Our gracious host, Rochelle, at Friday Fictioneers
asks us to use the photo below as inspiration
to write creatively in 100 words or less while
making every word count. This is my flash.

My granddad “Pops”, a retired commercial fisherman, taught us kids the ropes about fishing. We learned how to tie knots, cast off, fillet a fish – just about everything there was to know about boats.
Every weekend we’d head over to where Pops’ boat was docked and spend the day fishing – mostly. I can still remember him yelling at us when we dawdled: “Hey, you clowns! Fish or cut bait!”
I go down there every now and again, take a look around. People say it’s just a pile of meaningless junk. For me it’s a boatload of the sweetest memories imaginable.
NAR©2025
100 Words
This is “Sloop John B” by Beach Boys
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy ~ The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, and The Rhythm Section, and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.
The best memories.
Terrific piece
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Thanks much, Laurie
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Dear Nancy,
In scrolling through the comments I see the inspiration for your sweet story. Love the photo. And the song brings sweet memories to me. 😉
I love coming here for the fun of your stories and the music we loved.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Beautiful comments! Thanks so much Rochelle 🥰
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Lovely. Great memories for your protagonist.
I’ve always found fishing detritus rather romantic and fodder for my camera.
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Thanks for your lovely comment, Patrick. The protagonist happens to be my husband whose memories of fishing with his late twin brother and grandfather are what inspired my story. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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He doesn’t believe it, but he desperately wants to.
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Interesting thought, Dawn. Thanks for reading.
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Nice story, Nancy. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Cherished memories for the MC.
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Thanks, Lisa. The MC is actually my husband and the memories are his from stories he’s told me about the days he’d go fishing with his late twin brother and their grandfather …. lots of sweet and bittersweet moments for him.
I’m glad you enjoyed my story.
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You’re welcome and good to know they are real memories ❤
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what a wonderful story. well done.
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Thanks very much, Plaridel
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I e!njoyed your memories, and I LOVED hearing the Beach Boys 🙂 Talk about memories
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The Beach Boys always get me that way, too.
These are some tender, bittersweet memories for my husband who lost his identical twin brother last April. They were inseparable and fishing was a big part of their lives.
Thanks for your comments, Linda. 😊
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What cherished memories to have.
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They are my husband’s bittersweet memories from stories he’s told me about fishing with his late twin brother and their grandfather.
Thank you much, Esther, for your lovely comment.
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What happy memories! When I was a teen, my first boss used to take me fishing in his boat when his shop closed. I’d almost forgotten about until I read your lovely story!
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Made a right mess of that, but you know what I mean!
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LOL! Read just fine to me but I’m not wearing my glasses so…..
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Isn’t that delightful! So happy your good old memories came back while reading my story.
Thank you, dear Keith!
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Oh, so lovely! I can hear my own father uttering those words, thinking he was the funniest man alive. “Fish or cut bait!”
We fished a lot!
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LO! It obviously had a huge impression on my hubby; he’s still a great fisherman although these days it’s mostly catch & release. You, more than anyone, can appreciate the beauty of eating fresh caught fish …. from the ocean to the pan. Can’t beat it!
Thank you, dear friend.
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I have my father’s creel hanging on my hall tree; it’s perfect for holding outgoing letters!
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What a fabulous idea! I bet it looks perfect, too!
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This is a beautiful story, Nancy. My kids have lovely memories of fishing with their father. My son mostly regrets that he wasn’t old enough yet to go on the “big boys trip” which involved vast quantities of alcohol and stories and whatnot. He is still a fisherman today and goes with his buddies so the seed was planted early enough.
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Oh, thank you, my friend, for this very lovely comment. Great memories for your kids. Bill is still a big fisherman; his memories are bitter sweet as he can’t help but remember the times he spent on the boat with his late twin. Please see the picture I posted on Destiny’s comment. I should have added it to my story but didn’t think of it at the time. It’s precious. ❤️
Thank you, Dale. 😘
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Yes, I saw the lovely photo. And I don’t doubt that Iain and Mick would have gone on may fishing trips. Not sure if Ariel would have followed but then again, special time with their father was always precious.
😘🤗
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Our boys and I as well as 1 DIL get seasick! 🤢 It’s dreadful and I’ve lived on or near the water all my life. Go figure! 🤷🏼♀️ I hate it! At least the grands and 1 DIL are seaworthy so Bill has someone to make fishing memories with. 🎣
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Oh no! I am hoping Marc will be okay on our cruise next week. He is getting those little tabs you put behind the ear, just in case. Mind you, a huge cruise ship does not rock and roll like a fishing boat… Bummer you do suffer. I SO love sailing (my father had a 32-foot sailboat)…
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I know! I love the water and fishing! We went on a cruise …. big honking Carnival ship …. and the seas were incredibly rough. Even Bill got a little queasy, which he never does. Peeps were lined up at the dispensary for shots. That was the only thing that saved the cruise for me. My son wore the tabs for his honeymoon cruise and he was good the whole time (as soon as his wife fixed them after she saw he had put them on backwards! Doh! 🙄). Make sure Marc puts them on right! 😂
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That just sucks for you. And I was on a couple cruises where the waters were rough. once with my sister and her family – we were nine in all. The only two NOT seasick were her husband and me! She rarely gets it. On my dad’s boat, we preferred to be up top rather than inside because that is where you feel it.
Buahahaha! I’ll tell him to make sure 😉 Too funny.
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aaaw…sweet, Nancy…
I never thought I’d hear myself say…I miss fishing lol…this made me… 🤍
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Thank you, Destiny. This is based on stories my husband told me of him, his twin brother, older brother and dad going fishing with their grandfather. Here’s a pic:
If you really miss fishing, you should try to go again. Life is too short, my friend. ❤️
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sorry for repeating…but aaaaw…❤️
I think I might just do that , Nancy…
thank you for sharing…🤍🙏🌷
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I know. Isn’t that just adorable? ☺️
You’re most welcome! 🙏🏼
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really is…🤍
🙏
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A love take Nancy ❤️
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Thank you, Sadje. Beautiful memories of my husband’s childhood.
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You’re welcome ☺️
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And, I’m sure, the catch was probably the least important measure of the joy
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Thank you, Neil. My husband would agree with you.
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The fun of childhood memories, of days when family life and bonding were important lessons on growing up.
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Thank, Anon! That’s exactly how it was when we were growing up.
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Nothing quite as sweet as fishtail memories.
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Indeed! Memories from my husband’s childhood. Thank you, Violet.
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It’s amazing what can hold so many beautiful memories for us, and simply be seen as something mundane to others. Another great short story ✨ I love how you always choose music to go with your posts too! 💕
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These are my husband’s memories, times with his twin brother and their grandfather out on his boat.
Thanks for acknowledging the music, Laura. For me, picking the right song for a story is like choosing the last piece of jewelry to go with that little black dress. It can make or break an outfit.
Great comments, Laura. Thanks!
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What’s sweet story.
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Sorry, I meant “What a” not “What’s.”
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No worries. I’m fluent in typo!
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Thanks, Fan. The story of Bill.
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