The Fish and The Wind

A man is taking a boat out in the summer. It's hot out and the water is perfectly blue. The waters of Greece are beautiful. He only has a small boat, and the others are bigger in comparison. 

The other fisherman sat under the parasol right next to a small fish market. The three men sat around drinking. One of the fishermen smiled at him. He waved back. He continued to push his boat past them when one of them spoke.

“Felipe! Come over here. I found something for you!” He stopped his boat halfway near the shoreline. He walked over to the group of men sitting around the small table playing a game of cards. The old man with the white beard gestures to him to sit down. Felipe refuses. Gene, the man with a white beard, sets down a pound of fish near him. “I wanted to thank you for helping me the other day. The last load was quite a handful. In return, I only have a small bag of frozen fish like you asked for.”

“Thank you.” He said, “By the way, where are you going?” Gene asked him. “I’m going to sit out near the fishing spot. The others said that ‘the far left is much better for this time of year’.” “I wouldn’t go out there if I were you. The news report stated that there would be heavy winds today or that a storm might ensue.” A little storm and wind didn’t bother him. The weather was too perfect to ruin a good day.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Gene, would you mind looking after the fish when I get back?”

“Why not.”

Out on the ocean, he sits on his boat, fishing. The waters are still and quiet. There was only a small pile near him in his bucket. After collecting his fish, he heads back home with his bucket and the one Gene gave to him. Felipe is sitting at the table when something nags him. The next day, he sits out in the ocean near the bigger boats and his small load of fish.

Everyone around him seems to have better luck than him. He didn’t worry about it. He kept on fishing. The rest of the day, Felipe sat near the shore by himself. A boy named Sonny carried a fishing pole in his hand. He sat down next to him.

“It's been two days…the weather has not changed. They said that they hope there'll be high winds tomorrow. Also, are you going to enter the fishing competition?”

“Not sure if I win…or lose–”

“I've seen your pile. You'll need more fish than that.”

“I only fish for fun. Not for a race.”

“You may never know until you try.” A small mischievous smile spread across his face. He stared out into the ocean thinking about the offer.

On Friday, Sonny said, “The goal is to catch as many as you can. After that, the judge will determine the winner.” “I’m not fishing just to be judged, I’m only going out to sit and relax. Catch my load and go home.” Sonny didn’t understand. All of the greatest fishermen to sailors always compete in the competition. The opportunity is there and he was missing out. Sonny said, “Think about the money, you fix your house up–add new decorations. Mr. Barlos can get you that new painting of a fish you always wanted.” “No thank you, Sonny. I’m fine.” Felipe got up from the shore, took his boat out, and fished, like always. Sonny grumbled and went on his way back home.

At night, Sonny waited for him outside his house. He came back with a bag of fish in tow. “What are you doing here?” Felipe asked. “Why don’t you like competitions?” Sonny watched Felipe open the door, and he followed behind him into his small home. The inside is a rundown shack, Felipe sat the fish down on the counter in his nook-like kitchen. And plopped down on the armchair in the family room. Sonny sat across from him.

“You didn’t answer my question, why don’t you want to join in?”

“Not interested, let’s leave it like that.”

“...What do you do all day besides fishing?”

“Surviving,”

“Surviving, this town is safe. Surviving would be like the last thing that I would think of.”

“You don’t get it do you?”

Sonny sat up straight in his seat. Felipe laid his head back against the headrest.

“Tomorrow, the winds are high and it’s perfect for me to catch Zephyr.”

“Who’s that?”

“Don’t know, I overheard it from Agis and Pavlos talking. A big fish–”

“Why don’t you catch it and enter it into the fishing competition. I don’t know the size–”

“I’ll pass.”

Sonny glared at him, “You're scared.”

Felipe sat up. “I’m not scared. I know what I am doing.”

“You are, you are afraid of what you might find out…aren’t you.” The silence told Sonny everything about Felipe. He didn’t confirm or deny it. 

“It’s getting late, Nadia might be worried about you Sonny.”

“But–”

“It’s getting late.” Sonny sighed and headed out the door. 

Saturday arrived and the competition was in full swing. Sonny was riding his bike to the competition when he stopped at an open gate. From far away, he spotted Felipe out on the ocean. A strong gust of wind came barreling through. Sonny pedaled down to the shore and hopped off of his bike. He ran towards the edge of the beach seeing the ocean churn a bit.

In the middle of the ocean, Felipe is in a wrestling match with a fish he has caught. The winds picked up making the waters choppy. The winds didn’t stop him from catching Zephyr. It was between him and nature itself. Everything seemed unreal to him. In the middle of a high-rise wind against a small boat, the fish was getting the better of him. 

The thing for him to do is let go, but that’s not going to be his top priority. He kept reeling in it, the tugging of the fish swimming nearly knocked him over. He steadied himself on the boat when a big fish jumped out of the water. Gray scales shimmered in the sunlight contrasting its dark skin. He had never seen a fish like that before. 

The wind kept on blowing, nearly knocking him off his feet. The more he reeled in Zephyr was getting the better of him. He looked up at the sky and saw a man’s face in the clouds. “Norte!” He screamed. “Calm yourself!” Norte didn’t listen to him, Felipe kept on reeling him until the head of Zephyr came out of the water. Norte, the wind god, blew his breath even harder than before. Felipe continued to lift him out of the water, showing more of his elongated body. 

“Why…do…you…show no mercy?” Norte whispered. “Why do you continue to fight?”

“I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I show no fear,” Felipe responded.

“...No fear? I blow in your face and you show no mercy? You don’t even back down or flinch?”

“I show no fear because I already know how to face my opponent head on…and you are waiting for me to fall.”

Norte didn’t say anything to him. The winds around him started to die down, while Zephyr flopped about. Felipe looked up at Norte’s face and disappeared into the clouds. He didn’t understand why Norte didn’t fight back. He waited for a bit to see Norte’s final form, but he didn’t show. The waters were still and quiet. Looking at the fish hanging on the end of his line, he tossed him back into the ocean. 

Felipe stood there watching him swim away and quietly headed back to shore. By the time he got back, Sonny was waiting for him. Impatient as ever Sonny scolded him. “Where is Zephyr? Where is he?” Felipe said, “It doesn’t matter anymore, Sonny.”

“The competition? You are just going to throw him away?”

“I’m not throwing him away, it’s better to…leave it alone.”

Sonny scratched the back of his neck and sighed. “Think about the money, Felipe–”

“I don’t want money, I’m happy with what I got. If I am content with how much fish I catch, then I’ll be fine. Why is it better to mine gold, while I am better off picking up pebbles?”

Felipe sat down on the beach, and so did Sonny. The two of them didn’t say a word but sat there listening to the sound of the ocean. The next day, Felipe and Sonny sat near the docks in the sunshine. Felipe quietly fished and so did Sonny.