Seal-Fish

I was swimming in the old lake I used to swim in when I was a child. I swam out further than I ever had before. What does it matter, I thought, I am not young anymore. I can swim out across the lake. Then I saw a giant old fish, a fish as big as a seal, and I immediately thought, That’s a seal-fish. There was a thick piece of old rope around its neck. I followed the fish as it swam ahead of me. I could see underwater and barely needed to come up for air. When I got close to the rope I grabbed it. The rope was slack, so I pulled on it. I pulled and pulled, it turned into a chain, and led me up the shore and towards an old cottage. No one was home, the door was open, and there was coffee and brandy and even a warm fire inside. This is an ancient cabin, I thought, no one has been here for years, and I am the first discoverer. And just as I had prepared my coffee and brandy, I saw an albino man in the window. His hair was bright white and he was shirtless. – Hello, I said. – Hello. – Is this your cottage? – No, he said, sadly. I’m just passing by. I was reading the bible. (This made sense to me at the time.) He came inside and I saw the thick piece of rope around his neck. – You’re the seal-fish, I said. I was following you. He nodded, then handed me a saw. – Will you saw me in half? he asked. – Why, I asked. I’ll saw the rope off around your neck, and you’ll be free. – Fine, he said sadly. He had a nice voice. He took off his wet pants and lay his cold white body across my legs. – You’re a very delicate white thing, I said. – Yes, he said. My skin is as soft as cooked asparagus. I had the saw in the my hand and I was sawing away, sawing him in half. His guts were pouring out of him.