Free The Edge of Juniper by Lora Richardson Page A

reminded me of the ups and downs, and the feeling of walking on eggshells.
    “I know what we can do.  Let’s go fishing!  We’ll invite Jeremy too.”
    “Isn’t fishing an early morning thing?”
    “Sure.  And an afternoon thing and an evening thing too, if you want.”
    “You know what?  Let’s do it.”
    “Really?”
    “Why are you so surprised?  I’ve always wanted to learn to fish.”
    He smiled.  “I’m just used to everyone telling me to go away and get out of their hair.  No one except Jeremy has ever said yes to coming fishing with me.”
    “Not even your dad?  He loves to fish.”
    “He only comes when he suggests it.  When I do, he’s too busy.”
    I nodded.  “Let’s pack up the gear.”
     
     
    “I feel a little bit like a murderer, Abe.” I stared at the mangled worm on my hook.  We were at the public pond, in the center of the town park.
    “It’s the circle of life, Fay.  Nothing can be done about it.”
    I nodded, and cast my line.  Jeremy reeled in his third catch.  Donna had asked Abe and me to sweep the porch and clean out the fridge before we left, so Jeremy had been at the pond for a while before we arrived, and had two fish already in a wire basket.  “I’m part of the circle of life, but you interrupt it, Abe.”
    “What do you mean, Jeremy?” I asked, as I cast my line like Abe showed me.
    “Abe throws back everything he catches.  So he kills a worm but gets no food out of the deal.  A worm’s life means nothing to him.”
    Abe shrugged.  “I don’t care for worms.”
    Jeremy and I both laughed.  “But I’ve seen you eat fish,” I said.
    “Yeah.  I eat fish.  Doesn’t mean I have to eat every single fish I catch.  I just like fishing.”
    I gripped my rod tighter as I felt a tug on my line.  “I think I already got one!”
    Abe and Jeremy both came to stand beside me, to make sure I didn’t panic and drop my pole, I assumed.  Celia wasn’t the only one who thought of me as a city slicker.  But I reeled the fish in, feeling as though the line was miles long, and it was exciting when I saw it pop out from the surface of the water.  I reached out and grabbed the little fish as it swung toward me.  It felt rougher than I thought it would.  The scales almost felt sharp.
    Jeremy showed me how to get it off the hook, then handed me my fish.  He held open the basket so I could drop it in.  I looked my fish in the face, noting its earthy smell.  I swallowed, then sighed as I knelt down and released it back into the pond.
    Jeremy shook his head at me.  “You’d never survive if you had to catch your own food.”
    “You’re probably right, Jeremy.  So when the zombies come, I’ll join your group.”
    “If you join our group, you’ll have to contribute somehow,” Abe put in.  “Jeremy and I have already decided that since I’m a good shot with an arrow, and calm under pressure, I’m in charge of killing the zombies.”
    I smiled at the thought of Abe knowing he was calm under pressure.  It was true, he was.  “Okay.  It turns out I’m sneaky, so I’ll be in charge of raiding empty houses and stores for supplies.  Jeremy, you can hunt for fresh meat, and I will get the canned fruit so we don’t die of scurvy.”
    Jeremy nodded seriously.  “Okay.  You’re in.”
    Another hour went by, and during that time Jeremy put five more fish in the basket, and Abe and I released seven fish between us.  We also designed the floor plans for an underground fortress that would keep us safe from zombies.
    I reeled in my fourth blue gill, and expertly removed it from the hook.  I knelt down to release it, when a voice to my left spoke.  “I didn’t figure you for a catch-and-release kind of girl.”
    I let the fish go, and stood to see Malcolm standing there, wearing grass-stained jeans and a blue T-shirt.   When he smiled, his eyes scrunched up at the corners, a feature that gave me an odd little thrill.  “Everybody has soft