Fish Dreams

FICTION Fish Dreams Janet Roe Darden I'VE ONLY MET ONE OTHER PERSON BESIDES ME who had the gift of foresight, and we both agreed it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's a gift I wish I didn't have, especially after reading the weekly paper that my husband Gene thrust at me. "Here, Nona, take a look at this." "Ezra Crider's store is going out ofbusiness and everything is fiftypercent off?" That's sure where it looked to me like his finger was pointing to. "No, no. The court news," he said with some impatience. Now appearing before the Honorable Earl Caldwell, Henry Clawson, 23, for breaking and entering October 3, one count, and attempted assault with a firearm October 3, one count. My eyes met Gene's. "Isn't that the son of that Morgan and Jeannie Clawson?" he asked. Memories flooded my mind, and I slowly replied, "Yeah, I think so." "Now sweetie, there was nothing you could have done, short of murdering one of them, to prevent that child." "But I saw it, Gene." "I believe you did, but remember all the prophets who went crying in the Bible and nobody believed them. D'you think they should have kept their mouths shut? Was what happened their fault?" "No." "Well, then." Gene rose to his feet and reached for his tattered woolen coat from the hook. "I'm going out to chop up some more wood. Shouldn'tbe too long." He turned to face me, and lifted my chin with a finger. "I don't want you fretting about this." "I'll try not." "Find something to take your mind off it, y'hear? I'm sorry I pointed it out to you." 48 "It's OK, Gene. I'll shake it—I always have before." The screen door banged shut behind him. I turned to our dinner preparations. We were having a simple supper this dark November night: ham and bean soup, to use up the ham bone from Sunday dinner, cornbread, coleslaw, pickles, and leftover cake. The court news had brought it all back—not that I'd ever really forgotten it in over twenty years. Like I said, foreknowing is not a gift I wanted, or would seek after. People who look into ESP, the future, whatever, are fools. I went into our kitchen and stoked up the old wood stove. I tried to recollect when I started having the dreams. Gene wouldn't want me dwelling on this, but my mind turned back over the years to when I was a junior in high school. Evvie Ritter was my best friend, and she and Joe Adkins were sweet on each other. I have always had vivid dreams and can usually recall them upon waking up. One weekend in March, I remember having a dream about fish, which was easy to recall, because I didn't remember ever dreaming about them before. They were swimming upstream, like they do when they're spawning. And for some reason, my best friend, Evvie Ritter, was walking along the stream bank, looking into the water. Evvie and I were in Advanced Algebra together, and one day the following week she slipped me a note before class. Meet me in the hall before lunch. I was slightly puzzled with this request, but scribbled back, Sure, and passed it to her. Her eyes met mine after she read it, and she nodded. The teacher, Mr. Teague, walked in just then, so no more notes could be passed, but part of my mind was already on lunch. Evvie caught me in the hall right after class. "Let's go outside for a minute. I need to meet Joe." We fairly ran to the lockers to grab our coats, and we stood outside the door in a tight huddle. She didn't waste time in small talk. "Nonie, I think I'm pregnant. I haven't had a period for two months." My dream came back to me, and I was more surprised at its surfacing then what I was hearing. "What are you going to do, Ewie?" "I have to tell Joe. And...