Make Up a Story
Stories from Around the World
Fresh Fish For Everybody! (But I never got any!)
Jeff’s been in the woods. There’s no fish in the woods! There’s gotta be a pond or a stream. He had to go out to the ocean to catch a big fish like that. That’ll make a lot of suppers. Jeff went out to the ocean on a huge boat to catch that fish. Must be awful heavy, look at his mouth! Is that a tuna fish? Tuna fish get big. Uh uh, that’s not a tuna fish. Looks like a good 60-pound fish. That’s no salmon, uh uh. That’s a nice fish! What could we call this new kind of fish? Big! Let’s call it a marlin. I hope Jeff has a big family to feed with a fish that big! He’s got his hand in the gills. This takes place in the summer. Jeff has a smaller fish under his arm. That had to be the bait for a big fish like that. It must be real heavy; see the look on Jeff’s face? Got enough to eat for a month. That’s something a restaurant would have. You wouldn’t want to eat fish every night, you’d get so tired of it. You’d never want to eat fish again. Hope he’s got a freezer! He might give a lot of that fish away to family and friends. I’ve seen fish that big in Indian Lake. Bigger! The bigger the fish, the smellier it is. Jeff is feeling tired, wanting to put the fish down. He’s thinking, “How am I going to get this home?” He’s smiling, but he’s probably thinking, “Hurry it up, my arm’s getting tired!” He’s probably never caught a fish that big before. Probably never will again. Has Jeff lost his teeth? He’s gumming it. He’s got a lot of hair, he’s not that old. But you can lose your teeth when you’re young. Jeff got pyria, he didn’t take care of his teeth. Either that, or he got hit in the face with that big fish and lost all his teeth. My dad had dentures, and he smiled like that. Jeff is there with a friend, or his wife. His wife is taking the picture. Her name is Lana. She’s proud of him, but she’s thinking, “Oh no, I’ve got a lot of work to do!” Wives can go fishing. Gladys went fishing all the time! Elaine wouldn’t go out there. Neither would Marlyn. You’re out in that darn boat and you stay out there and you’re sweating–no way! Jeff might have his dog with him, too. Muriel hates fish. She used to run away from home whenever her mother cooked it. Old fish you will smell, but not fresh fish. The two men will bring in the fresh fish and clean it and fry it and bring in all the vegetables and it will never smell, and that’s not a lie! Fresh fish will never smell. When you smell it it’s old. If it stinks, don’t eat it! Words to live by. After Jeff comes home, he will take a shower and get all cleaned off. He’ll go home and call his neighbors and say, “Come see my fish!” If it’s Friday, they’ll all go down and have a fish fry. Franny says, “I’ll fry the taters, you fry the fish!”
Share This: