The Fisherman’s Tale
Written on January 16th, 2008 by SalaliStory Details
- Category: General and Editor's Choice
- Author: Salali
- Word Count: 433
- Read 149 times
(6 votes, average: 3.83 out of 5)
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Not that he expected anything else.
“Not many fish biting, eh?”
Again, no answer.
“Think we should head home?”
The dog just looks at him.
“Yeah, I figure we’ll head home.”
He turns the boat around, the old motor puttering away.
The dog sits at the front of the boat, catching what little wind there is in his face.
The dock in his town appears over the horizon.
The dog whimpers, gets down off the front.
“What’s wrong, old boy?”
The dog says nothing, just hides under the seat.
“C’mon, boy. Get outta there.”
More whimpering.
He looks up, his eyes grow wide.
A wave.
Thirty feet high, a hundred yards away.
And moving fast.
Gabbling meaninglessly, he puts the motor into reverse.
It putters out.
He yanks furiously on the cord.
It starts up again, slowly.
The boat eases back, slowly.
He grabs the oars and paddles, quickly.
The wave was closer now.
Paddling, motor buzzing, more paddling.
Furiously.
It’s no use. He lays down the oars.
Hope the wave misses us.
Hope the boat is strong enough.
Hope God is forgiving.
He closes his eyes, waits for impact.
None.
He looks up.
The wave is gone. Nothing sits before him.
Except his dog, drooling on the seat cover.
Later, he will tell his friends.
They all think he’s crazy, he knows.
Crazy, or drunk.
He knows he’s right, though.
As he’s telling his tale, a boy appears on the dock.
Though he appears to have come out of the sea, he’s not wet.
His suit looks nice – too nice for a fisherman’s boy.
It’s all wrinkled and tattered, though.
Dirty, too.
The boy taps in the code on the giant’s hut.
Easy as pie.
Later, he tells his wife about the wave.
And the boy.
She doesn’t believe the wave either.
His excuse for no fish, she says.
“Maybe the boy was his son. The giant’s.”
She suggests.
Maybe she’s right.
Didn’t look like him, though.
The next day, the giant leaves town.
Packs up everything, sells the house.
The boy was with him.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
So, whaddya think? Sorry Arty isn’t very pivotal, but I didn’t think I could really capture his point of view, so I went for a more minor character. Waaaaay more minor.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
coolieo! I like how it’s from someone elses POV!
January 17th, 2008 at 5:16 am
I like it a lot! It’s really different but it’s awesome
January 17th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Thanks!
January 27th, 2008 at 4:37 am
Is this from Arty and Butler reunited after TLC?
January 27th, 2008 at 4:47 am
wow, that’s really a way to see in someone else’s shoes, its awesoem , its different , but that’s why its unique!
January 27th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I like this. Short, but pretty good. It’s nice when people expand on minor characters (in this case almost nonexistent characters).
January 27th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
OK ppl! i am tired of not understanding wut TLC means! plz if ne1 noes PLEASE tell me!!
January 27th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
TLC means the Lost Colony. Please don’t spam like that.
I liked it. “His excuse for no fish” was an awesome part.
January 27th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
sorry…
I reread it! I LOVE it all the more! like how you see a movie when you are very little then again when you are older and it seems WAY better!
March 25th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Wow awesome but what happened to the wave did Foaly stop it
March 27th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
…yeah?
“…Let ‘er down slow. That way, no tidal waves. The water displacement alone was enough to send a few big rollers in toward Dublin, but we boiled ‘em up from space…”
-The Lost Colony
p.374, hardcover
US Edition.
May 18th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Yep, the LEP shuttle was shielded…
So it appeared like Artemis walked out of sea.
And it’s also funny that fisherman calls Butler a Giant. Butler must be famous between fishermans?
June 9th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Gosh! I absolutely love your stories! They are amazing! And this one is no exception. You should keep writing!