**This is a true story as told to me by a close relative, used with permission**
When My aunt was a teenager, she caught the eye of a teenage boy. As teenagers are wont to do, he wasted no time in preening for her attention.
This ‘posturing’ would cause a terrible consequence for all concerned.
In our part of the world, many unconventional methods were used to ensure survival. As descendants of slaves brought to a land that was not their own, black people were forced to find ways to survive. As such, a form of fishing, known as “feeling for fish” is one of the most prevalent forms of fishing done daily.
This is done by entering the water and ‘beating’ it so as to guide the fish in the direction you want them to go. In this way, the fishes are trapped and then the young men go about feeling with their bare hands. They then grab ahold of the fish and throw them onto the bank. This continues until they have caught their fill.
This day, the young man who had his eye on my young aunt was ‘feeling for fish’. As the story goes, there were many onlookers watching the young men try to outdo each other. This young man caught a fish, but instead of throwing the fish onto the bank for safekeeping, he decided to place the fish between his teeth while he felt for the next one.
Big mistake!
The fish, still alive, slippery, slimy, and trying to wiggle free for its life, slipped further into the back of his throat and was cutting off his airway. He began a desperate bid to save his life, clawing at his neck, but the fish was firmly lodged there.
The onlookers rushed him to the hospital, but sadly, the outcome was bad.
This was a sad ending to a young and promising life…
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