My Adventure to Fish

    In a heated fury, I snatched my car keys and ran out the door. Furious with everyone and everything, I just had to get away from the foul smells coming from this remote ranch. After driving for hours, I had finally calmed down and was prepared to return to my warm home, but some wandering men-- “twelve somber and explicable souls” who appeared from thin air-- had captured my attention (Fitzgerald 78). Enchanted and curious by their odd appearances, I decided to continue my journey to explore this mysterious village of Fish. However, I was only met with disappointment. There was nothing but sand and dust once I had passed the strange figures. As I was about to turn around, something gleamed in the barren land. This object seemed to give out a powerful, blinding light that drew me in. Slamming the door after me, I ran to retrieve the mysterious item and held it with my own two hands. It was a diamond! Never in my life had I been this lucky. It was exactly the opposite: I had the worst luck. Then, my mind started racing with numerous ideas of the possibilities for the future. Just one bulky diamond had been enough to make me think that I could live the rest of my life with no worries. So, I imagined what another similar diamond could mean for the future and scoured the nearby land for any more gleaming objects peeping from behind the straws of grass. To my surprise, there were even more diamonds ranging in size and value. I was so delighted and shocked that I had no clue what to do with these massive sources of wealth. After a couple of minutes of pondering, I decided that I find and claim all of the diamonds I could find now, satisfy my curiosity by asking the twelve locals about the area, and finally return to this spot again with a better game plan.

    Driving my way back to Fish, I set off to find the strange men I saw earlier. Among the swirls of sand, I managed to get a faint outline of twelve figures and ran out of the car to  reach out to them. Hearing my boots slamming on the sandy ground, every man turned around at the same time with a hostile expression stamped on their faces. In a raspy voice, the oldest man spoke up to ask why I had to ask him. Although they were all obviously annoyed to be disturbed, I decided to question them about the area. Much to my surprise, the old man actually answered all of my questions and basically gave me an entire history about the town and its surrounding barren lands. The most intriguing (and relevant) part was actually a fable that has been passed down through the generations. It was about multiple generations of a family which lived in a diamond mansion that was built atop a land filled with diamonds. Meanwhile, they killed and kidnapped those who entered their precious land. One day, however, their secret was uncovered, and their precious lifestyle was burned to flames-- literally. Majority of the family and enslaved African Americans died, but it is said that the two daughters and their house guest lived on.

    After hearing this story, I realized that this fable was not fictional but a recollection of the past. The diamonds he had discovered had endured the blast and were once the source of happiness and then demise. From this “fable”, I fully realized the immense yet destructive power of wealth which can have a powerful hold on any individual. With this in mind, I finally knew what I had to do. After I had my conversation with older men, I turned my back on Fish and returned home with pockets full of diamonds. I did intend on returning but when and why I do not know, but I do know it will be for something larger than myself.