After we said good-bye to Master, Gramps and I walked for a while and eventually reached a fishing spot he’d recommended. It was quiet and there were no people around, just the faint presence of animals. It felt like the whole place belonged to us.
I could hear the gentle babbling of the river and saw fish jumping out of the water one after the other as we got closer. The sight made me eager to put my line in as quickly as possible, but I suppressed the urge and focused on checking the area for monsters first.
“Gramps, are there any monsters nearby?”
I still wasn’t good at detecting monsters that were far away. I wished I was better at it, like Master and Gramps.
“Looks like we’re fine. I don’t sense anything around here,” Gramps said with a calm smile.
“Where should we fish?” I asked.
“Shall we try going a bit farther upstream?”
“Yeah, let’s do that!”
We walked along the river, looking for a good spot to fish. Once we found one, I drove the barrier needle into the ground and got started.
Since people didn’t usually come to this spot, the fish started biting right away. Something tugged at my line every time I cast it out. I was having so much fun.
I wish Master could’ve come with us.
I felt a little disappointed, but I shook it off and focused on catching as many fish as I could to surprise him when he got back from his quest.
“Alto, how about we take a short break?” Gramps said as he sat down on a rock and pulled out some drinks.
Master always reminded me to take breaks and stay hydrated. I remembered that and forced myself to stop fishing, then sat down next to Gramps.
He handed me a cup of tea, which felt warm and comforting.
“Did you get a good haul?” he asked.
I proudly showed him my bucket full of fish. “How about you, Gramps?”
“I suppose I did okay.”
But when I peeked into his bucket, he had even more than I did.
“Think it’s enough for dinner?” I asked.
“I’d say so.”
“Hmm… I wanna eat ten fish, and I bet Master will want the same.”
“You think so?” Gramps asked.
“Yep, I know he will!”
“I see…”
“And I’m gonna catch even more and beat you, Gramps!”
“I guess I’ll have to try a little harder, then,” he said, pulling snacks out of his coat pocket.
The fish had grown wary and stopped biting, so we packed up our gear and moved downstream. I was scanning the river intently, searching for movement, when Gramps let out a quiet chuckle.
“Gramps?”
“You really love fishing, don’t you?”
“I sure do!”
“Why do you love it so much?”
“Hmm…”
I thought back to the first time I’d ever gone fishing. I hadn’t caught a single fish and ended up sulking, but then Master put his hands over mine and we caught one together.
I still remembered the feel of that first tug, the back and forth with the fish, the weight of the one we’d reeled in together. It was so much fun, and I’d been so happy.
But the thing that made me happiest wasn’t catching the fish.
“When we went fishing for the first time, I saw Master looking like he was really enjoying himself.”
There were times when Master smiled, when he seemed happy and like he was having fun. But it was rare to see him smile because of something he was doing.
“He looked really, really happy that day.”
“…”
“Yeah, I like fishing. But what I really love is that when I’m fishing, sometimes I remember his smile. That’s why I like it so much.”
I just stood there, having stopped walking at some point without realizing it.
“I see. Then I suppose we’ll have to catch a lot and surprise him, won’t we?” Gramps gently patted my head, looking off into the distance. The expression in his eyes made me wonder if maybe he felt the same way.
“What made you start fishing, Gramps?”
“Hmm, I guess it all started when I was hungry and went to snatch some fish out of the water with a friend.”
“Snatch? Not catch?”
“Back then, none of us had fishing rods,” he said.
“Wow! Then how did you catch them?”
“It’s simple, really. Want me to show you?”
Gramps rolled his pants up to his knees and took off his shoes, then stepped into the river. I almost shouted in surprise, but he swiftly suppressed his presence. I knew better than to make any noise when he did that.
He moved slowly through the water. Suddenly, Gramps stopped and plunged a hand below the surface, then in one sharp movement, he sent a fish flying with his palm.
“Alto!”
I scrambled to catch the fish and dropped it into the bucket. Meanwhile, Gramps sent another one flying. I didn’t even have time to take a breath. After doing it a few more times, he finally stopped and beckoned me over.
The river water was freezing, biting against my skin. Still, I wanted to try it myself, so I stepped carefully toward him, doing my best not to disturb the surface.
Gramps silently pointed down. I followed his finger and spotted a few fish swimming lazily through the water. Then he made a grabbing motion with his hand. He wanted me to catch one. I’d been watching closely enough, so I figured I could probably do it.
I picked a target and quickly thrust my hand into the water, but the fish darted away before I could even get close.
Drat!
I took a step forward to give chase, determined to get it this time, but suddenly found myself underwater.
I thought I heard Gramps shouting in the distance, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I didn’t even understand what had just happened. I looked up and saw the surface of the water above me shimmering with light.
Bubbles drifted through the freezing water as I completely lost my sense of balance. A strange, muffled sound echoed in my ears, and my nose started to sting. As soon as that pain hit me, I heard a loud splash, and the next thing I knew, someone was pulling me out.
“You okay?” Gramps asked, holding me up with both arms.
“Okay?” I repeated, bewildered. I still didn’t understand how I’d ended up in the water. I was too confused to even think straight. Gramps let out a relieved sigh and started to explain.
“The riverbed here looks shallow, but it’s not. Even if it appears that way, it can actually be deep enough that your feet can’t touch the bottom. And the current is often stronger than it looks. That’s why you always have to tread carefully.”
It was only then that it finally clicked. I’d stepped into a deep spot and been pulled under.
“I’ll be more careful from now on. Thanks for saving me, Gramps.”
“It’s nothing worth thanking me for. Honestly, I figured you might fall in.”
“What?! That’s not nice!” I pouted.
“Kids are supposed to mess up and learn from their mistakes,” he said with a chuckle. Then, he adjusted his grip on me and lifted me into his arms.
“I don’t wanna mess up,” I muttered.
Every time I’d failed to escape the slave traders, they’d beaten me. I hated the pain, the way my chest ached, and the coldness in my fingers. I hated all of it.
I must’ve started shivering a little because Gramps gently began to rub my back.
“If you really don’t want to fail, there’s a way to make sure you never do.”
“What is it?” I asked.