Those strange, beautiful fishes (sample) Beneath Dark Waters Marcel Admiraal
Those strange, beautiful fishes (sample) “So, what are you fishing for?” Joris asked to kill the silence. “Normally? Carp,” the old man answered. “Usually, I put a worm right on the bottom for that. But today I'm fishing for something new. So I needed some new bait.” He grabbed the rod and pulled the line up so far that the bait came up just above the water. The young man could see a piece of white meat on the hook. It looked white and bleak, dripping with water. “That's people,” the old man explained. “It's the best.” Slowly he lowered the bait back into the water. “It gives a good scent, but their not biting today.” Joris felt like he just got punched in the stomach. The air had disappeared from his lungs and he looked pale around his nose. He had to swallow to clear a particular big lump. The old man didn't seem to notice. “But patience, my boy, they'll come,” he said simply. The old man put the rod in between them, so softly and controlled, that the young man started to wonder if he had heard the old man correctly. Suddenly, the old man gave him the creeps, even though nothing had changed about his demeanour. He kept his gaze pointed at the float and was still sitting on the same piece of plastic, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees in that same concentrated pose as when the young man found him. For a few moments they sat there silently, watching the float together. Unsure of that to do and not about to seem rude or to make the old man suspicious, Joris broke the silence: “I once caught an eel here.” Full story available from Floating Robes as of 1st of March 2011. http://floatingrobes.blogspot.com