MORNING SERIAL
‘WHAT was his name?’
‘Samuel Winston Evans. His older friends called him Sam the Herring Man.’
‘Why did they call him that?’ ‘Because he liked to catch herrings.’
‘I never had a grandfather.’ ‘You must have. Everybody has or had a grandfather.’
‘I never had a father.’
He stared at the boy, a sudden lump in his throat preventing him uttering any new words.
‘It’s always been just me and my mum. We’ve just moved here.’
So that was why he was still around, and he hadn’t seen him all week. He was in school here.
‘What’s it like having a grandfather?’
The boy was full of questions. ‘He told me about his adventures and taught me a lot.’ He wanted to say I loved him, but again the words wouldn’t come.
‘What did he do?’
More questions.
‘He was a fisherman but before that he was a sailor and he sailed around the world.’ The stories and images leapt into his mind.
‘That’s amazing. I’d like to be a fisherman. Was that his boat?’
He shook his head and knew that the conversation couldn’t go any further, he would have to change it quickly.
‘Would you like to see his picture? Come with me and bring the net-needle.’
The boy followed him into the cottage.
‘There,’ he said with a flourish as he hung both net-needles back underneath the photo either side of the brass key. ‘That’s my grandfather.’
‘He looks very old there. When did he stop fishing?’
‘Never. He had his nets in the water the day before he died.’
The boy looked back at him in amazement.
‘And that’s my father, he built the boat that is outside.’ As the boy looked at the second image, the old man took the opportunity to turn the sign towards the wall.
‘Why isn’t the boat in the harbour like the other fishing boats?’
‘Grandfather always said “If I answer all your questions, you’ll be as wise as me.”
The Herring Man by Cyril James Morris is published by Parthian at £7.99
www.parthianbooks.com