The little girl peered down into the bucket of water at the monstrosity that circled within. The largest, ugliest sea bass she'd ever seen in her (to date) short lifespan. Also her first catch by coincidence. While her mother was busy preparing the stove for frying, her father came round to stand before her and look down with a smile. She looked up to him.
"He's so ugly!" She remarked with an exaggerated shudder of disapproval.
"Aye, he may be. Is that so wrong?"
"Why can't bass be prettier, pa? I want to catch... an, an, an angelfish!"
"There are many, many fish in te ocean, Florence. But ye cannae pick 'n chose the one Ralghr sends tae yer hook. What ye have tae decide is whether ye take it home or throw it back."
"B'what iffn' I dinnae want this fish, pa? I shouldda just thrown it back."
"Oh, perhaps so. But then ye need tae ask yerself - how long are ye willing tae go hungry before ye accept whatever bounty th Twelve already placed in yer lap? Besides, it mayn't look like much now, but once yer mum's through he'll be delicious. Understand, hon?"
"I s'ppose so."
Coatleque jerked back to reality when she realized something was tugging at her line. She responded with a quick jerk of her own to set the hook as her father taught her. The line was reeled in slowly and steadily, kept taut against whatever struggled from the other end. The reel locked suddenly and moved the pole from side to side, up overhead and down low to the ground. A sigh of frustration - it was snagged. She gave a few more quick jerks followed by one strong that broke whatever it was free along with the line itself.
Her shoulders slumped a little after pulling the rest of the line in and she reached to the small box nestled in the snow by her side to retrieve another hook only to find she was out. "I suppose I cannae throw this one back just yet then." she muttered to herself.
"He's so ugly!" She remarked with an exaggerated shudder of disapproval.
"Aye, he may be. Is that so wrong?"
"Why can't bass be prettier, pa? I want to catch... an, an, an angelfish!"
"There are many, many fish in te ocean, Florence. But ye cannae pick 'n chose the one Ralghr sends tae yer hook. What ye have tae decide is whether ye take it home or throw it back."
"B'what iffn' I dinnae want this fish, pa? I shouldda just thrown it back."
"Oh, perhaps so. But then ye need tae ask yerself - how long are ye willing tae go hungry before ye accept whatever bounty th Twelve already placed in yer lap? Besides, it mayn't look like much now, but once yer mum's through he'll be delicious. Understand, hon?"
"I s'ppose so."
Coatleque jerked back to reality when she realized something was tugging at her line. She responded with a quick jerk of her own to set the hook as her father taught her. The line was reeled in slowly and steadily, kept taut against whatever struggled from the other end. The reel locked suddenly and moved the pole from side to side, up overhead and down low to the ground. A sigh of frustration - it was snagged. She gave a few more quick jerks followed by one strong that broke whatever it was free along with the line itself.
Her shoulders slumped a little after pulling the rest of the line in and she reached to the small box nestled in the snow by her side to retrieve another hook only to find she was out. "I suppose I cannae throw this one back just yet then." she muttered to herself.
