The old man and the boy sat in their folding chairs at the end of the pier stretching out into the lake. The sun sparkled on the blue water, and the spring breeze was mild on their faces. It had been a good day, and the stringer of fish was testimony to the success of the day's outing. Now, with the sun getting low in the sky, they reeled in their lines and made ready to go home.
"I wish we could stay out here all the time, grandpa." said the boy.
The old man looked out at the lake with deep set eyes in a sun and wind creased face. He'd been a sportsman his whole life, seeking fish and game all over the world. Now his grandson was getting old enough to go with him on some of his adventures.
"Yep, it would be nice to stay out, but then we wouldn't get to eat the great fish fry your grandmother is going to make. She has a way with fresh caught fish" he said.
"Will she make her hush puppies too?" the boy asked, his excitement growing.
"Yep. What's a fish fry without hush puppies?"
The old man got up from his folding chair and knelt down by the edge of the pier. He took out the small yellow handle pocket knife and set to cleaning the fish. His grandson joined him, with his own yellow handle knife that had been the old mans gift to him the previous deer hunting season. The boy had made his very first kill with a youth model 20 gauge, and his grandfather had taught him how to field dress the deer. Now, months later, the blades had developed a nice gray patina that showed the thin ribbon of bright steel of a razor edge. Now, as it had the deer, the sharp blade made quick work of the fish bellies as they both cleaned the fish.
"Grandpa, how come you never used a bigger knife?" the boy asked.
The old man thought for a second.
"Well boy, in all the years I've been traipsing around this planet, I sort of got used to traveling light. And a bigger knife is not really that much more effective. But it weighs more, and a little bit here, and a little there, means a lot in the end. I never could see the sense in lugging around more than I needed to, when there's other things that need to go along. "
"Like your possibles pouch?" the boy asked.
The old man though about the nylon pouch in the leg pocket of his cargo pants. All he needed to get by in the far corners of the world where he traveled for his job. A small pouch full of almost tiny but functioning tools to make life a little easier.
"Yes pup. like my possibles pouch. A knife is a cutting tool, and if it's good and sharp, it doesn't have to be very big. Gutting fish or small game, cutting some rope, a small sharp knife will work in most cases as well as a bigger one if your careful. But if something gets too big, it's also too likely to be left behind."
The sun had set while they were cleaning the fish, and now the woods that bordered the lake were in deep shadow. They picked up their gear and walked back to the path that led to the car.
"Gosh grandpa, it's pretty dark now. Are we gonna be able to find the path?"
The old man chuckled to himself.
"Sure we are pup. Just hold on a minute." he said while reaching into his pocket. He took out the small black nylon pouch and zipped it open. He took out two little flashlights, and handed one to the boy.
"You always carry two flashlights, grandpa?"
"No boy, that one's for you. I picked it up this morning on the way over to your place. Just twist the head of it to turn it on."
The boy did so, and was surprised at the tight beam of blue white light that lit up the dark woods. In the beam of the little LED light, the path was distinct. The old man and the boy walked along in the dark woods following the beams of light.
Much later, after a good dinner of fried fish and hush puppies, the old man and boy sat at the kitchen table with the old sharpening stone. The boy carefully honed the gray blade of his yellow handle pocket knife, and admired the new bright edge. But soon the long day took it's toll on him, and with a heavy head, went off to bed. Before he drifted off to sleep, he played the bright beam of the tiny flashlight around his dark room, stilll amazed at how something so small could work so well. Like his knife, it was small, but effective at what it was designed to do. The boy thought about his grandfathers advise, and promised to himself to always have some things in his pockets, and that they would be small enough to always have with him.
"I wish we could stay out here all the time, grandpa." said the boy.
The old man looked out at the lake with deep set eyes in a sun and wind creased face. He'd been a sportsman his whole life, seeking fish and game all over the world. Now his grandson was getting old enough to go with him on some of his adventures.
"Yep, it would be nice to stay out, but then we wouldn't get to eat the great fish fry your grandmother is going to make. She has a way with fresh caught fish" he said.
"Will she make her hush puppies too?" the boy asked, his excitement growing.
"Yep. What's a fish fry without hush puppies?"
The old man got up from his folding chair and knelt down by the edge of the pier. He took out the small yellow handle pocket knife and set to cleaning the fish. His grandson joined him, with his own yellow handle knife that had been the old mans gift to him the previous deer hunting season. The boy had made his very first kill with a youth model 20 gauge, and his grandfather had taught him how to field dress the deer. Now, months later, the blades had developed a nice gray patina that showed the thin ribbon of bright steel of a razor edge. Now, as it had the deer, the sharp blade made quick work of the fish bellies as they both cleaned the fish.
"Grandpa, how come you never used a bigger knife?" the boy asked.
The old man thought for a second.
"Well boy, in all the years I've been traipsing around this planet, I sort of got used to traveling light. And a bigger knife is not really that much more effective. But it weighs more, and a little bit here, and a little there, means a lot in the end. I never could see the sense in lugging around more than I needed to, when there's other things that need to go along. "
"Like your possibles pouch?" the boy asked.
The old man though about the nylon pouch in the leg pocket of his cargo pants. All he needed to get by in the far corners of the world where he traveled for his job. A small pouch full of almost tiny but functioning tools to make life a little easier.
"Yes pup. like my possibles pouch. A knife is a cutting tool, and if it's good and sharp, it doesn't have to be very big. Gutting fish or small game, cutting some rope, a small sharp knife will work in most cases as well as a bigger one if your careful. But if something gets too big, it's also too likely to be left behind."
The sun had set while they were cleaning the fish, and now the woods that bordered the lake were in deep shadow. They picked up their gear and walked back to the path that led to the car.
"Gosh grandpa, it's pretty dark now. Are we gonna be able to find the path?"
The old man chuckled to himself.
"Sure we are pup. Just hold on a minute." he said while reaching into his pocket. He took out the small black nylon pouch and zipped it open. He took out two little flashlights, and handed one to the boy.
"You always carry two flashlights, grandpa?"
"No boy, that one's for you. I picked it up this morning on the way over to your place. Just twist the head of it to turn it on."
The boy did so, and was surprised at the tight beam of blue white light that lit up the dark woods. In the beam of the little LED light, the path was distinct. The old man and the boy walked along in the dark woods following the beams of light.
Much later, after a good dinner of fried fish and hush puppies, the old man and boy sat at the kitchen table with the old sharpening stone. The boy carefully honed the gray blade of his yellow handle pocket knife, and admired the new bright edge. But soon the long day took it's toll on him, and with a heavy head, went off to bed. Before he drifted off to sleep, he played the bright beam of the tiny flashlight around his dark room, stilll amazed at how something so small could work so well. Like his knife, it was small, but effective at what it was designed to do. The boy thought about his grandfathers advise, and promised to himself to always have some things in his pockets, and that they would be small enough to always have with him.
.