The Fisherman

Christianity and Mermaids.

The yellow clouds were endless, and that endlessness was where my mind has chosen to wander. The yellow clouds were low, low enough for my head to reach. The yellow clouds were so endless that I had the impression they were repeating themselves. The yellow clouds were revolving around me. I was in my own world.

After (or maybe before) having walked around in the plains, I saw in the distance a small cabin, with smoke coming out of it’s chimney. So I walked towards it. As I got closer to it, I realised that there was a very narrow river separating me and the cabin. It was thick, and in the water I could only see vague forms in movement, but wasn’t able to recognise anything. It was a thin river, so I stepped over it and knocked on the cabin door.

A bearded, plump old man opened the door. The clouds disappeared. The bearded, plump old man stared through me with great interest. He wasn’t used to visitors.

“Hello, sir” I said. “You are a fisherman, are you not?”

“I am a fisherman, yes.” He answered with pride.

“Then could you tell me what time it is in here and in those plains?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care. It’s a ridiculous question.” He paused to think. “Are you hungry, visitor?”

“Hungry like the wolf.” I said it only because I was enjoying our conversation. I was curious to know more about the fisherman.

“Then look at the river behind you.”

I did. Suddenly, it seemed to be as clear as glass, and through it’s narrow path I could see dozens of small fish swimming around excitedly. It was deep, unusually deep, as if man-made. I waited for the fisherman to start talking again before turning back.

And the fisherman commanded me, “You are free to eat from any parts of this river; but you must not eat from the great red fish that roams these waters, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

The fisherman then asked me if I were sleepy, and for the same reason as before, I said yes. To my surprise, he brought me inside his cabin and offered me a room where I could rest my eyes and body. He then said unto me:

“It seems I’ve taken a liking to you, visitor. If I’ve given you food and shelter, it is because I have faith in you, just as I hope you will have faith in me. Sleep well.”

I woke up to the sound of a hammer hitting on something hard outside of my room. Suddenly, I felt a distinct pain in my chest, and had to hold back a groan. I could also hear the fisherman breathing heavily, and chanting:

“This is now bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh

She shall be called woman

For she was taken out of man.”

I found this to be intimidating, so I did not come out of bed until hours after the noises had stopped. When I finally did come out, the fisherman was outside, lying on the grass and smoking his pipe. He seemed to be resting. Nonetheless, I came up to him and greeted him, because I wanted to ask him about the noises.

Having noticed me, his eyes lit up with glee and he hurried me towards the back of his cabin. He told me he thought it wasn’t good for a man to be alone, so he found a helper that he thought would be suitable. He pointed toward a cage, in which sat a mermaid. She looked up towards me with a smile.

“She can’t speak, but isn’t she a beauty?” Said the fisherman. “Her name is Evelyn.”

And so I began to spend a lot of time with Evelyn. Though she couldn’t speak, I felt like we were destined to be together, like she was a part of me that I had been missing. One day, she brought me to the river to meet her mother, the great red fish. I knew the fish was her mother by the way the two would look at each other. However, I found her to be intimidating as well, so I did not approach her. The fisherman noticed this, and decided to have a talk with me inside his cabin. 

He called me so that I would come inside, and we both sat down around a small round table. The fisherman began:

“You should not be fearful of the great red fish. She feeds only on other fish, not on men.”

“Yes, but-” I tried to explain myself.

“You should, however, keep your hands off of her. I should let you know that she is my wife. If you stay away from her, she will stay away from you.” He looked into me. “I have faith in you.”

I stood up, left the cabin, and sat down next to Evelyn as she laid on the grass, staring up into the sky. She looked at me, took my left hand and slowly placed it on one of her breasts. Suddenly, I felt a surge of power, and excitement, and anger, and angst.

I realised that if the fisherman was married to the great red fish, Evelyn, part man and part fish, was their daughter. And since I was married to Evelyn, the fisherman had become my father, and the great red fish my mother.

Suddenly, I was in a rebellious trance. I wanted to steal my mother from my father. I came up to the great red fish and put my hand on her head. This surprised her, and she bit off one of my fingers. The blood turned the river red, and the great red fish began screeching. 

The fisherman slammed open the cabin door. The sky became dark and cloudy. He walked up to Evelyn, his steps shaking the earth, and slapped her with the back of his hand.

“You are not worthy of my palm. You are no daughter of mine.” 

He then turned to the great red fish. I was in awe. He was ignoring me completely.

“I thought you loved me.”

She kept screeching. It was my fault, why was he angry at her?

“Lucy, I thought you loved me, damn it!”

I suddenly began to feel guilt.

“After all these years, I thought you were different, Lucy!”

The fisherman had tears flowing down his cheeks.

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE OTHER FISH, YOU COLD-BLOODED AMPHIBIOUS C**T. I’LL F*****G KILL YOU.”

With his massive right hand, he took her out of the water, threw her on the muddy soil, and began furiously beating her down. He was screaming continuously, but with every punch his pitch went up a little. He kept beating her until she no longer looked like her former self. He then took off his pants and revealed his massive erection, which he passionately thrust into her dead carcass. In and out. In and out. The sky was red.

She was dead. The fisherman’s faith was dead. Evelyn’s future was dead.

And I felt more alive than ever before.

Author's Note

I didn't want to seem pretentious with all the religious references, this being my first short story I've ever publish on the website. But nevertheless, I hope everyone will enjoy it! :)