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    Valkyrie
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Promptings from Valhalla - 31. A Fishy Prompt

Please check out Cole Matthews' response to the same prompt in "Shuffle off to Buffalo".

Once upon a time there lived a fish in a beautiful, clear, blue-green eddy off a meandering creek. Even though he had the entire creek at his disposal, he preferred spending his time in the eddy, observing and plotting.

Now what could a fish possibly plot, you might wonder. Well this was no ordinary fish. This fish had one driving goal in his life: to return to his home planet. While this might seem a tad ambitious for a lowly fish, it seemed quite doable for the pet of the king of the aliens.

So he idled in his eddy, watching the humans who came to the stone bridge just a few yards from his abode throw strings with hooks on the end dangling from long poles and catch his less-intelligent doppelgangers. And he plotted.

At night, when the humans slept in their dry domiciles, the fish gathered reeds and stones and creek plants, arranging them in ways that only made sense to him. Until one day, the final pebble fell into place, causing the fish to gasp, releasing a bubble that languidly rose to the creek’s surface in a way completely opposite to the fish’s elation.

Finally… after decades of calculations, he had discovered the formula to ensure his return home. Now he just needed to implement it. And not wonder why he had been abandoned to this creek so long ago.

The first step to his plan involved leaving the eddy. He needed to get a message to the king, not only to get back home, but to relay the findings of his research and observations. So the next time he saw a human throw the hooked string into the water, he swam against the current, took a deep breath, and bit the hook.

Pain exploded through him as the hook tore into the sensitive flesh of his mouth, and he was rent unceremoniously through the air. He gasped for breath and flailed, wondering what the hell he’d been thinking.

“Look at the size of this one!” the human exclaimed!

The fish looked, bug-eyed, at the bucket of life-saving water just out of reach. The human held him up as he twirled on the end of the hook, mouth gaping for water. “Get a picture, Joe!”

“Damn, Chet! That’ll be fine eating for dinner tonight!”

What?

Well shit. That was one variable the fish hadn’t considered.

We used Rory's Story Cubes as the prompt for this story. We rolled nine dice and selected three images as the inspiration for our stories. I only used three, but Cole used all nine. The three dice I chose were an alien, a fish, and a stone bridge. Thanks for reading!
Copyright © 2018 Valkyrie; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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15 minutes ago, aditus said:

*ponders 'Will there be an alien fish invasion for eating their friend?*

Well, if they do any research, they’ll discover that some of us (me in particular) don’t eat fish! An alien species advanced enough to have space travel should be able to figure out which ones of us have consumed seafood in the last 40+ years. I am ready for our new piscean overlords.
;–)

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1 hour ago, droughtquake said:

some of us (me in particular) don’t eat fish!

So, we're safe? Good.

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Do alien fish taste different from native ones. Are they tastier if broiled, baked or fried? With fresh squeezed lemon or remoulade? One ponders the possibilities ...

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23 minutes ago, dughlas said:

Do alien fish taste different from native ones. Are they tastier if broiled, baked or fried? With fresh squeezed lemon or remoulade? One ponders the possibilities ...

I’d be wondering something more critical: are alien fish edible?
;–)

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2 hours ago, droughtquake said:

I’d be wondering something more critical: are alien fish edible?
;–)

I presumed they were since the fish seemed resigned to being eaten ...

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5 minutes ago, dughlas said:

I presumed they were since the fish seemed resigned to being eaten ...

The alien wasn’t particularly good at researching humans and their motivations…
;–)

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Not the brightest... What did he think happened to the other fish who were caught? He should've stayed put. 

 

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On 8/11/2019 at 7:08 PM, Cole Matthews said:

I belly laughed with this one.  Very instructive!!!

:rofl:  Thanks :D This has been so much fin... uh... fun! :P  

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On 8/11/2019 at 7:37 PM, Headstall said:

That little alien fish shouldn't have assumed anything. :P  Thanks for making me laugh, Val. Cheers... Gary....

Nope.  You know what they say when you assume... :P  Glad you liked it :hug:  

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On 8/12/2019 at 12:48 AM, Geron Kees said:

Great fish joke. Great alien joke. And not a bad human joke, either! :)

 

:gikkle: Thanks :) 

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On 8/12/2019 at 1:44 AM, aditus said:

*ponders 'Will there be an alien fish invasion for eating their friend?*

:unsure: Quite possibly... 

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On 8/12/2019 at 2:03 AM, droughtquake said:

Well, if they do any research, they’ll discover that some of us (me in particular) don’t eat fish! An alien species advanced enough to have space travel should be able to figure out which ones of us have consumed seafood in the last 40+ years. I am ready for our new piscean overlords.
;–)

the simpsons aliens GIF

 

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On 8/12/2019 at 12:08 PM, dughlas said:

Do alien fish taste different from native ones. Are they tastier if broiled, baked or fried? With fresh squeezed lemon or remoulade? One ponders the possibilities ...

Guess you'll have to ask the fishermen who caught our poor alien pet.  :P  :gikkle: 

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On 8/12/2019 at 12:32 PM, droughtquake said:

I’d be wondering something more critical: are alien fish edible?
;–)

I'm sure they're edible, but I can't comment on the effects of actually eating them.  :P  

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On 8/12/2019 at 2:53 PM, droughtquake said:

The alien wasn’t particularly good at researching humans and their motivations…
;–)

He's an alien fish living in a small eddy off a stream.  His research pool wasn't exactly wide-reaching.  ;)  

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15 hours ago, Puppilull said:

Not the brightest... What did he think happened to the other fish who were caught? He should've stayed put. 

 

Yes, he should have stayed put.  In his defense, he is an alien watching fish be removed, but from his limited living area would have no idea what happens to the other fish.  Thanks for reading :) 

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33 minutes ago, Valkyrie said:

He's an alien fish living in a small eddy off a stream.  His research pool wasn't exactly wide-reaching.  ;)  

"research pool"  um... that qualifies as a dad joke. :P 

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Just now, Headstall said:

"research pool"  um... that qualifies as a dad joke. :P 

I thought it was rather punny :P  :gikkle: 

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