David Morton - The Wrong Cheese

The Wrong Cheese

by

David Morton

A children’s adventure of the fish and creatures living in Lily Lake.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Copyright © 2020 davidmorton

E-Book: 1st Edition 2020

Cover design ©CanStockPhoto/Tawng

ISBN: 978-0-9935864-6-0

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.

Any resemblance to persons or creatures, living or dead, actual events, locales or organisations is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

For my Grandchildren

Liv, Beau, Ella and Ethan

‘Respect the fish’

Some words in this story are in ‘italics’. If you do not know the meaning of that word look for it in the Glossary.

The Glossary

‘pull’ or to be ‘taken’

Caught by a human fishing

‘ the above’

Above the lake

‘ forbidden zone’

A deep well where old fish go to die

‘ fin-ball’

Same as football, but played with sweetcorn

‘day-light’

Day time

‘night-light’

Night time

‘ball-light’

The Moon

‘barbels’

Long whiskers some fish have, like carp.

‘ glow-ball’

Sweetcorn

‘flicks’

Measurement of time. One flick = one minute

‘ scale’

Measurement of distance. One scale = 30cms

‘bad-bait’

Food on a hook

‘fiesta-day’

A fishing match

‘net-cage’

Keep-net where humans keep fish

‘tunnel-run’

Somewhere to hide from Cormorants

‘food-cloud’

Churning of the lake floor by carp

‘tail’

A game like Tag

‘mentor’

Someone who helps and teaches someone usually younger than themselves

‘en masse’

Lots of people – a large gathering

Japanese words and phrases

Kon'nichiwa .

Hello

Jā ikou.

Let us go/leave

Sonkei .

Respect

Genkaku.

Strict

Wakarimasu .

I understand

Totemo kanashi .

Very sad

Tomodachi .

Friend

Yūki.

Courage

Tatakaimashou.

Let us fight

Tasukete. Watashi o tasuketekudasai.

Help. Please help me

My life is nearly over. It has been a good life. A long life. I am after all nearly twenty years old, which, for a carp, is a long time.

When I was a young mirror, which is what I am, by the way, a mirror carp, not to be confused with my namesakes, the common carp, for obvious reasons, and the much smaller crucian carp. We mirrors' are particularly handsome. Our blackish-brown body is decorated with a line of large brighter scales, and in the right light give out a reflection . . . so, we are very special.

But, back to my story. When I was a young mirror I would eat anything, and I mean anything. Slugs, worms, maggots, and even . . . bread, I was that desperate. One day I saw a strange piece of food. It was a creamy colour, not white like bread, and much firmer. I nudged it with my nose to make sure it was not alive – I am not too keen on live food but will make an exception for maggots. Then the temptation was too much. I opened my mouth and sucked it in. It was delicious, like nothing I had ever tasted before, or since. I was so mesmerised by this new taste experience I didn’t notice the ‘ pull’.

The pull is what we call it when we are ‘taken’by the mouth into the ' above'. It can be a frightening experience for the young, especially the first time. When we see a piece of delicious food; meat, maggots or ‘ glowballs’ , but do not see the small protruding hook hidden inside it, we are pulled to the sky above. It happened to me a few times when I was young, but I have become very careful as I got older and I have not been taken for many years. As I said, I was young when I found that unusual cheese and I just had to have it, and it tasted wonderful. It was the most beautiful cheese I had ever tasted and I was 'pulled to the heavens, but was soon sent back due to being too small to be of interest.

I have looked for that same delicious cheese ever since but have never been able to find it. Now I am old I am looked upon by my fellow fish as being a doddery old mirror who only thought he had a special piece of cheese. But I don't care what they say. I know what I tasted all those years ago.

I live in a very large lake called Lily Lake, which has an island where many species of animal and insects live. I am not sure of the actual size of the lake in human terms but a kingfisher once told me we are in a field surrounded by trees on the west side and rolling hills on the east side, and he could not see the end of the lake unless he flew to the top of the tallest oak tree.

There are many varieties of fish that live here with me; plenty of silver roach and rudd who make themselves at home anywhere. Then we have bream who are large and lazy and mostly sit on the bottom of the lake waiting for food to be dropped in front of them. Then there are my cousins, the common carp and the smaller golden scaled crucian carp . Perch can also be found but they are shy and aggressive, as are the pike, who, like the perch, will eat anything that moves, including small fish who are not quick enough to outrun them or hide.

Last but not least are the very beautiful tench. They are lovely peaceful fish and glide effortlessly around the lake seeking out food on the bottom and shelter in the reeds when not healing others, as they have special powers like no other fish. Our Queen is a tench, a beautiful golden tench; Queen Freya. I grew up with Freya’s father, Skarde, the then King of the Lake. He lived in Lily Palace, as does Freya with her lovely daughter, Princess Tina. The old King and I would play and hunt together and swim all over the lake, even to the ‘ Forbidden Zone’. We didn’t know then why it was forbidden, but once we were there we would peer over the wall of fallen trees and stare into the dark depths of the unknown, waiting for monsters to appear with huge eyes and needle-sharp teeth to gobble us up. With that picture in our mind, we turned tail and swam as fast as we could back to the safety of the Palace. I have passed that way a few times since, and although much older and wiser, and know of its significance, I do not linger for very long.