Short Story: What The Fisherman Did Not…

Short Story: What The Fisherman Did Not See

One day, shortly before quitting time, a fisherman sat down and said, "Boy, I certainly am tired. I've been fishing all day. Hauling in nets and casting out nets. If I keep working this hard, someday I will become rich and famous. But today I think I'll leave early and go for a walk."

So with his rubber boots, the fisherman went out for a relaxing stroll along the boardwalk. Not a minute had passed when he came across a little flower groping at other flowers.

"What are you doing?" the fisherman asked the flower, not really expecting an answer.

"I'm picking flowers."

The fisherman gasped. "But how can that be? You are a flower!"

"No, I'm a flower girl. You see, I pick flowers. I do it with so much attention and passion that I have no time for anything else."

"Well, good luck, silly flower," said the fisherman. "What a funny little thing," he thought to himself. "She certainly is confused. I'd only waste time trying to explain things to her."

After a while the fisherman came to a piece of candy sitting on the bench licking itself all over and so the fisherman asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm eating candy. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"But you are a piece of candy!"

"Ha! No. I'm a little boy. You see, this is what I like. I eat candy. I do it with such a passion that I have quite forgotten everything else."

"Oh, well good-bye and good luck, silly candy," the fisherman said.

Soon he came to a turn and as he turned the corner he noticed a sharp dressed coin flipping itself in the palm of its hand. "What are you doing?" the fisherman asked, unsure if it would answer. It did.

"I'm making money."

"But you are money!"

"No, I'm a business man. You see, that is what I am. I make money. Nothing else matters except how much money I make."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know. Good luck, silly coin," the fisherman said, grinning.

He was amazed and proud of the things he'd seen, since obviously no one else could see these strange things. The sun began to set into the hills, so the fisherman started for home. But before he got home he saw a rabbit.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm hunting for rabbits."

"But that's crazy, you are a rabbit, only you have a gun!"

"No, no, I'm a hunter. That is how I make a living. I hunt rabbits. Rabbits is what I pay attention to and rabbits is all there is."

"But what about fish? I'm a fisherman, you must still remember fish?"

"No, I don't remember fish. What color is their fur?"

"They have no fur! You are ruined!" exclaimed the fisherman.

"What do you mean?" the rabbit asked.

"Well, look at yourself, you've been hunting rabbits for so long you've turned into a rabbit, you're no longer a man. You’ve forgot everything including yourself!"

"Oh, don't be silly," said the rabbit as he walked off in a puff, quite offended.

"Well, good luck anyway, silly rabbit," the fisherman said.

It was late when the fisherman arrived home and so he went into the kitchen and kissed his wife on the back of the neck while she was stirring stew.

"Oh, go take a bath, you smell like fish," she said, without looking up from her pot of stew since she felt it needed all of her attention.

"Yes, I will. I've been working real hard today. Why not turn on the light dear, so I can see your pretty face."

"Has it grown dark already? I must have lost track of time. I've been so busy making this stew for you."

The fisherman picked up the newspaper and as he flipped through it he told his wife all about the 'flower', the 'candy,' the 'coin,' and the 'rabbit' he met on his way home from work.

"There is a curse in the air. They took what they were doing so seriously that they became exactly what they were after. It's as if there was no difference between what they saw or wanted or liked and what they were. Isn't that silly, dear?"

"Yes, it is," his wife muttered, turning the light on. And when the fisherman saw his wife, he dropped his newspaper and gasped in amazement, "My dear, you've turned into a big stirring spoon!! What has happened?"

"What?" she asked and turned to look her husband right in the eye and when she saw him she screamed, "Oh, my lord, there's a giant fish wearing rubber boots in my house! What have you done with my husband?"

The fisherman was shocked for he did not think himself to be as cursed as all the rest. But before he could say anything or look at himself in the mirror, his wife with a loud shriek, pounced on him. The spoon chased the fish into the sea. And to this very day, somewhere the fisherman is still trying to stay away from any frying pans.