Gone Fishing

I rose at the crack of dawn and prepared myself for another day of delivering bread and asking a lot of questions. Mr. Haddock had informed me that I would be working for him until I had earned enough shells to pay off my debt to the inn. I was determined to do my best, even if I had to endure another round of being the butt of the town's jokes.

However, my plans were interrupted when a young man entered the bakery just as I was about to leave.

"Billy! Did you recover from the clams?" Mr. Haddock said, looking relieved.

Billy, a gangly teenager with a mop of brown hair, nodded. "I'm all better, Mr. Haddock. Thanks for asking."

"That's a load off my mind. I was worried we wouldn't make all our deliveries today." He turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, Jules, but it looks like we won't be needing your help today. Billy's back on the job."

I was stunned. What was I going to do now? I didn't have any shells to pay Martha. "But... I need to earn my keep. Is there anything else I can do?"

Mr. Haddock scratched his beard. "Well... you could run down to the docks and try to catch one of the fishing crews before they set out for the day. Someone might need a deckhand." He glanced out the window at the rising sun. "Hurry, lad. They leave at daybreak."

"Thank you, Mr. Haddock. I'll be off!" I grabbed my bag and ran toward the harbor, hoping to find a crew who would take me on.

When I arrived at the dock, I saw several fishing boats getting ready to depart. Some were larger, with sails and multiple decks, while others were smaller, with just a few men aboard.

I approached the nearest crew, a group of men and women boarding a vessel named The Red Turtle.

"Excuse me," I said, trying to catch their attention. "Might you be looking for an extra hand today?"

One of the men, a burly fellow with a braided goatee, turned to me and looked me up and down. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Jules, a traveler looking for work. I've never been on a fishing boat before, but I'm a quick learner, I promise."

The man considered me for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, we're about to take off. So I suggest coming back tomorrow." He waved me off and boarded the boat.

I tried my luck with another crew, but they were already full. I was an inch away from giving up when I heard someone calling out to me from the end of the docks.

"Hey, you! With the bag!"

I turned to see a sun-tanned young man wearing a cloth hat. He couldn't have been any older than I was, and I could tell he was without crew, for all he had was a small rowboat with a handful of rods and nets.

"Are you looking for a spot on a crew?" He asked.

I nodded, walking over to the edge of the dock. "Yes, but it seems I'm too late to catch any of the other boats."

"Not for me, you aren't." The young man smiled. "My name's Finn. And you're Jules, am I right?"

"How did you know my name?" I asked, surprised.

Finn shrugged. "Word travels fast in a small town. Especially when a foreigner comes to visit. Don't see too many of those around, with the reef growing around the continent. But you managed to find a way through, didn't you?"

"I suppose you could say that..." I replied. How could I explain my situation to this stranger? That I was lost in ways both geographical and otherwise?

"You came here on your own, I'm guessing?" He asked while he untied his boat from its mooring.

"Yes... I did. My boat's anchored south of here. On the beach south of the lighthouse."

"That's a nice spot," Finn replied. "But it's not a good place to keep a boat. We should go down there later and collect it, before someone else does."

That hadn't occurred to me. "Yes, that's a good idea. But first, how about we go fishing?" I still needed money.

Finn grinned. "Great! Hop in."

I hesitated. This boat was so small, it could barely fit two grown men. Not to mention, I hadn't fished in years, and now I was going to sea with a complete stranger.

Still, I didn't have many options. I needed money, and I needed my boat back. So I climbed in, feeling the boat rock beneath me.

Finn untied the remaining ropes and pushed off from the dock, using his oar to guide us into the open water.

"You ever fished before, Jules?" Finn asked as he rowed.

"Not recently," I replied. "Not since I was a kid."

"Don't worry, it's easy. You'll pick it up in no time. Just follow my lead."

We rowed out to a spot a little way from the shore, where the water was calm. Finn stopped rowing and reached for his tackle box. He handed me a fishing rod and said, "Here, try this one. It's my lucky rod."

"Um, thanks." I wasn't sure how much I believed in luck, but I took it anyway. "What are we fishing for?"

Finn rummaged through the box, taking out a handful of lures and hooks. "Anything we can catch, really. Mostly tuna and mackerel, but sometimes we get lucky and reel in a cod or a grouper. Those are worth a lot of shells."

He baited his own rod and cast it out. "You do the same. Just make sure the hook is secure, and the line is taut. And don't jerk it too hard, or you'll lose your catch."

I fumbled with the bait, trying to attach it to the hook. Worms are slippery, after all. It took a few tries, but eventually I managed to get it on. I cast my line out and waited, feeling the gentle tug of the water.

"So... how long have you lived in Cant, Finn?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Most of my life," Finn replied, keeping his eyes on his line. "I was born here, twenty-two years ago. I'm guessing you're not much older than me?"

"I'm twenty-three," I said. "My birthday was last month."

"Happy belated birthday, then. Did you do anything special?" Finn asked.

"Not really. I didn't have anyone to celebrate with. I've been... on my own for a while now." I said, trying not to sound too melancholic.

"Oh." Finn seemed to sense my mood. "Well, don't worry. You're not alone now. You've got a friend in me."

I smiled, feeling a bit of warmth in my chest. "Thank you, Finn. That means a lot."

We sat in silence for a while, our lines drifting in the water. I wondered what else I could ask Finn, to keep the conversation going.

"So... you mentioned a reef around the continent? What's that about?" I asked.

"Oh, right. You wouldn't know." Finn said, looking thoughtful. "The Coral Sea is what we call the waters surrounding Occasia. It used to be open ocean, but the coral wouldn't stop growing. We've been closed off for a long time now."

"Closed off? You can't leave?"

"No. The reefs are too dense to navigate through. Even iron ships can't break through. We have to rely on our own resources, and trade with the surrounding isles."

"And no one ever comes from the outside?" I asked, thinking of the lightkeeper, Frank.

"Occasionally, someone might wash up on the shore. But it's rare. Most of them die at sea, or end up stranded on one of the islands."

I felt a pang of sadness for Frank, and for myself. How long had he been stuck here? And would I share his fate?

"But what about the air? Couldn't someone fly over?" I suggested, thinking of airplanes.

Finn laughed. "Fly? You mean like a bird? No, I've never heard of that. That would be impossible. Do your people have wings, Jules?"

I realized how insane my words sounded to Finn. "No, no... nothing like that. I'm just thinking about why nobody where I'm from has heard of Occasia. It's like it doesn't exist to us."

"Well, it does exist," Finn said, pointing to the land in the distance. "And honestly, your land sounds as unreal to me as Occasia does to you."

I nodded, understanding his point. "You're right. I guess we both come from different worlds."

"But we're in the same boat now," Finn said, grinning. "And that's what matters."

Suddenly, he felt a tug on his line, and he yelped with excitement. "I got one! I got one!" He began to reel in his catch, his rod bending under the strain.

I watched, fascinated, as he pulled a large, silvery fish out of the water. It flopped on the deck, gasping for air.

"Looks like a big one. What kind is it?" I asked, admiring his catch.

"It's a tuna! A beauty!" Finn exclaimed. He unhooked the fish and put it in a bucket of seawater. "This will fetch a good price at the market. Maybe even twenty shells!"

"Twenty shells? That's great!" I said, impressed. "I hope I can catch something like that."

"You will, you will. Just be patient." Finn assured me, baiting his hook again and casting his line.

I followed his example, hoping for a bite of my own. And sure enough, after a few minutes, I felt a tug on my rod. I gasped, and Finn cheered me on.

"You got one, Jules! Reel it in, slowly! Don't let it get away!"

I did as he said, trying to keep the line steady as I pulled. It was hard work, and I could feel the fish fighting back. But I didn't give up, and eventually, I saw a flash of orange and yellow emerge from the water.

"It's a mackerel!" Finn exclaimed. "Nice job, Jules!"

"How much do you think it's worth?" I asked, proud of my first catch.

"Oh, not much. Maybe five shells. But it's a good start." Finn replied, helping me unhook the fish and put it in the bucket with the tuna.

"Five shells..." I muttered. I'd need to catch a few more of these to pay off Martha. But at least I had a chance now.

We spent the rest of the morning fishing, talking, and laughing. Finn told me more about Cant and its people, while I shared some stories of my life back home in San Francisco. How my father would take me fishing at Lake Tahoe in the summer.

"Cally-fornia? What a funny name." Finn said, chuckling.

I frowned, realizing I didn't know how to spell it for him. "It's California. With an i."

"Cal-i-forn-i-a. Sounds exotic. Is it a tropical island?" He asked, curious.

"Not exactly. It's more like a long strip of... beaches. Mountains. Cities. And deserts. You'd love it there." I said, smiling at the thought.

"I bet I would. Maybe one day, I'll see it for myself." Finn said with a hopeful tone.

"You never know," I replied, though I doubted it would ever happen.

"I bet you can't wait to get back, right?"

His question hit me like a truck. "Well..." I hesitated. "I'm not sure if I can. Or want to."

Finn looked at me, surprised. "What do you mean? Don't you miss your home?"

"I do. But... I still want to see more of Occasia. And meet more people like you. People who are... good."

Finn smiled, touched by my words. "That's nice of you to say, Jules. I'm glad you feel that way."

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the sun and the breeze. Then Finn checked his watch and said, "We should head back. It's almost noon, and the market will open soon."

I nodded, and we packed up our gear. Finn rowed us back to the dock, where we unloaded our catch and carried it to the market square. Finn must have earned triple the shells I had, but he insisted on splitting them evenly.

"Are you sure? I didn't catch as much as you did." I protested.

"It's fine. We're partners, remember? And you need the shells more than I do." Finn said, handing me a pouch of coins.

I didn't know what to say. His generosity left me utterly stunned. "Thank you, Finn. I don't know how to repay you."

"Just keep me company," he said, winking. "We've still got a boat to fetch."

"Right. About that... I can keep the boat at the dock, right?" I asked, hoping he would say yes.

"Of course. The fee's one shell per night—which is nothing, really. Folks aren't wealthy here. But everyone pays their fair share."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to know."

A man could get used to this place.

Before we could leave to retrieve my boat, another fisherman walked by and struck up a conversation.

"Messing around with the starfish, huh, traveler?" It took me a second to realize the question was aimed at me.

"I'm not a starfish, Dirk. And neither is Jules." Finn corrected the other man, before I could say a word. "He just got here. And he's my friend."

Dirk scoffed. "Your friend? He's a foreigner, Finn. He doesn't belong here. And neither do you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Finn asked, his voice rising.

"It means you should go back to Berry College like your mother wanted. She'd be ashamed of you, fishing alone all day. You're wasting your talents."

Finn's face turned red, and his fists clenched. "Don't talk about my mother. And don't tell me what to do. I like fishing. It's honest work."

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, not knowing what I was supporting, but certainly not willing to let this man bully my new friend. "Leave him alone!"

Dirk laughed. "Listen to you two. A couple of codfish, arguing with a shark. I'm out of here."

He turned and walked away, leaving Finn and me fuming.

"What was that all about?" I asked, confused.

"Dirk's just an asshole," Finn muttered. "An asshole who thinks he's my dad, just because he dated my mom when I was a baby."

I was taken aback. "He's your...?"

"No. He's not my dad. He's just some jerk who thinks he knows me better than I do."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." I said, regretting my curiosity.

"It's fine. Let's just go get your boat." Finn said, changing the subject.

We made our way back to Finn's rowboat in silence, the mood soured by the encounter with Dirk. I couldn't help but wonder who Finn's father was, and why his mother had sent him to Berry College. But I didn't ask, knowing it would only upset him more.

"Hey, Finn? What happened at Berry, anyway?" I asked, risking his ire. "Did you drop out?"

"No, I didn't drop out. I graduated." Finn said, surprising me. "I was one of the best students in my class, in fact."

"Then why are you fishing for a living? Couldn't you get a better job somewhere?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Finn sighed. "Because I like fishing. And because I don't want to work for anyone else. I want to be my own boss."

"What's wrong with working for someone else?" I asked, not seeing his point. "Mr. Haddock seems like a good boss."

"Yeah, but he's an exception. Most bosses are like Dirk. They think they know what's best for you, and they don't care what you want. They just want to use you for their own benefit."

I nodded, understanding his frustration. I've known my share of bosses, both good and bad. "I get it. You want to be free."

"Exactly. Freedom is the most important thing in life. And I'm not going to let anyone take it away from me." Finn said, his eyes shining with determination.

"I can respect that," I said, admiring his conviction. "I suppose that's why I left Cali, too."

Finn glanced at me. "You left your home to be free? What were you running from?"

I hesitated. How could I explain? That my life had become a prison of expectations and obligations? That I felt trapped in a career I didn't love? That I wanted to find something more, something meaningful?

"I... I don't know." I admitted, feeling ashamed. "I guess I was just... lost."

Lost. Yes, that's the right word. A lost man on a lost continent, searching for a way back home. And with Finn at my side, I might have a chance to find myself again.