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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: General Interest
- Published: 03/17/2021
How Curiosity Killed The Fish
Born 1960, M, from Orange Park, FL, United States.png)
It was sunrise on the pond, and I awoke to the sound of Gramp’s boots thumping across the cabin floor. I heard the door as it creaked open and Gramp stepped out onto the porch. His fishing pole battered against the door casing on the way through. There was a hesitation and then Gramp cussed at himself for the noise. The door creaked shut, the latch clicked, and all fell silent again.
I could see Gramp in my mind as he followed the well-trod path down to the pond where, at the ponds edge a boat lay waiting. It is an old wooden rowboat. The sides are cracking with the signs of age and the oars are worn smooth from the constant touch of the old man.
He will push the boat into the glassy calmness and glide through the morning fog as it rises from the water. The boat will travel silently out to Gramp’s fishin spot. A place that looks not unlike any other on the water, but Gramp knows when he is on it. He will sit in this spot until the pond grows dark once again, then he will row back to shore and return to the cabin.
“Did you catch the big one Gramp?” I would ask. “Not today.” He would say, then sit down to the table to have supper. Gramp has spent the last two years since his retirement up here in this cabin or on the pond doing what many men plan to do when they retire. Go fishing!
Gramps has set by the fire many a night and told me about the granddaddy trout that is out there in the pond. How he is not just a big trout but that one in a million endowed with a certain amount of wisdom that lets him know how most fishermen think. Gramps says the only way to catch him is through perseverance and having a different trick up your sleeve for every new day of fishing. I would then ask gramps how he would expect to catch him if he goes out to the same spot every day and fishes with the same bait day in and day out. “He’s got to know it’s you gramps.” “Sure, he does.” Gramps would say. “But that’s how I’m gonna fool him. One day real soon it’s gonna be his time to be caught and I’ll be there to know when it is. Then I’ll use the one trick I’ve been savin just for him.” I would interrogate gramps for hours to find out what that one special trick was, but he would never say.
The season wore on until at last the final day of fishing arrived. Gramps got up the same as usual but today he stuck his head into my bedroom and said, “Todays the day Davey, I’m gonna have him.” Then he left same as usual.
I climbed out of bed an hour or so later and went out to the kitchen for breakfast. I sat down at the table but as I did, I nearly went into shock, for there by the door was Gramp’s fishing pole. What will Gramp do if knowing today is his last chance to get that granddaddy trout he rows out onto the pond and discovers he forgot his pole.
I hurried into the bedroom got dressed and rushed out of the cabin with Gramp’s pole.
By the time I reached the pond I was half beaten from briars and totally out of breath. I looked down to the ponds edge just as gramps was reaching shore. I ran to him. “Gramps, I got your pole for you!” Gramps looked up as he got out of the boat. A smirk came over his face and he said, “I won’t be needin that today Davey!” Then he nodded towards the bow of the boat. I looked down and there taking up the entire bow of the boat was the biggest trout I had ever seen.
“How did you do it gramps? I got your pole!” “Well Davey my boy, you know I’ve been going out to that same spot day after day and using that same bait day after day!” “Yes sir.” “Well so did this trout but what he didn’t know was I was just studying him all the while. You see I found his weakness through perseverance and being a mite tricky. It seems this old trout was curious to no end and that was his weakness. When I rowed out there this morning, I didn’t forget my pole. I just didn’t need it!”
“That old granddaddy trout came along like he does every day, just to see what I’m up to. Only today he didn’t see that same old pole or that same old bait. As he swam around and watched me fiddling around in the boat, not payin him no never mind. He just couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to see what I was doing! So, he got a runnin start and jumped right into the boat. You see this time Davey curiosity killed the fish!”
How Curiosity Killed The Fish(Steven W Kimball)
It was sunrise on the pond, and I awoke to the sound of Gramp’s boots thumping across the cabin floor. I heard the door as it creaked open and Gramp stepped out onto the porch. His fishing pole battered against the door casing on the way through. There was a hesitation and then Gramp cussed at himself for the noise. The door creaked shut, the latch clicked, and all fell silent again.
I could see Gramp in my mind as he followed the well-trod path down to the pond where, at the ponds edge a boat lay waiting. It is an old wooden rowboat. The sides are cracking with the signs of age and the oars are worn smooth from the constant touch of the old man.
He will push the boat into the glassy calmness and glide through the morning fog as it rises from the water. The boat will travel silently out to Gramp’s fishin spot. A place that looks not unlike any other on the water, but Gramp knows when he is on it. He will sit in this spot until the pond grows dark once again, then he will row back to shore and return to the cabin.
“Did you catch the big one Gramp?” I would ask. “Not today.” He would say, then sit down to the table to have supper. Gramp has spent the last two years since his retirement up here in this cabin or on the pond doing what many men plan to do when they retire. Go fishing!
Gramps has set by the fire many a night and told me about the granddaddy trout that is out there in the pond. How he is not just a big trout but that one in a million endowed with a certain amount of wisdom that lets him know how most fishermen think. Gramps says the only way to catch him is through perseverance and having a different trick up your sleeve for every new day of fishing. I would then ask gramps how he would expect to catch him if he goes out to the same spot every day and fishes with the same bait day in and day out. “He’s got to know it’s you gramps.” “Sure, he does.” Gramps would say. “But that’s how I’m gonna fool him. One day real soon it’s gonna be his time to be caught and I’ll be there to know when it is. Then I’ll use the one trick I’ve been savin just for him.” I would interrogate gramps for hours to find out what that one special trick was, but he would never say.
The season wore on until at last the final day of fishing arrived. Gramps got up the same as usual but today he stuck his head into my bedroom and said, “Todays the day Davey, I’m gonna have him.” Then he left same as usual.
I climbed out of bed an hour or so later and went out to the kitchen for breakfast. I sat down at the table but as I did, I nearly went into shock, for there by the door was Gramp’s fishing pole. What will Gramp do if knowing today is his last chance to get that granddaddy trout he rows out onto the pond and discovers he forgot his pole.
I hurried into the bedroom got dressed and rushed out of the cabin with Gramp’s pole.
By the time I reached the pond I was half beaten from briars and totally out of breath. I looked down to the ponds edge just as gramps was reaching shore. I ran to him. “Gramps, I got your pole for you!” Gramps looked up as he got out of the boat. A smirk came over his face and he said, “I won’t be needin that today Davey!” Then he nodded towards the bow of the boat. I looked down and there taking up the entire bow of the boat was the biggest trout I had ever seen.
“How did you do it gramps? I got your pole!” “Well Davey my boy, you know I’ve been going out to that same spot day after day and using that same bait day after day!” “Yes sir.” “Well so did this trout but what he didn’t know was I was just studying him all the while. You see I found his weakness through perseverance and being a mite tricky. It seems this old trout was curious to no end and that was his weakness. When I rowed out there this morning, I didn’t forget my pole. I just didn’t need it!”
“That old granddaddy trout came along like he does every day, just to see what I’m up to. Only today he didn’t see that same old pole or that same old bait. As he swam around and watched me fiddling around in the boat, not payin him no never mind. He just couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to see what I was doing! So, he got a runnin start and jumped right into the boat. You see this time Davey curiosity killed the fish!”
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