{"id":379,"date":"2019-03-04T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T17:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.altonfletcher.com\/?p=379"},"modified":"2021-09-21T09:12:04","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T14:12:04","slug":"woke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altonfletcher.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/04\/woke\/","title":{"rendered":"Woke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cI am a fish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The words were spoken with such certainty as to deny any argument to the contrary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow did you come to that conclusion?\u201d I asked, trying to be conciliatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His dorsal fanned, which led me to guess that he was annoyed, although I couldn’t be sure. Given his assertion, I wondered if I could be sure of anything at all anymore. This must a dream. Then again, I couldn\u2019t be sure of that, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His response was matter-of-fact, but his voice carried a piqued note. \u201cI have always been a fish. We all came from the sea, of course. It\u2019s science, you see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see. Well, how is it that you breathe air, then?\u201d I was curious, truly. I wanted to offer a light-hearted line about being a fish out of water, but thought better of it. He seemed easily offended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not breathing air. Don\u2019t you know that we are surrounded by water? The world is changing. Wake up and smell the kelp.\u201d His annoyance was quite evident now. He did little to hide it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf that is the case, then as a man, I must hold my breath to survive,” I said, just as matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His mouth gaped twice, three times. \u201cI suppose that\u2019s true.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut, I can\u2019t hold it for long, or else I would suffocate and drown. Not to mention that doing so would end our conversation. Do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, then. That’s your problem, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had a point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discretion being the better part of something that seemed no longer relevant, I was just about to concede the argument, or at least bring it to a hasty close, when I awoke to the distant sound of mermaids, singing each to the other, though not to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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