A Fish Tale

Emmie and Grandpa fished every Saturday. They always brought their poles and hats and lots of bait. But today they had a problem.

“Guess we won’t be fishing today,” said Grandpa. “The bait shop was sold out of worms and shrimp.”

Opening the refrigerator, Emmie said, “I wanted to catch a really big fish today. Can’t we use something else?”

“See any crickets hopping around in there?” Grandpa asked.

“No,” said Emmie. “All we’ve got are celery sticks, milk, and bacon.”

Grandpa grabbed a loaf of bread from the counter. “Bring the bacon and the celery,” he said.

“Grandpa, do fish like celery?” Emmie asked.

“Nope, that’s for us,” Grandpa said.

“Who gets the bread?” she asked.

“That’s to scatter in the water, like an invitation to a party,” Grandpa said.

“Hmm, a fishing party,” said Emmie, nodding. “So, the bacon goes on the hook?”

“Exactly,” Grandpa said.

A big blue heron had beaten them to the pond and was poking around for flies. They slipped past him to the water’s edge.

Grandpa threaded bacon pieces onto the hooks. The salty smell tickled Emmie’s nose.