The Golden Fish

By John Northern

In the mountains, on a wooden pier on the lake, Phillip catches a large fish which emits golden rays into the dark of night. More miraculous than amazing, after he catches the glowing fish, a series of events take place which will change Phillip's life forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Northern
• Release date: Nov 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311886859

John Northern

Doctor of Chiropractic

Book preview

The Golden Fish

Published by John Northern at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 John Northern

The light from the full moon permeated the night like flowing liquid-gold, and like droplets of mist it clung to the branches of the pines. The slight breeze whispering through the high-reaching trees moved the branches back and forth and splayed the gold in a swaying motion, lighting the forest floor in moving torrents of luminosity. Now and then, reflecting rays would bounce off the surface of the mountain lake scattering with a brilliance of interlacing patterns in all directions.

Extending across the cove on this end of the lake was a wooden pier with thick, brown planks. The pier was twenty feet wide and rode upon the undulating water. Half way across the pier was another smaller pier, which was attached to the larger at a right angle and traveled to the shore in the middle of the cove. It provided a safety haven for the swimmers—away from the speeding motorboats in the summertime.

When Phillip stepped onto the pier a blaze of moonlight reflected off the lake and momentarily blinded him. He gripped his fishing pole and tackle box tighter and stood waiting for his vision to return to normal. He shuddered. There was something different about tonight—something in his mind told him to turn around and go home.

But he didn't. He didn't believe in feelings and intuitions. They were nothing more than crutches for the superstitious.

Susan stepped beside him, and they started walking toward the middle of the cove. The wooden planks sank slightly into the water beneath their feet as they moved along.

Phillip broke the uneasy silence in the moonlit night. In a stoic voice he said, Susan, I don't understand why we're having this conversation. I've never cheated on you, and I've always been a good provider. He turned and looked at her.

Susan had brown hair and brown eyes. She had a nice face—not beautiful, but pleasant. Her shapely figure supported a large bosom, which attracted a lot of looks from other men. Not that good, she replied. We never owned our own house, we never had a housekeeper, and most of the time we couldn't afford a babysitter. For more than twenty years we've been coming to this lake, but we've never been able to afford to buy a cabin; instead, we either camped out in a disgusting tent or we rented a room in that sleazy motel twenty miles from here.

An owl hooted in the distant woods. The water lapped against the pier making a slapping noise.

You always had food on the table and a roof over your head. I've even managed to put the kids in college

Susan raised her voice. It's not about the money, she said emphatically.

Then what is it? asked Phillip.

Susan sighed. When we were first married we had fun. You were happy and caring. But it seems in the last few years you've become indifferent. No longer do we have fun, and because of that I don't want to be around you anymore. She paused and added a soul-shrinking statement, I don't think I love you.

With no outward appearance, Phillip said, That has a sound of finality to it.

That's what I've been trying to tell you for the last three months.

The moonlight pooled in the still waters, but in the ripples and small waves, which came up with the slight breeze, holes were rendered in the reflecting light.

Phillip looked at the moon-shadows covering the dark woods and wondered what was out there. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that something wasn't right with the night.

He ignored it and said, I'm beginning to think you've felt like this for more than just a few months.

Yes, she replied with disdain in her voice.

So, I'm assuming you were just waiting until Mike and Jenny were grown and gone to college, before you sprang this nice little surprise on me.

That may have been part of it, she said with a tone that changed to anger, but mostly I was hoping we could once again rekindle the flame of our love.

Yeah, said Phillip thinking about the passionate romance they had had twenty-three years earlier. He leaned over and looked into the water, then he sat down cross-legged on the pier close to the edge. He opened his tackle box and retrieved a jar of salmon eggs. "But any reasonable person knows that the passion at the beginning of a relationship lasts for only a short time. After that it's a matter of