The Power of Fish

I expanded the topic that I was given for this piece. What do you think?

A tall slender girl, barely distinguishable from a hundred other girls in long, blue robes and a mortarboard with a golden tassel dangling from its left side begins to speak. “The simplest things can make the greatest difference in your life…”

As a hush falls over the assemblage around me, the whole auditorium fades away and time moves backward.

Younger eyes carefully scrutinize the little girl across from me. Dark hair hangs in knotted clumps about her face. As her attempts to hide behind it fail, she leans over until her nose rests inches above the battered metal table. I clear my throat and sit down across from her with exaggerated slowness.

“My name is Larry. What’s yours?” I introduce myself in the softest tones my deep voice can produce.

The little girl flinches slightly, wrapping her hands around her shoulders protectively. A soft hum emanates from her throat as she rocks gently back and forth. Eventually, she soothes herself enough to drop her arms to her sides. Her hands slide under her thighs as her eyes continue to focus on the table that separates us.

I lean back in my chair, looking down at my elbows as I cross my arms across my chest. Silence stretches out before us. I determine to wait her out. She’ll talk to me eventually. Her determination proves stronger than mine. As my patience wanes, an idea strikes me.

I reach into my pocket, feeling around until a soft noise reassures me that I have found what I am looking for. The soft crinkle of plastic finally lures her eyes upward. They stop on the sliver of yellow poking out of my immense hand. One eyebrow lifts slightly as her lips twitch curiously.

I smile and pour a couple of small red shapes into my other hand. I place one on a napkin in front of her. The other, I raise to my own mouth. Her eyes follow this movement. As I suck gently on the gummy red candy, her eyes move from my lips to the napkin. After a moment, she flashes me a tentative smile. One hand slowly comes up over the table to pick up the tiny gummy fish. She draws it closer to her face, inspecting the grooves on its body for a second.

Her tongue pokes tentatively from her mouth as she moves the candy closer to her mouth. “Medicine?”

Startled, my question takes a moment to form though it is only one word. “What?”

“Tastes like cough syrup. Cherry cough syrup.” Crying has roughened her voice.

“It’s not medicine.” I set the bag down on the table and push it toward her.

She still hasn’t looked at my face, but her eyes scan the words on the package avidly. “Swedish fish?”

She looks up at my face now with dark eyes full of curiosity as I open my mouth to speak. “It’s candy. I promise. May I have another one?”

“Uh-huh.” She pulls one out and hands it to me before turning her attention back to the package in her hand.

As the fish disappear, she opens up to me. I get to know that her mother named her Maura before passing away. She has every right to be afraid of me with how she has been treated. Life has been unkind to her, and I feel I can change that.

Applause awakens me from my memory. I stand to join the applause. Graduates, their family, and their friends rise to mingle and rejoice. I seek out Maura, finding her waiting for me outside the double doors. She holds her cap in her hands nervously, smiling up at me as I approach.

“Hello, daddy.” She embraces me.

“I’m proud of you.” As she releases me, I hand her a small wrapped package.

She smiles up at me as her deft fingers pull the paper away. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Another small thing.” I smile as plastic crinkles.

She rips open the package and hands me a small gummy fish. I smile as my teeth sink into the sticky substance and a burst of cherry flavoring covers my tongue.