The Siberian Dilemma (Arkady Renko #9)

by Martin Cruz Smith

“Siberian dilemma?” Tatiana asked. Bolot gestured in Arkady’s direction. “A fisherman is on a frozen lake. He moves around, listening all the time for the ice cracking beneath his feet, ready to jump back to thicker ice if necessary, but sometimes he’s not quick enough. The ice breaks. He falls in.” “So, what’s the dilemma?” “I heard it from my wife, Irina. If he pulls himself out of the water onto the ice, he’ll freeze to death in seconds, a minute at most. If he stays in the water, he’ll die of hypothermia in five.” “Then he must stay in the water,” Tatiana said. “Why?” “He lives longer. Only a few minutes, but longer is longer.” “No. You’re thinking like a Muscovite,” Arkady said. “I am from Moscow,” she said. “Think like a Siberian.” Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember what Bolot had said. Better to do something than nothing. She smiled, knowing she had the answer. “I was wrong,” she said. “He gets out of the water.” “Why?” Arkady asked. “Because that way he’s doing something. He gets out; that’s the crucial thing. He doesn’t just wait to die. He moves; he might run; his circulation starts up again. He might warm up the whole lake. You never know.” “The lesson is it’s better to take action than be passive,” said Arkady. “Better to fight than to surrender, even if you know you’re going to die.”