The Assignment

Dear reader, the assignment was to write a short story about 250 - 300 words. The title of the story "The Black Swan". The challenge, you could make the story about anything but a bird. The second part of the challenge was to use avian (bird) references in the story. This meant using similes and metaphors relating to birds. I have never really enjoyed or done a creative writing piece since I started all this writing on the blog which has led me to enjoy writing. This was a challenge because i didn't have a good idea at the beginning and then it just came to me and i fiddled with it and then it was the way i wanted it to be. So dear reader, i share with you the story i wrote!

The Black Swan
By: Sarah Gall

You’ll usually find him out on the end of a dock, or at the bend in a creek that is flowing swiftly. He’s a bit of a queer duck. He walks pigeon toed and has no desire to ever wear a penguin suit. He never fits into the community pecking order, he is a lone fisherman. He struts proud as a peacock in his hip waders and Tilley hat. He enjoys the peacefulness and serenity of his hobby. The town considers him an Egghead when it comes to fishing, it is his true passion in life. His nest is feathered with trophies and mounts from past fishing excursions. Like a crow, a bushel full of tales he has to tell. Tonight though, is the most important to him. T’is the night before the fishing expedition that could change his entire flight plan for life. He sits preening his lures to ensure that he makes the catch. Most of his lures are feathered with canary yellow bobbles to attract the wandering eye of his prey.
Now it’s dawn and not a peep can be heard. The Black Swan, as the town has so cleverly named him, sits on his perch awaiting for his prize to nab his hook. While waiting for a bite, he sits cool as a kookaburra. As time passes he reels in an empty hook. With each cast he is stealthy like a hawk, swooping in to catch the fish that just may be the one. Although he has caught a few small fish this morning, in his mind he keeps the phrase “Nothing is insignificant,” and considers even the smallest of catches. With patience he sits, awaiting the unknown. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the Black Swan feels a pull on his rod. His heart begins to flutter and his mind starts to race, thinking “This could be the one. It could really be the one!” The Black Swan gives a yank on his rod and feels resistance. Then all of a sudden the reel starts to let go, the line being pulled as if birds were towing him into the sky. The fisherman plants his feet like an ostrich in the sand, and gets ready for the battle of which he knows not how it will end. He starts to crank, and while cranking, he gives a long, hard, sturdy pull. He pauses for a minute to regain his energy and then repeats the process several times. The prey has taken the lure for quite a journey, hence it takes the Black Swan a long time to reel the creature in. He begins to doubt himself on his catch because he’s never had to put up such a fight before. Still he continues to reel in whatever he may have nabbed on his hook. As the fishing line gets more taut and there is less out in the water, the fisherman finally spots his prey; a shiny body fiercely trying to get away from what has caught him. As the creature gets closer and closer to the dock, the fisherman cannot believe his eyes. There’s so much body to his prey, it is like an endless lake of scales. The Black Swan realizes that he has caught his nest egg, a 20 lbs. large mouth bass. With happiness the fisherman starts to hoot and holler to the great outdoors and himself. He’s singing like a sparrow at the prize he has caught. He whispers to himself, “No chicken feed for me tonight!” With a grin from ear to ear, the Black Swan ponders of all the wonderful things he may do with his catch. Although, the Black Swan has no one to share such exciting memories with, and there are no pictures of the event, he packs his prized possession into a cooler and believes that it is finally coming home to roost.