Geff and Jerald

Reeled In

I was sitting at the table, waiting for breakfast, thinking about the other night. I wanted to say more, but I figured that I didn't want to put Mom in a worse position than she already was. So I said nothing, and breakfast wasn't chatty. I put on my coat and went outside. If I till all the dirt without getting told to, maybe it would improve Mom's mood. But that wasn't an option when I figured out it was already tilled. A chair with a lump on it explained why. Jerald was asleep, hoe in hand. I scratched my head. I had a better idea. But I needed a stick and some string. Oh, and a rock. I ran to the forest and grabbed the stick and rock. I went inside and grabbed some string out of Mom's old knitting kit. I tied the string to the stick, and now I had a flimsy fishing rod. But I wasn't finished. I planned to catch a fish so we could eat later. That would definitely help Mom out. I had my rock and chunk of bone from last week's turkey dinner. I carved it into a hook, and the rod was all set. Except there was one tiny problem. The creek wasn't exactly, you know, the place where you could catch sharks and sailfish. The minnows were no bigger than your pinky toe. But that didn't stop me. I headed back and told Mom I was going to check out the lake. She just mumbled a few words, but I'm pretty sure I heard "as long as you stay safe and don't talk to strangers" so that sold it. I thought about waking up Jerald, but it was best for him to get sleep. Leave it to the big brother to handle all the 'brave' stuff. I sprinted down the dirt road. I took a pitchfork too, just in case I encounter any big fish that need more than a small tug. And with that I arrived at the docks. There wasn't much people, just about three or four families. That was fine, as long as they don't hog all the good fish. I heard there's some real good salmon here. I grasp my primal fishing rod and cuff my overall pants. As I was fixing my hat, I felt something rub against my leg. "Max! What are you doing here? You can't be with me! Go home. Shoo. Now!" But he wouldn't go. He sat down, indicating so. "Well, I guess you're staying with me. Be careful not to drown yourself." I looked around, everyone having good fishing rods with boxes of bait and custom hooks. Bait! I almost forgot. I dug around, trying to find a decent worm. Clawing through the dirt I couldn't find anything. I was getting ready to go home when I heard a 'woof' behind me. Max was panting, looking down at a hole he dug. To my surprise, there was a couple of worms inside. "Good boy!" I patted his head and he happily barked back. 

After tying the worms to my hook,  I sat and waited for the fish to start biting. I waited and waited, but so far no luck. I was getting ready to head home when I saw a big, fat, juicy salmon. "You're mine," I say. The pitchfork I brought was already in my hand, and I was ready to catch it. But right when I stabbed it, another pitchfork landed on it. I looked up and expected a guy who I could shove or something. Instead, it was a girl. She was wearing overalls, but the pants part was cut off, into some type of skirt. She was also wearing rain boots. "Hey, this is my fish!" I pulled a bit. "No, this is my fish!" She pulled back. I pulled harder. She pulled harder. Soon we pulled too hard, and the fish slid off both forks and back into the water. "NOOOOOO!!!" We both said at once. The forks were in the water, and my pants were soaked. I got up and felt my head. "Hey, where's my hat?" She already had it in her hand. Bad news... "Say, what's your name?" She asked. "Uh, Geff. Geffrey Anderson," I said. "Jane Thomas," she answered back. "So, could I have my hat back?" She held it up, and she had a smile on her face. "This ol' thing?" I nodded. She put it non her head. "Well, you're gonna have to catch me for it!" And she started running. "Oh, you--" I sprinted towards her direction. Overcoming her, I ducked under a dock and waited for her arrival. Once she came I came out. "HA!" Jane stopped and I tagged her. She looked like she was about to say something, but then a big man with a mustache came over to us. "JANE!" She took off my hat and slowly gave it to me. "How many times do I have to tell you, don't take stranger's things! It's not okay." The big man took her up to the dock. "And don't get too far from the dock this time." He said. "Yes, Uncle Ben..." Jane looked back. I know she wanted to play. But sometimes, you don't got no other choice. Slowly I made my way back to my "private" dock.