You Get a Line, I’ll Get a Pole

By Nicholas Bernhard

The road to the fishing hole was rougher than last time. Trees had fallen along the path, and vines blocked out the sunlight. Bob had to carry me on his back for the last mile. I could hear the loud chittering of an archaeopteryx in the canopy. It sounded hungry… hungry for us.

Bob has been my fishing buddy for the past three years. Bob is a dinosaur. Maybe it’s strange to be friends with a dinosaur.

We arrive at the shore of the lake and look into the water.

“There’s a fish at four o’clock,” says Bob. Yes, a dinosaur that can talk. If he didn’t talk, I’d go crazy on this strange planet. He tells great knock-knock jokes for a velociraptor, and he plays a mean game of canasta.

“Three o’clock,” he says, tracking a fish in the water. “Two o’clock…” I angle my spear to strike…

“Now!” yells Bob. I throw the spear. Perfect hit. Another catch for the fire tonight.

Bob guides me to four more fish. His eyes, trained to spot prey in the ancient forest over millions of years, never fail. Well, almost never.

Fishing feels like the only time we can relax. Not all dinosaurs are so friendly on this planet.

We catch six fish that evening, and then we walk up the trail to the Aztec temple on the hill. There is an alien there. Actually, they are from this planet, so that makes Bob and I the aliens.

The alien asks how many fish we caught today. They ask what kinds of fish we caught. They like to keep track of these sorts of things for their records. The alien calls this planet a “nature preserve.” Back on Earth, I’d visited a nature preserve. Now, I’m part of one.

Later that night, I sit by the campfire with Bob and have dinner. I like my fish cooked. Bob likes his fish raw. Afterwards, we tell knock-knock jokes and play canasta. Beyond the light of the campfire, the forest of this alien planet is dark and full of scary noises. Having a velociraptor as your best buddy has its benefits.

- Total nr. of readings: 358 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.