Volume 3 of the incomparable Sum Flux has collected five superb voices, all centered aroun d the prompt “Plumbing”. Be sure to check out the five incredible stories on
written by and . The following story is my answer to the open call on the prompt.
Hey, hey! I thought that was you – get over here! I haven't seen you in ages, how the hell are you? — Yeah? That's good, that's real good. Sit down, sit down, man, let me get you a drink — just water? — Oh, you’re on the wagon, huh? Ah, damn shame. But you don’t mind if I — Okay, good, good, cause I’ve got another one coming from the bar here, you know me, drink like a fish hah. You can have my water though. But hey you know good for you, quitting. Good for you. — Oh, me? I been fine, fine, you know how it is, just trying to get by. — Yeah, yeah, still at the Martin's, people'll always have pipes and clogs. Where’re you working at these days? — Oh, okay, okay, moving up, huh? That’s good, good for you, good for you. How’s the kid, what was his name? — That’s right, yeah, how is he? Any others running around? — 4! Jesus, you been busy, eh? You're outnumbered now. – No, she uh, she and I split. – Ah, that's alright. Probably for the best. I wasn't in a good place. It's, well, it was a whole thing, yeah. – Yeah things were good, they were, but I, uh, well, I cracked a little hah don't know how else to say it. Just went plum crazy and it- oh, here's my drink. Perfect, thanks. – Thank you. Uh, what was I saying? – Hah yeah, I did. Lost my marbles. A bit. You remember the fishing trips Steve took us on? – Yeah, yeah, yeah. He kept those for maybe a year after you left, then I started going on my own when he quit them. Was using a homemade rod and reel, pipes and stuff from odd jobs. Got pretty into fishing… I went out to the pond in back of the house, just catch and release, you know? I'd sit out for hours and hours. Didn't matter if I caught something or not, I just liked it, you know? Hang on, I'm gonna – Yeah, could I get another of these? Whiskey neat – Oh, yeah no that makes sense, it's actually for him: Right, you wanted one? – Thanks, sorry, yeah no, we won't, that'll be it. Thanks. – Anyways, what was- oh, yeah the pond. I was fishing out there most days, just catching these little fellas, sunnies and crappies, you know. But the one time I get the tug, you know? Fish on, so I reel him in and it's this little sunny and it’s missing an eye and it's scraped up, took a real beating. I pull the hook out of it's little lip and it doesn't flop or squirm or nothing, just watches me with that one good eye. Fish don’t blink, you know? Real unnerving, and the weirdest thing was the smell, it smelled exactly like whiskey — Yeah, whiskey, weird right? So, I toss it back and cast again, get a nibble, reel in, and it's the same fish with the one eye, so I pull the hook out and hold it close, eye to eye, and it still smells like drink, then I toss it back. I cast again and guess what I reel in? – Yeah, the one eyed fish, exactly, except this time the hook ain't through his lip, he's biting on it, holding on like it’s a lifeline, like he wanted pulled up, wanted to get caught. So, I hold him up and smell that sweet burn of whiskey and I’m staring- Oh, yeah, yeah right there, thanks. Mhm, no problem, thanks. … What was I- oh, right, I hold him up to my face, real close, I’m talking like inches, you know, like this. You ever look at a fish from this close? They- Ah, shit! Sorry, shit, shit, shit, that was like a full glass of water too. Sorry about that. – No, no, no, don’t go cause of my clumsy ass, please stay. Just, just let me finish the story, I got to tell somebody, this shit is eating at me, I feel fucking crazy! – Sorry, sorry, alright, I was… I was… what was I, oh, yeah, I was staring down this fish, this one-eyed fish, and it wouldn’t flop or nothing, it was just breathing, mouth opening and closing, one wide eye fixed on me, smelling like Jack, and I felt something, like a connection, like, and I know how this shit sounds, it’s fucking crazy, but I felt like I was being haunted by this fish, like I was being cursed, does that sound crazy? Do you believe me? — Hah what did I do? I threw it back into the water, and wouldn’t you believe it, I caught nothing but that one eyed fucker all day, I probably reeled him in 3 dozen times, it was sort of funny at first, but by the end I was spooked, you know? So I left my spot at the pond, and I went up stream, and I bet you know what I caught? — Yeah, the one eyed fucker, exactly, and now I’m getting nervous, sweaty, so I decide to leave and go someplace else, somewhere unconnected like, so I drove to the little park in our town, you know that one we did potlucks at? — Yeah, and the pond there, is like, it’s like totally unconnected, there’s no way a fish could swim from the pond out back of my house and get into this pond, there’s no way, but of course I cast, get the tug, reel, and there he is, holding on to my hook with those tiny teeth, didn't even bother with the worm, — I’ll tell you, tell you what I did, I threw that one-eyed fucker as far out as I could, got in my truck and drove home, but when I get there, you know what I see? — Hah, no, not quite, but the wife’s got all her shit packed and she starts yelling at me, screaming about how I work too much, and fish too much, and drink too much, and she’s through done finished — Yeah, so I follow her into the kitchen, and she pulls off her ring and throws it in the sink then she’s gone, some friend of hers picked her up or something, so I went to get the ring out of the sink and course it went clean down the drain into the pipes, so I got— Oh, for real, closing time already? Okay, yeah, here I’ll just leave this, you can keep the change — Yeah, so I went for my tools, and had to pull apart the pipes under the sink, figured the ring was caught in the U bend there— here, let me get the door, whoa-ho-hoo, shit, sorry, thanks, thing opened quicker than I thought it would, what was — Oh right, so I opened up the pipe, and saw something lodged in there so I shook it out into my hand and out comes the one-eyed fish, sliding out like a newborn, and you know what was in its mouth? — Exactly right, the ring, poking shiny out it’s mouth, — No, I shit you not! It was right there, and and it, here, just come over to my truck a sec, I got to show you, you won’t believe it — Yeah, it’ll just take a second, just a second, come here, — I know you got to get home, trust me, just a second, — Alright, yeah, so I take the ring out of the fish’s mouth and it speaks, it whispers to me — No, I’m serious! See, I said you wouldn’t believe me — Just look here, let me open the bed so you can see in, there, now see, look there — Well just listen and I’ll tell you what it is! See the fish spoke to me, he told me to eat him, so I — what? It ain’t funny, I’m serious! Would you shut up and listen! — So I did, I ate him, didn’t cook him or nothing, just down the hatch, swallowed the bastard raw, and I felt him swim, wriggling in my mouth and then my throat, but he went down the wrong tube, I know this sounds crazy, but I felt him swim down into my lungs and at the same time I heard him in my head, thinking at me, telling me to drink, I had to drink, if I didn’t drink, he would die, the fish would, and if he dies, I die, and now I got this fish in my lungs that needs me to drink or we both die! — Where’re you going? Don’t go! You got to believe me! Don't you want to know what's in the bed!
What was in the truck??
damn keith this is great. I love this character’s voice, and the story is so fucked. I love it.