Free The Big Snapper by Katherine Holubitsky

has never driven Granddad’s skiff, at least not without Granddad sitting next to him ready to take the throttle when his arm begins to ache. But he is certain he knows exactly what to do. Still, he is thankful the water is calm and there is barely a breeze.
    It takes some strength to pull the starter cord. Eddie must stand tall and yank the cord as hard as he can. When the engine finally jumps to life,the throttle vibrates in his small hand. He fights with the powerful engine, but his anger seems to have built muscle and he is able to guide the boat into open water. Picking up speed, he bounces crazily across the bay. By the time he cuts the engine farther out, beyond Granddad’s regular fishing spot, he is quite shaken and exhausted from the effort of simply keeping the skiff headed in the right direction.
    Eddie prepares his line and casts. Less than ten minutes later he feels a tug on the line and he reels in his first fish, a five pound flounder. By noon he has caught three more. He is a little disappointed in the weather. When he’d first set out, it had been a calm and sunny day, but a heavy mist has drifted in and the sea and sky are now a dull and unhappy gray. He thinks that maybe it has turned to suit how he is feeling.
    As he watches a charter boat pass Eddie hooks another fish. He can tell right away it is different than the others. This fish is big; it is strong and determined. Eddie allows it more line. He has given it what he thinks he can afford and clamped down on the drag, when all at once, the skiff starts moving. Slowly, the fish beginspulling him farther out of the bay. Eddie forgets his anger for a moment and he is at once terrified and excited. Only the one time when he was with Granddad had he hooked anything so big. He tries to remember what he is to do. He recalls Granddad telling him, “You’ve got the whole ocean to wear him out.” So, Eddie allows the fish to continue to pull the boat.
    He is concentrating so intently on the fish that he hardly notices when it begins to rain. The wind picks up. Eddie is only vaguely aware of it whistling in his ears because he is thinking about how he would like to see the fish. If he could only see it, he would know what he was up against. On the other hand, maybe it’s better that he can’t. If it is the big snapper, like he thinks it might be, he’d know immediately that he had no chance.
    He is probably a mile from where he began when it finally occurs to Eddie that a storm is brewing. The rain is falling in enormous drops and the wind has begun to wail. For more than an hour he has not taken his eyes from the angle of the line, but now, through the curtain of mist, he sees other vessels are heading into shore. It is not possible for him to do the samebecause that would mean releasing his gigantic fish, which he is not about to do.
    Granddad’s skiff is tossed wildly in the white-caps, and Eddie becomes frightened he might be tossed right out of the boat. He suddenly remembers the braces Granddad had attached to his new boat. When the line slackens just a little, he takes advantage of the moment even though his arms ache and his shoulders have never been so sore. Holding the rod tightly in one hand, he leans hard against it to keep it secure against the skiff. He then manages to tie the rope attached to the bow around his waist and knot it to an oarlock.
    Eddie remains standing, clutching the rod tightly. He is suddenly angry at the fish. At least it is in familiar surroundings, far below the surface, out of the path of the storm. Eddie has no such advantage; he must continue the fight while being tossed about with driving rain stinging his face. Well, he’ll show the fish he can take it. He will show them all.
    By late afternoon, the rain still has not let up and the wind continues to howl. Eddie realizes he has not passed another vessel for more than an hour. His hands are raw and he feels therope tied around him,