A Fantastic Fisherman, Part 1 of 3

Once upon a time, a little boy named Freddie Fisher lived in Florida with his poor mother in a tiny, run-down shack on the edge of Finnegan’s field, so close to the ocean that they could hear the steady, hypnotic rhythm of waves rushing ashore at night.

A widow whose husband was lost at sea, Mrs. Fisher washed other people’s clothes to support herself and her son. Freddie, who dreamed of going to school like other kids, had to fish every day and sell the catch to help pay bills. An expert fisherman and navigator, he had located many spots where the fish were numerous and paddled his tiny boat out to sea each morning at sunrise. From experience, he learned that to catch the kinds of fish that people enjoyed eating most, he must use different kinds of bait, and he almost always brought home nice catches.

After a long day of fishing, the tired little boy returned home to find his mother lying unconscious on the floor. As he knelt beside her, she opened her eyes and groaned, “Son, I am dying.” Terrified, Freddie ran to a neighbor’s house and called an ambulance, which arrived soon and rushed her to the hospital. After the doctor explained that his mother must have an operation or would not live, Freddie cried, “But, Doctor, we have no money. How will we pay you? How much will it cost?” The boy was stunned by the doctor’s answer: “Thousands of dollars.”

Freddie burst into tears — raising that much money was impossible. Trudging homeward, he noticed a billboard that read, “World’s Greatest Fishing Tournament: $100,000 prize for the biggest fish.” Winning the contest would provide a means to save his dear mama! The experienced young fisherman knew where the hotspots were, especially the one called Dead Man’s Cove. Another fisherman, old Floyd “Fish-Eyes” Flannigan, went there once and was never seen again. Freddie fished there sometimes and once or twice had seen a giant yellow-tailed, triple-finned, sword-nosed, tiger-toothed tuna rise to the surface. He suspected it was the fish that killed Fish-Eyes.

Because the fish was so big, Freddie nicknamed him “Two-Ton Tommy Tuna” and was certain the monster would win first place in the fishing tournament, but also certain that he would not stand a chance of catching him unless he used the exact right bait. Using barbecued baloney, he had attracted some really big fish, including brown-bellied bottom bumpers, deep-diving death dealers, evil-eyed everything eaters, unbelievably ugly underwater undulators, and once he even caught a gargantuan green-gilled grouper, so he decided the best bait for catching Tommy was barbecued baloney.

When he got home, he looked in the refrigerator and found nothing but one piece of baloney and a jar of barbecue sauce. The poor kid was so hungry and wanted so badly to eat it, but reminded himself: To save Mama’s life, I have got to use it to catch Tommy, and furthermore, I know what I must be: a fantastic fisherman.

NOTE: Jimmy Reed is a retired college professor and author of several books. This story is from his latest, a children’s book entitled FROM A TO Z, TO YOU FROM ME. Each story in the book maximizes the use of an alphabetical letter, enhanced by alliteration and assonance. The book is available on Amazon, or can be purchased directly from the author. His email address is jimmycecilreedjr@gmail.com.