Once upon an evening sea

The shore:

As the evening set in, the boats turned towards the shore.

Soon, the coast filled with jolly fishermen, who boasted about their catch. All the colourful boats were brimming with mackerel, tuna, codfish.

All except one.

Apart from the merry throng, the old man slumped in the sinking sand besides his tattered boat. It had been twenty days. Twenty days of hollow luck, and barren boat.

He wasn’t greedy, he didn’t mind if he couldn’t catch boat loads of fish or even a very big mackerel. Was it too much to ask for a small fish? He stared at those fancy motorised boats, then at the dull sky as if to ask, “why God?”

He couldn’t face his wife, her accusing eyes, and the depleted kitchen. More to the point, he couldn’t face one more day on an empty stomach.

Meanwhile under water:

“I’m back,” the little seer fish burst into his home, back from school.

Overjoyed his mother circled around him once, and caressed his cheeks. “You’re safe,” she said in a trembling voice, “thank God.”

This overt display embarrassed the fish. “Oh, mama!” He rolled his eyes. “I had gone to school, not to the war.”

“Don’t you know?” his sister said in her high-pitched voice, “outside, there’s a kidnapping gang. They throw out a shiny toy. You pick it, and you’re trapped.”

The little fish snorted. Just like sis to scare him with fake stories. But, a glance at his mother informed him, it was not a fib. So that’s why mama had said, “don’t pick anything that doesn’t belong to you. No trying to get free food.”

“Don’t scare your brother,” his mama said. She added as she noted the arrival of his daddy, “the important thing is that we’re all safe.”

“No use worrying over those bad people out there,” his papa said patting his head, “Instead let’s celebrate your first day at school.”

And the seer fish family rejoiced their happy days.

I have been tagged by my dear friend Kokila to take part in Five photos Five stories challenge (FPFS) which is- Post a picture for 5 consecutive days and attach a post to it , fiction, poem or short write-up.It can be anything to suit your taste.

I am tagging  my dear blogger friend Anita  on my Day Two and as a part of the challenge, I will tag a new person on Day Three.