Sunset Washdown With Giant Koi Over Airbase

Midsummer firelight bathes the wet tarmac of a Saskatchewan airbase flight line where military vehicles undergo a rigorous washdown. Runoff hoses snake across the gray concrete, feeding water into drip pans lined beneath heavy wheels. Black boots, darkened by recent rain, stand in disciplined rows beside brush poles leaning against the chassis. Above the grounded machinery, a massive koi fish hangs suspended in the air like a living parade balloon, its scales shimmering with orange and white patterns that catch the dying sun. A brief sun shower creates a fine mist around the vehicle tires, catching the warm glow of the setting sun. The impossible fish casts a long, distorted shadow across the wet ground, merging with the reflections of the running water and the dark rubber of the tires.