THE WALKING FISH Rachelle Burk Kopel Burk MD Copyright 2014 all rights reserved Tumblehome l e a r n i n g Inc
Rachelle Burk Kopel Burk For Barbara Green And for Kopel who gave me the courage to write Renaissance man role model and best uncle in the world R B For my children g(cid:162)andchildren nieces and nephews telling my stories for many years to whom I have enjoyed K B 6
The Walking Fish 1 chapter 1 When you get right down to it I only discovered the Walk ing Fish because Grandpa got sloppy with a chainsaw Had he been more careful cutting down the maple tree he would not have lost most of the fingers of his right hand Four of my favorite fingers he said Without them fishing was a bit of a struggle Minnow he said I’ve been flounder-ing with my hooks these days It would sure be hand-y to have you as a fishing part ner Ha ha Grandpa I said Very punny He’s the king of bad puns The truth is he could still cast the line and reel in fish with the best of them but he now needed help wrestling the squirming worms onto the hooks Unfortunately live bait made me squeamish and he knew it It was a sunny fall day and we drifted just the two of us on his little fishing boat on a lake He leaned forward elbows on his knobby knees The faded swordfish tattoo on his forearm wiggled as he drummed his fingers against his other hand His white hair was thin but the few wisps poking from beneath his captain’s hat fluttered in the breeze Though he was trying to relax his posture was awkward and unnatural That’s because Grandpa is not a relaxer He’s a fish erman who feels naked without a pole in his hands I squeezed my eyes shut against the bright sun as I lay on the wooden bench seat legs dangling over the side of the boat My ponytail slurped up the little pool of water from the boat floor like a straw Unlike Grandpa I’m an expert relaxer
