Читать книгу The Wrong Cheese - David Morton - Страница 8

Chapter One

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.

Our favourite game apart from ‘finball’ was being taken on purpose, and to see who came back the quickest. Skarde always won. It wasn’t until I was much older did I realise the danger we put ourselves in. Not all fish come back after being taken.

On the surface of the lake, we have pond skaters, dragonflies, mayflies, water boatmen, frogs, toads and newts. Some of the animals that share the lake with us are water shrews, voles, and mink. Then there are the flying species who eat some of our very young, but only take what they need; ducks, herons, kingfishers and seagulls, except for the villain of them all, the cormorant. All fish fear the cormorant. They do not just take us for food but will strike us down and stab us with their long sharp bills, just for fun. I see many fish that have been wounded by such behaviour and live shorter lives because of it.

My days seem longer now I am older. I don’t travel far anymore, happy to find food locally, and rest under a shaded willow tree on a hot afternoon. Fish do not sleep at night as you do - we prefer to rest by keeping still for long periods to save our energy for the ‘daylight’ hours, but I do dream of days gone by, and of that one time I tasted the best cheese in the . . .

“Morris.” I heard my name being called.

“Who is disturbing me at this hour of the day-light?”

“Kon'nichiwa. My name is Kenzo, the Queen's bodyguard,” a very large Japanese Koi carp said approaching me at great speed. We looked equal in size but the similarities stopped there. This Koi had amour plated scales of deep black on the top of his body, with a striking pattern of orange and white under his pectoral fins, and handsome long ‘barbels’.

“I have been looking for you everywhere. The Queen has asked me to find you. She would like you to visit her now.” He said, gasping for air.

“Is she alright?” I asked, wondering why Queen Freya would want to see me unless she was ill.

“She is fine as far as I know. Will you come now?” Kenzo asked, leaving me little choice.

“Yes, course. You go ahead and tell her I am on my way.” And he turned-tail with lightning speed and set off in the direction of Lily Palace.