Gudgeons

The two of us walked along the riverbank

Catching gudgeons in the shoal as we went

He was a big brute and was slow with the net

I was nimbler and swung mine into the seaweed like a flyswatter 

The water rippled as hordes of gudgeons swam away 

But when I dumped my net I found a handful of them

Squirming in the muck

We were young men full of foolish talk

Every conversation would end in absurdity 

The two of us laughing like madmen, speaking a language of our own

When we reached the second point we waded out

Plump gudgeons secured on our hooks

He was a fine caster, leaning back then flicking forward with Olympian form 

His line darted through the air and plopped into the middle of the channel

My cast was childlike in comparison

We stood thigh deep in the river

Waiting for a hungry trout to spy our bait

Within the first hour we felt a few bites

Hastily we reeled in our lines

Only to find seaweed on our hooks

Or worse yet, half eaten gudgeons

We were taking a rest on the shore 

With a little driftwood fire smoldering

When we heard footsteps approaching from upriver

Looking up, we saw a middle-aged woman approaching

She was tall and beautiful and had long flowing grey hair

And held a leash with two big black dogs at the end of it

We fell silent as she approached 

She greeted us with warmth 

Engaging in conversation with my golden-haired fishing partner

Whose mind was now far away from fishing 

After some small talk she wished us well 

And continued on her walk

I stoked up the fire and the two us sat in silence

Waiting for the grey-haired lady to retreat out of earshot 

I was about to break the silence

When a female voice resounded in the distance

“Come here boys! Come on now!”

I locked eyes with my friend

A feral grin on my face

He made an expression of faux surprise 

Then stuck his tongue out 

And began panting like a dog