26. Fishing

“No time like the present,” Lenwë says in practiced Westron. An identical grin flashes on his brother’s face.

I look at the skiff that Frodo’d used to go fishing, and I’ve determined he must’ve been mad indeed to go out on that vast ocean in that tiny boat. It’ll tip over with the first wave, I’m certain.

“It’s sturdy,” Yulion assures me in Quenyan, holding up a steady hand to help me with the translation.

“You can both swim?” I ask and make swimming gestures. They nod.

I clutch my rod and take a deep breath. Best get on with it. They hold the skiff while I climb in, then shove the skiff off the shoreline and jump in once it’s deep enough to row. It bobs a fair bit but rides the waves with ease. By the time we get to a spot they deem good enough, I’m more relaxed.

We bait our lines and cast them, then set the rods against the hull. Yulion and Lenwë stretch out, hands behind their heads. I’m reminded of Elladan and Elrohir and wonder what they’re doing right now.

“Do you have any fishing games?” I ask. They shake their heads, confused. I try again. “We could find shapes in the clouds or make up riddles, if you knew what I was saying.” 

I think more and snap my fingers as an idea comes. I dig in the supplies and bring out the twine. I cut a length of it and make an outline of an apple on the sitting board.

“Apple,” I say. 

The twins catch on immediately and give me the Quenyan word. We spend the day making pictures, learning words and catching fish. I even forget to be afraid of the water and start making plans for next time.

GF 10/4/12

To be continued...