“Freddy Fish” — FWG Flash Fiction for 9/27/2025
- Rob Johnson
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
Addiction comes in many forms.
The prompt is:
FREDDY FISH
The fisherman doesn’t bother me where I hang out on my tiny island in the pond. I croak at him as he floats by, playing tag with my friends the perch, sunnies, and occasional trout. It’s a strange game. He throws them food on the end of a string. If they can nibble the bait off the hook without him noticing, they get a free snack. When they get greedy, though, he hooks them through the lip and they play tug-o-war for a while. If he wins the battle, they get a glimpse of the Upper World before he lets them go back to the Lower World. Some fish folk play every day.
One of them, a young lake trout in particular, enjoyed the game so much the fisherman gave him an Upper World name. “Freddy.”
“Hello again, Freddy Fish,” I heard him say one day. “This is getting to be a habit. I think you just want to get a look around at my world.”
Fisherman held Freddy high above his head, and Freddy squirmed in delight.
“Take a good look, Freddy,” Fisherman said, watching him appraisingly. His lips curled into a small smile before he unhooked Freddy and let him slip back into the Lower World. “See you again soon, I hope.”
Over the rest of the summer, Freddy got long and fat on the nightcrawlers that Fisherman fed him. As he grew, their tug-o-war battles became longer and more fun.
Freddy ignored the warnings of his school and kept playing—and growing—until one day after an exhausting fight, Fisherman scooped him out with a net and laid him against a stick with marks on it. With a nod and a smile, he dropped Freddy into a bucket and took him home.
We never saw Freddy again.
THE END
Such a clever and poignant story, Rob! The way you’ve woven addiction into Freddy’s playful interactions with the fisherman is brilliant. At first, Freddy is just playing a game, but over time, he becomes so enticed by the 'Upper World' that he loses sight of the warnings and consequences. It really captures how addiction can begin innocently but slowly evolve into something more dangerous as the lure of reward becomes too strong to resist. I love how the fisherman, almost like an unseen force, symbolizes that cycle of temptation. The ending is bittersweet Freddy's fate is sealed, but there’s a sense of inevitability about it. Fantastic storytelling!
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What a beautifully written short story — it really captures that bittersweet feeling of curiosity and consequence. Poor Freddy Fish! Stories like this always remind me how powerful simple moments can be when told well. After reading something deep like this, I sometimes like to switch gears and read some funny jokes to lighten the mood — you can find a great collection at truested site https://allfunnyjokes.com/. It’s a nice balance between reflection and laughter.