The Fish
Mari Kulam is one amongst
the 40 hamlets in Nagapattinam district.The residents, mostly
Christians, were engaged in fishing as their primary livelihood. There were
others who set up small shops, and some were traders. Harmony prevailed in the
hamlet and the people were self-sustained.
There was a church nearby headed by
Father Andrews. He was a friendly person and loved by all community members of Mari
Kulam for his kind heartedness. During the weekly congregation at the church,
Father used to read psalms and carols.
He used to narrate small stories that enriched the quality of life among
the community members.
The neighbours had taken great liking
for James, a 45 year old man and a devout Christian, living with his family
members in the hamlet. James earned his
livelihood through fishing. Years rolled by. He and his wife Mary were married
for many years and earnestly prayed for a child. They attend the Sunday mass regularly
at the Church, offering prayers with all their zeal and faith. Their wish to
become parents was yet to be rewarded. They were not rich but longed for a
child. It is but natural. James was ageing and so was Mary. Anxiety was writ on
the faces of both. His interest in going for fishing waned over time. Such was
his mental agony that they have not been gifted with a child. It is but
agonising for the couple.
One day, when James had almost felt
let down, Mary shared she had some discomfort and was taken to a local lady
doctor. It was a day of joy for the couple as the gynaecologist confirmed that
Mary was pregnant. The couple was
thrilled and their joy knew no bounds.
It was 25thDecember,
Christmas carols were heard from many homes. And for Mary and James, it was the
baby cries of their little beautiful boy. The house was full of joy and
celebration. They christened their child ‘Peter’ and showered all their love
and affection through his growing years.
Five years rolled by and Peter was
becoming a naughty boy and insisted on his joining his father when he goes on
fishing. Though initially James resisted and refused to take him along for
fishing he had to yield to his son’s demands as Mary was more soft and asked
James to take him along for fishing.
One day though it appeared cloudy,
windy and rain expecting to pour down, James and Peter decided to go fishing. They started rowing towards the point where
James knew a large collection of fish will be there. Just then, Peter suddenly
got up from his seat and began singing joyfully, celebrating his maiden trip on
the boat with his father. His father was annoyed and instructed Peter to sit
down immediately, since he knew it was getting unsafe. But even before James
could help him sit down, Peter fell off the boat and drowned instantly. What
happened after that was something James could not imagine. With the help of
other fishermen around, James took a dip in search of Peter. It was late. Peter
was already gone.
Losing their son, whom they had
brought into their world after years of prayers, James lost interest in fishing,
blaming himself for what had happened. He lost interest in life as it seemed
like a great burden and meaningless. The
couple became gloomy and were back to sorrowful days as before. But life had to
go on. With a lot of persuasion from the neighbours, James resumed his fishing.
Lost in thoughts of his son, each
time he threw the net, James found no luck until after almost an hour, his net
weighed heavy. To his utter surprise, he had caught a beautiful golden coloured
bright eyed fish.
A distant voice shouted, “Appa!”
repeating every two minutes, as James looked around to look from where the
voice was travelling. Each time he heard the word ‘Appa’, it made him feel as
though he was being called out. And then to his surprise it was the fish he had
caught in the net that was speaking to him. He hunted out a jar from the corner
of his boat and took the fish in it to his home to show his beloved Mary.
James narrated the events to his wife
and she immediately felt it was a way in which Jesus was choosing to give their
son back to them. The fish gazed into the eyes of Mary through the jar as it
called out, “Amma, I am your Peter!” Mary was overjoyed and hugged the jar with
the fish in it, as though she was hugging her son. She thanked Lord Jesus for
what has come back to them.
Within few days, the news of the fish
speaking like human beings, spread in the hamlet and other neighbouring places
as well. There was jubilance and an air of joyous mood that prevailed in the
Mari Kulam hamlet. The neighbours and people heard about a gleaming shining marigold
fish ‘Peter’ born to the parents of Peter. It was almost a festive look all
around the hamlet. Stream of curious people who had heard about the fish Peter came
visiting the family. Life took a new turn in the lives of James and Mary. They
christened the fish, Peter too.
A few years rolled by, until one
sorrowful day the fish Peter died. Once again James and Mary were in sorrow and
inconsolable pain. On hearing the death of the fish, some came with commercial
motive of buying the dead fish. Some offered 10,000 rupees while others were
ready to pay more. The parents were in grief and were confused about how they
must react to the approaching buyers.
One business man, Hameed, a well
known aquarium owner, was ready to pay the parents a sum of 50,000 rupees for
the dead fish, Peter. The parents became even more emotional and at the same
time puzzled with the whole commercial approach to the fish, which they had
begun accepting as their own son.
Just then, Father Andrews was walking
towards their house to offer his condolences. He offered his thoughts on the
discussion between James and Hameed. Father said, “Jesus has a special place for
fishermen, though his grace was for all other too. So, my advice is to give the
fish a decent burial alongside our senior priests, behind the church.”
This gave the parents a sense of joy,
in being able to bid the fish Peter a happy good bye. Hameed was visibly moved
and withdrew his offer. He added that he respected the words of the Father and
also offered to help the parents if needed in the future.
After the heart warming incidences, life
resumed as usual for James and Mary. James resumed his fishing, this time with
the promising smile as though he knew what was coming his way. Each time he threw the fishing net, he did it
with the joy of probably encountering another life, gifted as Peter by Lord
Jesus. And it so happened that one day he caught a big fish as ‘Koi’, a fish
that seemed to have a longer life span of 30 to 40 years. He gazed into the
eyes of the fish, in the same way he had seen earlier. “Appa, I am reborn as a
fish again! I am your son, Peter, pa! Did you recognise me?”, spoke a voice
that emerged from the fish he had just caught. James immediately kissed the
fish through his net and ran with it towards his home. Mary could not believe
her ears, that Lord Jesus has been kind again to them.
This time, again many came to visit
and see how this miracle had taken place. They even tried to test the fish
calling out by its christened name, ‘Peter’. The fish acknowledged the call and
responded appropriately. They all came to believe that the fish was indeed Peter
who was reborn.
Since this fish was a variety that
would live longer, the couple took good care and watched it happily swim in the
tank they got for it. Peter was rejoined back with his parents this time.
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My Note: Human are not alone humans.
Fish also have human feelings. All living beings are a gift of God and have
their own way of communicating with everyone. Even the fragrance of rose and
jasmine, communicate with us in different ways. Let us recognise the way nature
speaks to us and become more humane to make this world a better place to live
in.
(The story ‘The
Fish’ is an extract of a dream I had a few days ago, and added some of my own
imagination to script it. Hope readers will understand and enjoy the essence of
the story. )
Komacha, 25
Dec 2018
