THE FISHERMAN

"I told you, there is no point going further. The fishes have gone into hiding". The speaker whose name is Boma is a short hairy man with a loud voice which is a contrast to the fear of the unknown gnawing at his heart. He is the only one standing in the boat while his partners, Edufa and Tonye, the tallest row it across the silent river that is gradually coming under the cover of the night. They kept quiet but still hopeful that they could be lucky with a catch. He tugged at the net to feel for any sudden movement but feeling nothing, he sighed and hissed.

"Look the night is upon us. It is useless rowing about for fishes that are not there".

"Keep quiet don't you think your voice could scare the fishes aware?", Edufa said. Tonye chuckled.

"Voice or no voice, I know we have tried our best since morning. Our wives will be worrying about us at home."

"I can't go back to that house empty handed. No, not with that look on the face of my wife. I can't stand dry days like this", Edufa said.

"Well, our wives should understand we don't make the fishes. We only take what the river gives. And you know this poisonous oil has driven the fishes farther into the ocean, Tonye said.

"Must we then go and drown in the ocean because we are looking for fishes?"

"I think Boma is right, said Tonye. We should head back home. At least, our wives can understand with us.

The two seems to prevail on Edufa and so they turned towards home. Boma dragged the empty net out of the water and folded them into the boat, all the while grumbling and hissing.

At the distance ,the sun has buried itself behind the river. Above, a cluster of birds flew past as though intending to disappear into the dying sun.

"Even the gods know that we have tried. A man cannot go beyond his limits", said Boma.

They rowed for an hour and were the edge of the river. Edufa announced he was going back.

They stared at him , wondering what spirit just possessed him. He was determined to prove that he was a finisher man. He turns to Tonye,

"Tell my wife to lock the door. I will be the first person she sees tomorrow morning."

"Don't you think you are taking this too far?" Boma asked. All days are not the same. There are days we return from fishing with a lot in our nets and other times such as this, when we catch nothing, we take it in good faith".

"Not this one. There is nothing in the house and I can't even bear to ask that woman again for money."

"Who doesn't ask his wife for money", said Tonye shaking off the dust that had clung to his legs.

"If it comes to that, we can loan you the money. What are we partners for if we can't help each other?"

"Thank you but no".

"Well, it seems your mind is made up", Tonye said.

He put all their words behind him and paddled away.

"I hope you know what you are doing", Boma shouted after him.

"Of course", he yelled back.

They watched until he was gone; swallowed by the darkness before they turned and went home.

The river is calm and the moon above shined brightly making flashy patterns on the restless water. When he has gotten farther than where they had earlier turned back , he took out the net, allowed the boat to sail quietly farther upstream by itself, threw the net and then waited. He circled the spot where he threw the net. For more than thirty minutes. Once, twice and at the last turn, there was a mad rush of wind and then at the centre, the wind dug a circle like typhon drawing everything inside its hole He lost his balance and jumped out of the canoe. He made desperate effort to escape the strange hole and screaming his voice out but the force of the wind pulled him and plunged into the river.

It is now three years since Edufa disappeared without a trace. A search party was organized by the village the following day even stretching for more than a week. They found nothing not even the boat. It was hard to bury a man whose body is not found and so were forced to perform a burial rite for him.

For many days, fishermen in the village avoided the river, going instead to rivers in other villages to fish. They were made to pay before they could fish. It was not to last for long because the fisherman outgrew their fears and began to fish in the river again. Everything returned to normal. No one remembered Edufa or if he ever lived in the village. Even his wife has since remarried and had had two more children with her new husband from another village.

They were at the river bank sorting their catch while others were already haggling about the price they wanted for their fishes. They were so engrossed that no one noticed the boat making its way to public view until it was almost at the shore.

The first fisherman that saw who it was in the boat didn't wait to make sure of it. He left the women pestering him to take a lower price for his fishes and fled. Others who saw the man fled likewise not even answering his call to them.

He got out of the boat, wondering what was wrong with the people running away from him. He dragged the net loaded with fish out of the boat. He took an empty basket left by the fishermen and turned the fishes. He gave a smile of contentment. His effort were not in vain after all. He was going to see Tonye and Boma to prove them wrong.

He drew closer and the people who saw him, left whatever they were doing and ran for dear life. The suddeness of their flight made even their dogs barked at him. He heard one of them shouting:"It is a ghost.

When he got to his hut it was empty. It looked like a house abandoned for many years. The roof had caved in. The rooms are now empty and had become some form of resorts for goats and rodents. Where was his wife and two children? What was really happening? No one was even telling him anything. Something had to be wrong which was not clear to him. Perhaps, Tonye and Boma could offer an explanation.

The news had gone ahead of him. Tonye and Boma sat outside waiting to see their ghost friend.

"Boma... Tonye. What is going?", he asked.

"Don't come any closer", Boma roared, a suspicious look on his face. He bent down and took a handful of sand and hauled it at him

"It is me, Edufa. Stop all this nonsense". He dusted the sand off his body

"Is it really you?", Tonye asked becoming a little bolder

"It is me of course".

""But...but you died three years ago",

"What! Where did you get such information? I was only gone for a night.

"Have you been to your house?, Boma asked

"Yes I have and it looked abandoned. I don't even know where my wife and children are".

"I know where your wife is", Tonye announced sympathetically.

"Please take me there at once!"

Tonye shock his head. He wished their friend hadn't left them that night. Everything looks like a bad dream.

"She is married to another man, Edufa".

"What!

Edufa sat quietly with great difficulty on the floor intead of the stool close by. He was only gone for a night. His encounter with the mermaid lasted only few hours when

he fell into the river.

"Edufa...Edufa...What happened to you when you went alone to fish? Perhaps it could help us know something we don't."

"Nothing special".

"But it took you three years to return?"

He struggled to swim out of the water into the boat but to his dismay, both he and the boat sank deep into the water. He didn't have difficulty in breathing under the water and that surprised him. After awhile he began to hear voices but saw nothing except the bottom of the river swarming with small fishes. He felt a presence and that was when he lost consciousness.

When he woke up, he was seated in the midst of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. They sat on thrones and had crowns on their heads. They were also holding golden rods with glistering.Their waist downward wasn't human- they were scales and it glides slowly almost as if it were flat.

"What brought you here mortal", their leader who introduced herself as the queen of the coast said.

"I am a fisherman and I only came to fish".

"You should know better never to cross boundaries. Can't you mortals be content? The bottom of the river is not yours to trespass. It belongs to us". She said the statement with a bang of her rod that made the whole place vibrate as though there was an earthquake.

"I am sorry. I only wanted to fish."

"To fish in our territory?"

"It won't happen again".

"That is if you make it back alive".

"Please, my wife and children are waiting for me at home".

"You should have given that a thought when you decided to cross boundaries."

"Take him away. We will teach him a lesson."

Instantly, two horse-looking creatures held him. One on the right and the other on the left.

"Please, don't let them take me away. I will do anything you ask of me, please."

There was silence immediately he uttered that statement. Even the creatures holding him stopped.

"You will do anything you say?"

"Yes I will do anything you ask of me. Only let me go back to my wife and children."

"Can the words of mortals be trusted, unstable like water?"

"I promise I will".

"Our kingdom needs mortal seeds. You will marry one of us so we can come in and out among mortals."

"But I am married".

"But you just said you will do anything".

"Okay...but will I see my wife and children afterwards?"

"We keep our promise here",

She tapped her rod gently on the floor that was made of gold with colourful patterns and there was a retinue of drummers, dancers, magicians and a host of other creatures human imagination can never conjure, appearing one after the other dressed in clothings made of scales.

"Let the ceremony began.", said the queen.

After the whole ceremony, it was time for intercourse between the couple. He thought he would have to lay with the bride but that didn't happen. The bride just stood before him and stretched her hands towards his groin. Instantly, he felt a strong sexual sensation and there was an explosive burst of his semen on her palm. This, they distributed among themselves.

He lost consciousness again and when he came to, he found himself in his boat with a net containing fish and a loud female voice trailing him and warning him not to reveal what transpired under the river. Otherwise, there will be fatal consequences.