The Fisherman
by J
The water was calm, with small waves rocking the boat back and forth. The fisherman sat alone centered on the seat with an old bamboo fishing pole hanging over the edge. The string tied loosely to the tip of the pole was a makeshift mess of vines and hair. It had been four days since he had caught anything, and the last thing which had nibbled on to his little hook was an old rubber boot. The man who was too old to even remember how long he had been sitting there, rocking back and forth with the waves, looked up at the sky peacefully with a big smile spread across his face. The fish were few, the water was cold, but this was the life he dreamed of. He closed his eyes while dozing off, hypnotized by the trickle of the water brushing against the bow.
His eyes opened wide and he sprung up from his seat as water splashed across his face. He stood up and looked around frantically, forgetting where he was. His eyes focused and he saw what he had seen for the past week, nothing but water. Except this time the calm had been broken. A ring of water spread across the sea as if something had jumped in. He leaned over his boat as much as he could to see what had happened. A loud splash was heard and this time his back got wet. He turned around and saw a fresh ring of water growing. Something was moving around him and popping up its head. He grabbed his fishing pole and hoped to catch it. The bait at the end of his line was nothing more than an old piece of cheese, but he still had a fighting chance. The creature popped up again, but this time right in front of him. His knees buckled and he slumped down onto the floor. This was going to be a harder catch than he thought.
The creature's eyes popped out first, two large almond shapes, pitch black with a gleam of white dotted across it. It looked innocent enough, but what appeared to be his tail was merely his hair. The head rose out of the water, climbing many times higher than the fisherman's height and stopped briskly, blocking out the sun. Its neck was long and smooth, but covered with crusty sea shells and broken scales. It curved its head down to meet the gaze of the old man, and spoke to him in an ancient voice.
"I am Nautica, the protector of the sea, and of all things deep. What are you doing small creature?" The man stood up again, stumbling over his tackle box and answered shyly.
"I am a man at the end of his days, enjoying the simple pleasures of fishing."
"Why do you fish out of water?" Replied Nautica.
"Because I am a man and men cannot live under the sea."
The creature paused for a moment and looked around, searching for any others who could hear.
"I can help you" he answered, "I am one of three. Three beings which protect this world. Together we unite when all other have fought, and together we protect our realm. I am lord of the seas, and if you wish, I can invite you to my kingdom. I can give you the gift of Nautus, the power to thrive in the sea. This will aid you in your fishing, and your odd physique will surely bring variety to our world." The old man didn't think twice of this decision and sprang up, raised his arms to the sky and closed his eyes awaiting his transformation. "I must warn you though, this cannot be undone. Once you have become part of my realm, you may never change. And most importantly, you may only accept my gift if you have not accepted the gift from another."
The man didn't budge from his position, but opened up an eye to meet the gaze of Nautica. The creature lashed out his tail and wrapped it around the man's waist. Before he could change his mind, it dragged him into the depths. The deeper he sank, the darker the water became, and the more he began to change. His eyes widened to catch more light, and grew pitch black to match those of Nautica’s. His skin toughened and turned a scaly blue, protecting him from the cold. His small stumpy legs thrashed about wildly until they fused together into a long nimble tail. His lungs felt as if they were on fire from the lack of air, and when he could no longer hold in his breath, he burst open his jaws and swallowed a mouthful of water. Slits cut across his neck and formed gills to let him breathe the thick, dark water. He was complete.
Life as a sea creature was more than the man could have ever hoped for. There was plenty to eat, and his new physique was quick enough to catch any type he wanted. He was no longer restricted to the winds of his sailboat and could now travel across the seas freely. Eventually, the man reached the edge of the waters, and found himself in the shallows of a beach. Memories rushed back to him of the life he once had and of all he missed. The warmth of the sun, the smells in the air, and colors he had long forgotten. He poked his head through the water and looked around. This place was new; somewhere he had never been before as a walking man. The land was covered with a rainbow of flowers and trees, and the sky was clear and blue. A row of statues stood facing out into the ocean, each with a solemn look spread across their face. Behind those stood a tower, a straight pillar of clay bricks looking over the land. A stone lion’s head surrounded the gates, its jaws closed to prevent any from entering. The man dove under again and continued exploring this new region. The tower was surrounded by sand, which sank deep into the sea. A bridge connected it and the rest of the world together. The man circled the tower until he saw an entrance, a small round grate, covered in seaweed. He cleaned off the entrance and slipped through the bars, swimming into the base of the tower.
When he resurfaced, he had entered a whole new world. He floated, centered in a large round pool. All around him walls stood tall, painted a dark red and decorated with gold trim. Candles were scattered evenly throughout the room, except for a few, which were packed tightly together to give extra light to a throne. Sitting at the throne stood a horned lion, with tightly woven dreads flowing down from his mane. He stood still, staring at the pool without the slightest flinch at the sight of his new visitor. Both stood still, with their gazes locked.
"Who are you?" the man stuttered, breaking the silence.
"I am two of three. Three beings which protect this world. Together we unite when all other have fought, and together we protect our realm. I am Geotal, lord of the land, and if you wish, I can invite you to my kingdom. Who are you, stranger?"
"I am a man at the end of his days, enjoying the simple pleasures of exploration."
"You are a strange creature indeed, I have heard tales of man, but never have I seen one. You may join me here if you wish, for I can give you the gift of Geoto, the gift of exploration. I must warn you though, this cannot be undone. Once you have become part of my realm, you may never change. And most importantly, you may only accept my gift if you have not accepted the gift from another."
These words seemed familiar to the old man, but the power to swim and walk were too tempting to deny it.
"I accept your gift, lord of the lands." Geotal grabbed the man by the tail and flung him out of the pool, into a pile of dirt and rocks. The man’s scales dried up and cracked, hardening into a leathery skin. His ears grew pointy and slid up the side of his head. A horn burst from his face, claws tore from his fingertips and his upper body strengthened and bulged with muscles. His tail flapped loosely behind him, but his arms could now easily carry him across land. A smirk slid across his face as he bound out of the room, nearly knocking the lion to the ground. He exploded through the front gates and leapt over the bridge, traveling faster than he had ever gone before.
Hunting wildlife and tearing through their guts with his teeth had withered the creature’s humanity away. He was still man, but his new found strength had created a snorting, savage beast. He traveled freely from land to water, and ate anything which stood in his way. He had seen all, but was still not satisfied. He could go left and right, forward and back, but he could not go up. He had seen strange feathered creatures flying up above his head and became jealous of them. He needed to trap one and find out its secrets. He raced across the plains towards the highest point he could find, the tower. He leapt across the bridge and dug his claws into the clay walls and climbed. When reaching the top he stood tall and waited. As expected, a large bird headed towards him and landed perched at the edge. The man wasted no time.
"I am man, and want to follow your ways."
The bird replied. "I am three of three. Three beings which protect this world. Together we unite when all other have fought, and together we protect our realm. I am Aerodu, lord of the skies, and if you wish, I can invite you to my kingdom."
"Yes, yes, I would like that," growled the man.
"You are a strange creature indeed, I have heard tales of man, but never have I seen one. You may join me here if you wish, for I can give you the gift of Aerodu, the gift of flight. I must warn you though, this cannot be undone. Once you have—"
"Yes, I know," interrupted the man. "Give me wings."
The bird sneered at the man, but figured his bluntness was common in his species. Aerodu wrapped his talons around the man, and flung him off the tower. He plummeted towards the ground, as wings sprouted from his back. His snout sharpened into a hawk-like beak, and his bones and organs compressed and shrank, rendering him lighter. He stretched out his new feathers, caught a pocket of air and soared high above the tower, higher than he had ever gone before.
The man had now become a ghastly creature with an expanding taste for blood. He roamed the lands burning all with his touch as he searched from more power. No one knows what became of him, but signs of his presence are still visible. The three lords crawled back to their thrones, not realizing what had happened and sat as they always had, protecting their world.
