Alien Abduction

Bradley Davidson

“Hey! Look at me! Look at me!” Phil said as he raced by.

Phil the fish was showing off for his friend Jack racing around, doing somersaults, flips and twists. It was a clear day under the sea and he, like most of the fish, was frolicking.

“Whoa!” said Jack. “Pretty cool. You’re fast!”

Phil liked Jack because he was easily impressed, and Jack was missing a few paddles upstairs, so he believed almost anything Phil said.

“Watch me catch that morsel of food drifting down.” He spun around, circled the tidbit, did a two and a half gainer and gobbled the food before Jack could blink.

“Whoa!” Jack repeated. Jack’s verbal repertoire was somewhat limited.

“Dang. What’s with all this food around, anyway? Phil asked rhetorically. “It’s falling from above like rain.”

“Yeah, strange.” Jack answered, then after a few moments asked, “What’s rain?”

“Ah, well, it’s like when things fall out of the…” he hesitated. “It’s when…” he stopped again confused. Fish don’t know much about rain. “Aw for crying out loud. It’s just a figure of speech!” he finally blurted.

“Oh.” Said Jack.

Phil stopped in mid stroke and stared somewhat mesmerized. “Whoa” borrowing a word from his friend. “Look at that shiny thing over there.” They both stared and watched it move invitingly. “Whoa”, they said in unison.

“Watch this, Jack!” Phil said and he was off with a somersault and after a few spirals and circles around the intriguing bauble he grabbed it in his mouth and took off. He didn’t get far. He stopped suddenly then raced off the other way only to be stopped. Back and forth he raced only to be stopped dead in his tracks, change directions instantly and swim the other way.

“Whoa!” Jack yelled with wide round eyes. “That is awesome!”

Then he was gone. Jack looked bewildered. He raced around looking for his friend but he was nowhere to be found.

“Hey, you seen my friend, Phil?” he asked another group of fish. “He sort of looks like me.” Then after thinking that out for a moment added, “He actually does look like me”

“No duh, mate.” One of the fish answered. “We’re fish! We all look the same.”

Jack swam away dejected and sad wondering why Phil would just swim off like that. He circled around the same spot for what seemed like an eternity waiting for Phil to show up and let him in on the joke. He started to worry about his friend.

Then Phil came slowly drifting down through the water, on his side, dazed and barely conscious. Once the oxygen reached his brain he woke up and in an instant was all over hootin’ and hollerin’ and finally asked, ”Wha happened?”

“Dunno”, Jack answered. “But you don’t look so well. You Okay?”

“I… I… I think so. All I know is my lip is killing me. You see any blood?” he asked as he held his mouth toward Jack. “Is it swollen?”

“Ha, ha” Jack said as if he finally caught on. “Fish don’t have lips”

“Well, whatever that is around my mouth. You see blood?” he repeated.

“Little bit”, Jack replied hesitantly unsure of the joke Phil must be playing on him.

But Jack consoled his friend who was in apparent pain and after a bit Phil was able to piece together his time while missing. There was something about surgery with string and pliers and how it was so bright he wished he had eyelids, and it was hard as he tried to swim and only seemed to flop around. And he couldn’t breathe and even though he could hardly see he remembers grotesque figures with no fins moving around and making sounds.

Meanwhile, above, on a dock floating upon the surface of the water was an 8-year-old boy with a fishing pole, hooks and lures, a pile of chum he would occasionally toss in the water and a bucket.

“Daddy, Daddy!” he called out. “I caught another one”

Daddy came over with his pliers and cutters to free the hook as painlessly as possible, and reminded his son to throw him back in when he was finished playing with him and before his mouth gapped wide open. The compassionate Daddy watched his son fish wondering how he could protect him from shiny baubles and the trouble that showing off can bring.

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