Marin followed the golden fish. Or maybe she just continued to walk forward, as she had already been doing. Maybe the fish was following her, but from the front. Or maybe the fish was just a fish, and it was doing what fish do: swimming. She continued forward, walking slowly through the knee-deep water. Her skimmer dragged behind her—still tied to her waist with a rope—the harpoon still strapped to the side, unused, the fish net still in the storage box, unused.

The night before, Marin had returned home after a long fishing voyage to find Ren permanently asleep. Subconsciously, Marin knew this was going to happen eventually. The village elder had warned her that Ren was growing worse, that she wasn’t long for this world. But that didn’t make it hurt any less. Marin stayed by her side all night, holding her as she gradually grew colder, cursing herself for spending so much time away fishing, but mostly just crying.

At dawn, Marin prepared her younger sister for burial. On Kai, where the water stretched endlessly in every direction, they didn’t bury their dead in the ground. Instead, Marin watched with the rest of the village as the elder wrapped Ren’s body in ceremonial cloth. Then, with Marin’s help, they gently lifted Ren onto Marin’s skimmer—once their father’s skimmer—careful not to get any part of her wet. 

After placing the body—her sister’s body—on the skimmer, Marin grabbed the rope attached to the front, tied it around her waist, and set off. Behind her, the villagers began their prayer, which slowly faded as she walked further and further from the village. Since it was morning, the water was only shin-deep. With the weight of a human on top, even a frail one like Ren, the skimmer frequently caught on the rocks below, making progress difficult. But as the hours passed, the water rose, making the journey less physically demanding.

Now, Marin continued that walk slowly through the knee-deep water. Behind her dragged the skimmer, her sister resting on top. In front of her the golden fish continued to swim a few paces ahead, confident enough now to not look back every few moments to make sure she was still following. Marin had no idea where she was going. Her only instructions were to journey west, to the place where the sun met the sea. There, her sister would find rest. She had no idea how long that would take, but that was okay. Marin was in no rush to return to the village. She had no one to return to. So, she followed the fish.

Occasionally, the golden fish’s long veil brushed Marin’s legs. What was a fish like this doing out here? It seemed so big that it surely couldn’t survive at low tide. But its shimmering, golden scales mesmerized her. Just being in its presence invigorated her. The skimmer she dragged behind her felt lighter. The water, lapping at her knees, felt easier to move through. It would be hours before the sun would touch the water, but following this fish, she suddenly felt like she had the energy to walk indefinitely.

The constant forward motion helped distract Marin from her emotions. Her mother was gone. Her father was gone. And now, Ren was gone. What did she have left to lose? What would she do after completing this journey?

Another fish brushed past her left leg. It was a second golden koi, almost identical to the first, though slightly smaller. It too had a long tail fin, a veil of shimmering golden light. It swam up to the other fish and brushed its body against it, like it was saying hello. It turned to look at Marin, then continued forward, keeping pace with the first fish.

Now Marin followed two golden fish. Two fish she had never seen before in all her years of fishing. Their tail fins extended far behind them, creating almost a bridge that Marin walked between. Where were they going? Why did they insist on swimming in front of her? Did they know she was a fisher? That she could swiftly kill them before they even knew it?

Even so, Marin had no desire to harm these two golden fish. She had little desire to harm any fish really. The only thing she wanted to do, the only thing she could do, was keep walking slowly through the knee-deep water, towards where the sun met the sea.

The presence of the second fish invigorated Marin as much as the first. The skimmer felt even lighter, like she was pulling nothing. Her legs moved swiftly through the water, as if she was becoming a fish herself. The sensation intrigued her. She tried speeding up, to catch up with the fish. But as she increased her speed, they did as well, always keeping the same distance between them.

So Marin slowed back to a walk, still continuing forward, following the two fish. The three traveled in silence, the skimmer dragging behind them. Moments passed. Time seemed to stretch on indefinitely.

After a while, Marin felt a nibbling at her ankles and looked down to see a third golden fish. This one was much smaller, and much more playful. It nipped at Marin’s ankles, then swam around her in tight circles. It swam up to greet the other two fish, wedging itself between them, then turned around and swam through their trailing tails. It seemed almost like a child playing. It swam back towards her and continued directly through her feet, almost causing Marin to stumble. It swam underneath the skimmer, then brushed up against both its sides.

This small fish fascinated Marin. It was like a fish that had never swam before, eager to stretch out its fins for the first time. It swam back to Marin and started nipping at her open toes, almost like it was trying to tickle her. Marin tried shooing it away with her foot, but it quickly swam back to her and rubbed against her calf.

Marin stopped walking, bent down, and stuck her hand in the water. In front of her, the two larger fish stopped as well, turning around. The small fish swam around Marin’s hand, brushing it from all sides. It nipped at her fingers, then swam figure eights between her legs. Marin let out a small laugh, the first sound she had made since beginning the journey. 

The skimmer, still carrying its forward momentum, gently bumped into Marin from behind. Marin looked back at it, her eyes pausing for a moment. The top of the skimmer was now empty. 

Slowly, Marin bent her knees and sat down in the water. She didn’t mind getting wet. The small fish continued to nibble at her hand, then swam to brush up against her chest. Marin watched as it swam around her. She laughed again, then began to softly cry. After the fish seemed to have had its fill, it circled her one last time, then swam towards the two other fish still floating a few paces away. When it reached them, the two fish turned around and resumed swimming forward.

Marin sat in the knee-deep water, watching the three fish swim towards where the sun met the sea.

—

Thank you for reading Stories, an ever-expanding collection of original fictional stories. This story was written by me, Connor Aidan. If you enjoyed this story, then why don’t you share it with a friend? Maybe they’ll like it too. Once again, I’m Connor Aidan, and this is Stories.