 Oh, what sad a life I lead, a life that could end at the mouths of
fish. But, do fish have that feeling of vengeance like human beings?! And can their
vengeance grow into a mountain whose eruption will kill many creatures in its wake?
Out of the blue, Sam suddenly noticed a man wearing a bamboo cone-shape cap squatting
beside him. He only noticed this after the man plunged his bait into the water. Pak Sam
looked at the man for a moment, and although he did not quite know him, but also did not
want to know him. He just wanted to be on his own, far away from crowds.
He was not in the mood to meet anyone, so he quickly set himself apart from the man. But
hardly one minute had passed before he found the man was again squatting close to him, and
again he moved away. One more time the man and the fishing line were beside him, and again
he moved to a new place. The man was always there, beside him, squatting and watching his
float, with his face half covered by his wide-brim hat.
Not wanting to be bothered with making any further moves, Sam gave up. He allowed the
stranger to remain beside him, fishing. And he found himself falling back to his own
world, a world of stillness and quietness, while waiting for the time of excitement when
the fish would pull the bait. That moment always generates soft vibrations on the fishing
line, vibrations that creep through the hand and into the heart. He felt in that vibration
a special excitement indescribable in words. That is the time when hopes come to life
again, like sunflowers receiving the touch of the morning sun’s light. Will the fish
really get caught, or will they come loose so that only the air is caught?!
“Have you got any?” asked the man with the bamboo cap, breaking Sam’s
silence. The sound seemed like an echo in a tunnel, perhaps because it bounced back from
the surrounding banks.
Such is the fisherman’s communication. The person spoken to will understand that the
questioner is wanting to know if any fish have been caught. And such a question, too, will
serve as a means of opening up communication between fishermen. With this they will
generally soon become intimate.
“Not yet,” Sam answered. “This is the first time I have not caught even one
fish despite already changing the bait ten times and having smoked ten cigarettes. Nature
seems to be against me now. Or perhaps I am having bad luck. Over these last few days
everything I have done has been in vain. All my actions have not been according to my
expectations. I just don’t know how this could happen.
“All of those things could easily make me angry,” the man answered.
All of a sudden Sam wanted to get to know the man, whom he then thought had an unusual
charm. He fell under the man’s control, and it suddenly occurred to him that up to
that time he had been able to avoid making acquaintances with people, to avoid speaking
with people. However, in the presence of that man everything changed, all simply melted.
“Few fish turn up now,” said the man, “and it is not unlikely that they
will eventually become extinct. Humans are growing more and more greedy, even uncultured.
In order to get a great number of fish they are no longer willing to squat on the
riverbank for a long time. They prefer the use of poisons or destructive equipment.
Consequently, all fish simply die, big and small alike. Isn’t that an uncultured
deed? And it is not infrequent that such barbarous actions are committed, not only to
other creatures, but to their fellow humans too. You have of course heard a lot about
murder. For a murderer it is often not enough just to see his victim dead, but more is
often done, such as cutting the body into pieces! I just wonder whether such a man is but
an animal, only in a different in form.”
Pak Sam remained silent. Reluctantly, he lifted his fishing line and replaced the old bait
with a new one, the last piece of bait remaining with him. While hoping that this last
bait would be specially blessed, he plunged the hook back into the water again.
“You seem to like fishing a lot. I see you going fishing almost every day, especially
over the last week, as if you are addicted,” continued than man.
“Perhaps. Perhaps I’ve really become addicted. The fact is that I enjoy sitting
on a riverbank while fishing. For me a river can banish sadness and mental
confusion.”
“So, it is not just for fish?”
“You are right.”
“Including now? I mean you are now trying your best to banish your sadness and mental
confusion, aren’t you?”
Pak Sam nodded his head.
“Why are you sad?”
Pak Sam kept silent.
“Is it because your wife has deserted you?”
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