The Old Man & His Dream
Written & Illustrated by Lisa Loucks Christenson
From the Private Library of Lisa Loucks Christenson
https://lisalcp.com/products/the-old-man-his-dream
The Old Man & His Dream
Written & Illustrated by Lisa Loucks Christenson
From the Private Library of Lisa Loucks Christenson
A fact-fable story about an aged man who has a dream about catching a grandiose fish before he dies. Set on the shores of Steamboat Lake, in northern Minnesota, the story follows an old man taking his annual vacations with his extended family, it tote. While teaching his grandchildren all there is to know about catching a large fish - he feels his time is running out, and if he doesn't catch his sizable fish soon, he may never get the chance, aside from catching the big fish that comes to him in a dream. A story that span's years of fishing trips in the rain, in the storms. Will he ever catch the fish? If he does, will he keep it or release it?
Original Ending...
Laying face down on the dock Reuben dipped his aged, calloused hands into the cool lake water. It would be a year before he could hold the lake again. Tomorrow they would leave their cabin of memories, but he found comfort in knowing a part of him would always remain.
Finally, Reuben stood, and he smiled through the cutting wind, beating against his hardened face. Out of habit, he whispered to the lake, “See you next year. I suppose.”
*****
Author note: A trip back to this place in Northern Minnesota; a place all the "Loucks'" caught our first big fish, enjoyed endless card games, family trips to Cass Lake, Walker, Minnesota, staying up late night watching Johnny Carson on a 13-inch B&W portable television, weekly fish fry's, stormy weather, and Luna moths flittering under the heat from the flood lights - every June makes up some of the small details of a family spending time together, through the years.
This story is not only based on our adventures. It taught me not to fear death, but to embrace the lives we have, understand the paths of our departed loved ones and look for the hidden paths they may have, unknowingly or wittingly, left behind for us to find, travel, and reminisce - days or years after they've left the earth.
As I've discovered, something happens years beyond the day a tackle box is "officially" retired. Memories may remain locked inside, captive and waiting for the next fisherman to open the box and discover their story; but there's something else - a knowledge that may take them years, if not forever, to understand: the true meaning of the intertwined and various strengths of test lines inside; hooked and tied to a fisherman's mind and knotted to a granddaughters' heart.
A gripping story for anyone who has been “up north,” or has stayed on the ever-changing shores of Steamboat Lake.
I hope you’ll find a place in your heart for this story and its poignancy.
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