Have Some Cake
Let's Go Fishing!
October 13, 2019
Bobbing in the vast, glistening lake among foggy hills is a white, sleek fishing boat. Sitting in the boat, back to back on their own plush benches is Nolan and Carter. They each have their own fishing rods, which they hold with both lines dipped in the water.
Nolan wears his hunting jacket, shorts, and round glasses as he reclines back with a content smile. Carter, wearing his usual street clothes, leans over with his elbows on his lap, a frown plastered on his face with heavy eyes on the lapping water.
The boat bobs on the surface.
The water laps against the boat’s sides and trickles down its sides.
Nolan spins his reel, readjusting his line. He settles deeper against the bench’s backrest and stares into the calm, green-blue water.
Then:
“Down by the bay…!”
Nolan straightens up to the boisterous singing, confused.
“Where the watermelon grows!”
He whirls around in his bench, recognizing the owner of the voice.
“Down to my home!”
Nolan slaps Carter’s shoulder with one hand. “Shush, you’re scaring the fish!”
Carter shoots him a glare. “Like as if there’s any here.”
“There is if you’re patient and quiet.”
Carter holds up his hands, lifting his rod. “We’ve been patient and quiet for hours!”
“It’s only been ten minutes.” Nolan then whirls back to the scenery and readjusts his rod. His warm smile reappears as he sits in the serene atmosphere.
Nolan sighs, content. “Just wait and you’ll see that fishing is exciting.”
“Sure…”
Nolan throws him a frown from over his shoulder. “Cut the attitude. You agreed to fish with me.”
“Because it’s the only thing you could do here,” Carter exclaims to the lake.
“Yes, now be patient for once, goodness.”
Carter huffs in annoyance before reverting his eyes to his rod. He then surveys the scenery, in the search for any sort of excitement.
Yet the still, misty hills and ripping lake stare back at him.
Carter lets out a small groan of boredom. He places his rod on its stand then uses both hands to pull out his smartphone.
With a smirk of content, he leans against the bench’s backrest and navigates to Instagram. He scrolls through his feed, spotting a meme in the process. A chuckle slips out from him.
Hearing the sound of amusement from his friend, Nolan eyes him from behind his shoulder. He spots the bright phone from over Carter’s shoulder. “Carts! No phones!”
Startled at Nolan’s shouting, Carter jolts up and fumbles with his phone. “Ahh! I was just gonna-gonna put this in my story.”
Carter contains his phone and taps on the icon to add to his story. He aims it at the lake and hills and snaps a picture.
“And—” Carter taps on the stickers icon and types in “autumn,” being the first word that comes to mind with the scenery. His eyes light up at all of the colourful autumn stickers available.
“Ooo, look at these autumn stickers!”
He hears Nolan letting out a sigh. “You’re updating your story?”
“With these pretty autumn stickers!” He scrolls through them.
Nolan lets out a huff. “Well, I guess I should update my story…” He sets his rod in its stand and pulls out his own smartphone. He navigates to update his story on Instagram. He holds his camera up to the scene, including the boat, his rod, along with the hills and lake. “It’s gorgeous here.”
Nolan snaps a photo, posts it, then puts his phone away and takes up his rod. Content, he leans against his seat.
“Which sticker should I use?” Carter twists his body to stick his phone into Nolan’s face.
Nolan leans away with a scrunched nose and a frown. “I don’t care, choose whatever.”
Carter swipes his finger down the screen, displaying more rows of the warm-coloured stickers. “But I can’t choose; there’s so many!”
Nolan taps on the screen. A sticker of two leaves with the words “Hello Autumn” pops onto Carter’s picture.
“Thanks, Patty…!” Carter faces the front again and pushes the sticker toward the corner of his picture. He then taps on “Post.”
“There! Story updated!” He continues scrolling through his feed and mutters mockingly, “Fishing adventure, as exciting as it can— WHOA!”
His eyes fly open as his body hurls forward at the boat lurching forward.
“Carts, your rod!” Nolan shouts from behind him.
Carter snaps his head to his rod. From its stand, his rod is taunt and shakes.
Carter gasps. “A fish! I think I got a fish!”
Nolan whirls around, his sunglasses burning at the wobbling rod. “Get it! Reel it in!”
Carter darts his eyes from the rod to the sloshing waters to the phone and free hand in the air. “Uhhh…”
He tosses his phone onto the bench, snatches his rod from its stand, and tugs at it.
“Use the reel handle!” Nolan barks at him.
Carter takes the reel handle and swings it toward him. It becomes lodged in its place.
“It’s stuck!” He pulls at it. “It’s stuck!”
“Pull! Pull!”
Carter tugs at it with both hands tight on the rod’s handle. To exert more force, he leans and shuffles to aside, with his back facing the side of the boat.
“This is one hell of a fish!” Carter hollers.
Nolan gazes at the tug-a-war battle with bewilderment. “I don’t think you got a fish—!”
With a yank, a large fish soars over Carter with the line in its mouth. The force of the swing takes up Carter, knocking him over the edge of the boat and into the water.
Nolan gasps. “CARTER!” He shoves his rod to its stand and scrambles to Carter’s side of the boat.
He leans over the edge, gazing into the dark, sloshing water. “CARTER!”
Carter explodes into view, letting out a gasp. He spits out water as he finds his balance to stay afloat above the surface with moving his arms and legs. “Ugh! Ack!”
He shakes his head in an attempt to push his slick hair from over his eyes.
“Oh my goodness, are you alright?!” Nolan cries out.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be…!” he croaks out, his hair still plastered over his eyes.
Nolan watches Carter paddle to the boat and scale his arms up to the edge. He steps back and sits on Carter’s bench as Carter pulls his upper body over the edge, draping over it. With his hands free, Carter peels his hair from his eyes and coughs.
“Wow, whatta fish,” he forces out with large eyes on the boat’s slick floor.
“It was big—” Nolan removes his sunglasses, revealing his shocked eyes. “Did you catch it?”
Carter peers up at him. “It caught me. And my rod.”
Nolan sighs. “Alright, fine, you win.” He puts his sunglasses back on. “We’re done fishing today.” He then stands up and strolls to his side of the boat.
With a groan, Carter pulls himself on board. He plops onto the floor then climbs onto his bench and sits on it.
The motor roars to life before the boat skids over the surface, spraying water on both sides.
Carter pulls his knees up to his chest, staring ahead with narrowed eyes. His damp hair whips in the air as his soaked clothes cling onto his frame. He takes in the serene horizon of the majesty hills among the wispy clouds looming above the glistening deep blue waters.
“Patty,” Carter speaks out.
“Yeah?” he hears him answer from over the rumbling.
“You’re right. Fishing is exciting.”
The End.
Bobbing in the vast, glistening lake among foggy hills is a white, sleek fishing boat. Sitting in the boat, back to back on their own plush benches is Nolan and Carter. They each have their own fishing rods, which they hold with both lines dipped in the water.
Nolan wears his hunting jacket, shorts, and round glasses as he reclines back with a content smile. Carter, wearing his usual street clothes, leans over with his elbows on his lap, a frown plastered on his face with heavy eyes on the lapping water.
The boat bobs on the surface.
The water laps against the boat’s sides and trickles down its sides.
Nolan spins his reel, readjusting his line. He settles deeper against the bench’s backrest and stares into the calm, green-blue water.
Then:
“Down by the bay…!”
Nolan straightens up to the boisterous singing, confused.
“Where the watermelon grows!”
He whirls around in his bench, recognizing the owner of the voice.
“Down to my home!”
Nolan slaps Carter’s shoulder with one hand. “Shush, you’re scaring the fish!”
Carter shoots him a glare. “Like as if there’s any here.”
“There is if you’re patient and quiet.”
Carter holds up his hands, lifting his rod. “We’ve been patient and quiet for hours!”
“It’s only been ten minutes.” Nolan then whirls back to the scenery and readjusts his rod. His warm smile reappears as he sits in the serene atmosphere.
Nolan sighs, content. “Just wait and you’ll see that fishing is exciting.”
“Sure…”
Nolan throws him a frown from over his shoulder. “Cut the attitude. You agreed to fish with me.”
“Because it’s the only thing you could do here,” Carter exclaims to the lake.
“Yes, now be patient for once, goodness.”
Carter huffs in annoyance before reverting his eyes to his rod. He then surveys the scenery, in the search for any sort of excitement.
Yet the still, misty hills and ripping lake stare back at him.
Carter lets out a small groan of boredom. He places his rod on its stand then uses both hands to pull out his smartphone.
With a smirk of content, he leans against the bench’s backrest and navigates to Instagram. He scrolls through his feed, spotting a meme in the process. A chuckle slips out from him.
Hearing the sound of amusement from his friend, Nolan eyes him from behind his shoulder. He spots the bright phone from over Carter’s shoulder. “Carts! No phones!”
Startled at Nolan’s shouting, Carter jolts up and fumbles with his phone. “Ahh! I was just gonna-gonna put this in my story.”
Carter contains his phone and taps on the icon to add to his story. He aims it at the lake and hills and snaps a picture.
“And—” Carter taps on the stickers icon and types in “autumn,” being the first word that comes to mind with the scenery. His eyes light up at all of the colourful autumn stickers available.
“Ooo, look at these autumn stickers!”
He hears Nolan letting out a sigh. “You’re updating your story?”
“With these pretty autumn stickers!” He scrolls through them.
Nolan lets out a huff. “Well, I guess I should update my story…” He sets his rod in its stand and pulls out his own smartphone. He navigates to update his story on Instagram. He holds his camera up to the scene, including the boat, his rod, along with the hills and lake. “It’s gorgeous here.”
Nolan snaps a photo, posts it, then puts his phone away and takes up his rod. Content, he leans against his seat.
“Which sticker should I use?” Carter twists his body to stick his phone into Nolan’s face.
Nolan leans away with a scrunched nose and a frown. “I don’t care, choose whatever.”
Carter swipes his finger down the screen, displaying more rows of the warm-coloured stickers. “But I can’t choose; there’s so many!”
Nolan taps on the screen. A sticker of two leaves with the words “Hello Autumn” pops onto Carter’s picture.
“Thanks, Patty…!” Carter faces the front again and pushes the sticker toward the corner of his picture. He then taps on “Post.”
“There! Story updated!” He continues scrolling through his feed and mutters mockingly, “Fishing adventure, as exciting as it can— WHOA!”
His eyes fly open as his body hurls forward at the boat lurching forward.
“Carts, your rod!” Nolan shouts from behind him.
Carter snaps his head to his rod. From its stand, his rod is taunt and shakes.
Carter gasps. “A fish! I think I got a fish!”
Nolan whirls around, his sunglasses burning at the wobbling rod. “Get it! Reel it in!”
Carter darts his eyes from the rod to the sloshing waters to the phone and free hand in the air. “Uhhh…”
He tosses his phone onto the bench, snatches his rod from its stand, and tugs at it.
“Use the reel handle!” Nolan barks at him.
Carter takes the reel handle and swings it toward him. It becomes lodged in its place.
“It’s stuck!” He pulls at it. “It’s stuck!”
“Pull! Pull!”
Carter tugs at it with both hands tight on the rod’s handle. To exert more force, he leans and shuffles to aside, with his back facing the side of the boat.
“This is one hell of a fish!” Carter hollers.
Nolan gazes at the tug-a-war battle with bewilderment. “I don’t think you got a fish—!”
With a yank, a large fish soars over Carter with the line in its mouth. The force of the swing takes up Carter, knocking him over the edge of the boat and into the water.
Nolan gasps. “CARTER!” He shoves his rod to its stand and scrambles to Carter’s side of the boat.
He leans over the edge, gazing into the dark, sloshing water. “CARTER!”
Carter explodes into view, letting out a gasp. He spits out water as he finds his balance to stay afloat above the surface with moving his arms and legs. “Ugh! Ack!”
He shakes his head in an attempt to push his slick hair from over his eyes.
“Oh my goodness, are you alright?!” Nolan cries out.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be…!” he croaks out, his hair still plastered over his eyes.
Nolan watches Carter paddle to the boat and scale his arms up to the edge. He steps back and sits on Carter’s bench as Carter pulls his upper body over the edge, draping over it. With his hands free, Carter peels his hair from his eyes and coughs.
“Wow, whatta fish,” he forces out with large eyes on the boat’s slick floor.
“It was big—” Nolan removes his sunglasses, revealing his shocked eyes. “Did you catch it?”
Carter peers up at him. “It caught me. And my rod.”
Nolan sighs. “Alright, fine, you win.” He puts his sunglasses back on. “We’re done fishing today.” He then stands up and strolls to his side of the boat.
With a groan, Carter pulls himself on board. He plops onto the floor then climbs onto his bench and sits on it.
The motor roars to life before the boat skids over the surface, spraying water on both sides.
Carter pulls his knees up to his chest, staring ahead with narrowed eyes. His damp hair whips in the air as his soaked clothes cling onto his frame. He takes in the serene horizon of the majesty hills among the wispy clouds looming above the glistening deep blue waters.
“Patty,” Carter speaks out.
“Yeah?” he hears him answer from over the rumbling.
“You’re right. Fishing is exciting.”
The End.
Notes
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