I’m lying now in main hall of Anchorage Animal Shelter, feeling that my mind is slowly returning to state of its normal instability. I have to go down do basement and find some more mushrooms to muffle down those silent screams in my head. It’s been almost a year since I returned from Nome and for that time my body received much more of natural drug than it was able. My life won’t last much longer – sooner or later I will reach the uncrossable barrier of flesh’s endurance, then I will pass away from this incomprehensive state you all call life. And that’s good – this is not my place anymore, since I saw and feel how thin veil stands between the world of our common sense and realm of unknown. I just hope that it will happen here, in warm inside of Anchorage Animal Shelter, where I’m shielded from what is waiting for me outside.

December started with weird aura. The weather is mad as thoughts inside of me – fierce frosts are succeeded by warm days of almost thaw. And then comes mist, covering all around and muffling every sound when worlds is screaming with fear. It’s silent and lifeless. I can’t believe that no one sees in the infinite whiteness the same horror I see and the same horror that in January of 1929 claimed life of my owner and rest of my sled team.

It’s good that those memories will die with me. I hope they will, because I believe that part of that terror is still in my mind. For example – those howls. I still hear those, however no sound could be heard now. I close my eyes, raise my ears and then comes that damned call just from white layer above the winter landscape.

I recall the events from year before. That is stranger than me – my memory was twisted too.

*

I’m white furred Samoyed, born in Fairbanks Breeding of pair of 1922 champions – Natalia and Mike. I was named Mark by my career and one of breeding owners – John Ferrey. For two happy years I was raising in town, under care of my owner and parents, training to sledding duty. Since fall of 1923 I started to run with sleds in mail teams and in various other quests. When I reached three, I was transferred to Anchorage to new master. I bid farewell to parents and home I know and with all the trust of young age I gave myself to new life and new duties. My new owner was called Lucas Marshal and was nephew of John Ferrey. Young man was studying in Anchorage Academy on medicine faculty, but as born and raised in Alaskan interior, he still loved sledding and treks in taiga. So in spite I was town-man’s pet, I was still close to sledding duties.

My life isn’t a theme of an interesting tale. I did what most of pullers does in service on North. For peaceful four years of my duty I visited most of towns on western coast and Seward Peninsula. I saw Aurora Borealis, wonders of Polar Day, I heard singing of breaking glacier, I smelt aroma of Alaskan volcanoes, where lava was melting ice around it. Those were amazing, sometimes mysterious experiences and I was convinced that I know the world around me. How wrong I was!

When I met my new owner, he was on fourth year of medicine faculty, specialization: general bacteriology. He was a restless spirit – apart of his studies he was fascinated in nature around us. Always when he had enough of spare time, he took his sled, team and me to wander in mountains and forest, without any other aim that to look on white majesty of North.

When Nome Epidemic burst I was assigned to mr. Marshal just for about a year. I remember that time well – master Lucas, hearing about disease was the first person of Anchorage staff ready to go there. In spite he was just a trainee, his knowledge and zeal to work was widely known, so most he would have been sent there, if conditions were more favourable, he would have joined rescue team. But the blizzard shut us out of Nome and only single team was sent with serums.

I paid limited attention to that event. Except of disappointment of my owner that he couldn’t experience his adventure, Nome accident meant nothing to me. But after all those was already done, I recalled that from winter of 1925 began obsession of Lucas Marshal. For several years after that time he gathered countless data, information and even press articles about diphtheria epidemic. Often, on long winter night, when I was sitting inside of my master’s house, he used to talk to me. Of course with no hope for response, but my owner already was a bit weird man, whose sharp-witted mind caused his oddity to most of his environment. Mr. Marshal was wrapped up by his studies. In time the main part of his interest become the mysterious epidemic in Nome.

“Listen, pal.” Said master Lucas one night, when he was sitting over his notes and experiments results. “Isn’t it strange? The burst of epidemic happened in late January… You know, boy, how its on western coast then. Frosts lower than minus fifty degrees, freezing winds… But they all got infected.”

I remember he stood up then and started to pace nervously in our common room in mrs. Shiley’s attic. In his hands he was holding his notes, in mouth he was chewing an end of pencil. He paid limited attention on, just talking to his doubts.

“Diphtheria in vast majority of cases infects by aerosolized secretions. With such a low temperature the incubation period was most likely long, up to five days… But how the hell so many people got infected? Normal people stays in houses when there is fifty minus!” He grabbed my neck and looked deep into my eyes. I sensed first sparks of obsession inside. “Tell me! How they could got infected!? Over thousand cases in town of over ten thousands. No massive events, church closed as soon as first infection were spotted, no common water tanks, food from earlier reserves. How they had contact with bacteria?”

I just barked with incomprehension, unable to give required answer. My master let me lose and returned to his nervous pacing. After few minutes he threw his notes away and burst again.

“That wasn’t diphtheria!” Then he lowered his voice, being careful for mrs. Shiley not to hear. “Antitoxin worked, but it didn’t have to be exact the same species. It was something different… mutated bacterium with easier spread or extremely elongated incubation period.” Then his pupils narrowed and smile appeared on his lips. “Yes! I will find it! I will discover Corynebacterium Marshalium diphtheriae.” I should have been scared by that oath. I wasn’t for I was not fully aware that did it mean.

Time passed, bringing my master finish of his studies and first practise in White Falls near Anchorage. Meanwhile I became a father to litter of five pups. My children are now sledding dog in teams from Seward to Barrow, but I hadn’t any opportunity to meet them after their departure from breeding. I also haven’t kept a normal relationship with my mate – our mating was arranged by breeding program – there was not much emotion it that. Maybe if I had a family with me I would be better prepared to cope with terror that is killing me now. But perhaps it would be even worse – I just could infected them with my fears, giving them nothing but more of worries and doubts. Anyway – let’s just say I was almost as lone as my master.

However after moving to White Falls, I became a pack leader and first puller in sled. As six years old and experienced dog I was natural candidate for that duty. And for two years of medical practice of mr. Marshal I was already well trained guide, aware of all dangers of North, or at least I believed in that.

One day – I guess it was about of Christmas of 1928 – to White Falls came new physician, mr. Biggs. Master Lucal decided that it was the best opportunity to check is theories. Before the new medic managed to accustom to new post, he was asked by his college to take his duties for a while.

“Come on, John!” said my master. “Juts give me a two weeks of break.”

“Lucas, I barely know what’s going on here.” Replied young doctor. He had just graduated and my owner remembered him from times of studies as younger and calm adept. Also John Biggs was known for his inability of refusing.

“I’m sure you will manage.” Assured him mr. Marshal. “You know, you must get known your patients by yourself. I can’t guide your every step.”

In fact my master was just two years older than mister Biggs and also had just two years more of practise. But in small town of White Banks even that difference in hierarchy was meaningful. Biggs had no other way that agree on colleague’s holidays and staying during Christmas on duty. Meanwhile we were going to have a trip to Nome.

“You know, boy.” Said master Lucas, when we were preparing to set off. He had a custom of speaking to me, so in that particular monologue I saw nothing strange. “I want to check it out. The weather is similar to that four years ago. I’m taking with me both antitoxins and diphtheria samples. I want to check theirs blood…”

Although I was just a dog, far from being aware of human knowledge, I found that very unusual that my owner took also a samples of disease with him. Master Lucas was known for being obsessed with Nome epidemic subject, but no one knew that monomania got so far.

He took me to