freeline-99 - Flipbook - Page 202
LEE GRIFFIN
BILL
DICK
CRAIG
PHILLIPS
GAYNER
McEVOY
l u rking in the deep, dark d ep th s o f th e l ake , m u ta ti n g o n t h e
m edicines and feeding on t he f l es h o f h u ma n s ! I t wa s a s c a r y
p l ace for a young Black Co un t r y la d !
One year the pool had f i l le d w i t h wa te r s o m u c h t h a t o n
o n e rain filled summer’s d ay i t b ro ke f re e f ro m i t s b a n ks , a n d
t h e rushing waters meande re d s tra i gh t i n to t h e s i d e t ri b u t a r y
t h at linked to the canal at th e b a ck o f t he p o o l . I t wa s n’ t l o n g
b e fore stories made their way to my e a r s o f u n s e e n b e as t s
t h at had escaped the dep th s o f t h e s an a to r i u m p o o l i n to t h e
c a nal, smashing match angl er s ’ t a ck le to p i e c e s . I b e g g e d a n d
b e gged my mum for weeks to t a ke m e d ow n t h e l o c a l “c u t ”, a s
to a poor Black Country ei gh t- ye ar- o ld , o p p o rt u n i t i e s to c atc h
s u ch fish were virtually no n ex i s te n t .
Eventual ly one Sunday af te r n o o n sh e re lu c t a n t ly ag re e d , a n d
we made our way down to th e c an a l . I re mem b e r t h e wa l k to
t h e canal as though it was ye ste rd ay. T he exc i te m ent b u b b l i n g
away inside me; I had neve r fe lt s uc h exc i te m en t … we l l , exc e p t
m aybe for when Santa was d ue o n Ch r i s tm a s Eve ! We g o t to t h e
c a nal, and I remember there b e i n g a fe w o ld g uys f i s h i n g . I p u t
d own my wicker basket an d b e ga n p u tt i n g my o l d f i b re gl a s s
ro d together. It was a heav y o l d t h i n g th a t wa s n a t u ra l ly b e n t
w i th the weight of the actu al ro d . T he re el wa s a l ove ly o ri g i n a l
M i tchell match reel bough t fo r me o n e Ch r i st m a s by my u n c l e
N o rman, and it was attach e d to t h e ro d w i t h t wo s l id i n g m et a l
r i ngs.
I soon had a float on the li n e a n d t i e d a ho o k o n w i th a s i xt u rn blood knot that my u n c le ha d s h owe d m e . I h o o ke d o n
a piece of bread and flicke d o ut t he f lo at , eve r s o g ra c e f u l ly,
a n d watched in horror as my re el c a me away f ro m t h e ro d a n d
l a nded in the oily waters o f t h e ca n a l! I b u rs t i n to te ars a s
FREELINE 78
