NorInEnglish

Walking towards the mountain feels… different, somehow, today. Jimmy is shaken by some kind of shiver. He puts it on to the heavy rain and the anticipation. Finally, the conditions are met for him to catch the legendary fish Martyn been teasing him about. 

He’s half convinced Martyn is just making stuff up. But he’s also been in the valley long enough to believe that weird fish exist. Joel has mentioned that in passing. And he’s determined to get better at finish and impress both of those fools. 

He walks decidedly on the long plank to reach the little island in the middle of the lake and stops in his tracks when he sees a black blob on it. 

“Etho?”

The blob slightly turns towards him and sure enough, it’s the hermit of the mountain. 

Etho is wearing a big black rain coat, his face us half covered as usual, but he’s holding a fishing rod. Jimmy didn’t peg him as the type for that, but he guesses that when you live in a valley like this, it’s a perfectly common pastime. 

Etho looks at him from head to toe, and Jimmy stops breathing. Everyone always behaves like Etho is a celebrity, like they want his approval. Jimmy doesn’t get it, but here, under the watch of that one intense black eye, he feels very naked. 

But Etho nods, and Jimmy feels like he’s presence is allowed now. 

“Can I fish next to you?” he asks still. He just gets a customary hum in return but the atmosphere is light and fresh in the rain. 

Jimmy cast his line and waits. 

He’s never been great with silence, though, so after the second catch, he says, “All of those are great, but I’m going for a special fish.”

Etho turns slightly his head towards him but doesn’t say anything. That means he’s listening, right? 

Jimmy licks the rains off his lips and continues,“ It’s one of a kind or something, and supposedly it lives around that log. You can only catch it when it rains like this.”

“The Legend Fish,” Etho says. 

Jimmy chuckles. “Yeah, Martyn says that. I don’t even know what kind of fish it is.”

Maybe it’s stupid of him to be there, catching a fish he doesn’t even know. He hadn’t known about many fish and their property before catching them. If that stopped him, he wouldn’t have gotten so far. 

“No, that’s its name,” the hermit says, cutting his throughs, casting his line again after catching a carp. “Legend. The king of all fish. People of the village have been trying to catch it in each generation.”

This makes Jimmy gasp. “Oh, so it’s been seen before?”

He can’t be sure of it in the rain, but Etho’s visible eye curves like a sideways crescent, 

almost like he’s smiling or amused. “That’s how the story stays alive.” 

“Are you also here for it?” 

“Maybe,” Etho says, cryptically. 

The silence falls back after that.  There’s this giddy feeling every time either one of them is riling up a catch. It’s a good way to spend the day. 

At some point, after getting a particularly fiesty largemouth bass, Etho takes a water bottle out of his coat and takes a long sip. 

“Want some?” he asks Jimmy. 

The new farmer nods, realising just now how long it’s been since he’s had some water and how thirsty he is. He takes the handed bottle, the clear liquid swaying gently at the motion, and brings it to his mouth– 

– only for the drink to burn his throat. 

The surprise makes him spit the rest of his mouthful out like a water mister.

“Is that vodka?!” he all but squeals.

“Keeps you warm in days like these,” Etho shrugs, like he doesn’t understand Jimmy’s outrage. “Is that your first time drinking alcohol or something?”

Jimmy sputters, his face getting red with the shame of being treated as a little kid. Then he thinks that Etho must see this and assume it’s the alcohol going to his head and he’s even more embarrassed– 

“IT’S NOT! I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS WATER!”

“Sure, sure,” Etho says, goodheartedly. 

No matter how much Jimmy protests, that just earns him amused hums and chuckles. He just goes back to fishing. But for the corner of his field of vision, he still sees how Etho seems a bit more relaxed (which is weird, because Etho always seems boneless, but somehow it’s true), how his eyes are crescent-shaped like he’s smiling, how the air, despite the rain, feels lighter. 

They cast their lines in companionable silence. Jimmy is still nervous, standing next to this enigma of a man, but now, he’s a bit more settled. 

“Oh gosh!” Jimmy exclaims when his line starts pulling with a strength he’s never felt before from a fish. He reals it back but the catch is feisty. 

“It’s a strong one,” Etho comments. “Good luck.”

It feels like an eternity of pushing and pulling before Jimmy’s catch finally briech the water’s frontier. 

The fish is big, green and rounder than it should be. It looks like a largemouthbass on steroide. 

“The King of all fish,” Etho breathes out. “You caught him.”

“I caught him,” Jimmy repeats, and he stares at the fish, not really getting it. 

There’s a moment where the world stills around him. He almost feels like even the water is pausing. 

“I caught him!!” he exclaims, when he finally processes it. “I caught a legendary fish!”

“The Legend,” Etho adds. “Congratulations.”

Jimmy’s breath catches in his throat at the praise. His heart is singing in his chest. He finally understands a bit more what the other villagers always seem to be so eager to have Etho’s opinion and, especially, his approval. It’s a wonderful feeling.

“You– I—, Oh, I need to  show Joel, he’ll never believe it!”

Jimmy carefully wraps the fish and puts it in his icebox. Then he turns around to see Etho getting up, stretching like a cat, and starting to tidy his things. 

“Are you leaving?” he asks, and he hates how he sounds like a disappointed child. 

“You’ve caught the fish I was going for and I have plenty of regular ones for home.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Etho turns toward him and stares at him for a long second. “Don’t apologise. You’ve done well. I can see your skills. And don’t worry about me, I’ll catch the next legendary fish faster than you.”

Jimmy swallows. His throat feels a little too dry. “Is that a challenge?”