Big Fish

I think I should steal a tactic from Edward Bloom and tell this story as best I can. It may be fact; it may be fiction. All I know is that it will get your attention.

Around 13:00, I decided to go to sleep. Reason being was the fact that my AIM account had be compromised. Now, most of the time when that kind of stuff happens, the attacker would steal your identity, in particular your credit card number so as to purchase all the wants that they do desire. Seeing as how I don't have a credit card, I changed my password to the account and signed out leaving the person to destroy what little of a social life I had.

Anyway, there I was, laying in bed, trying to go to sleep. I honestly couldn't think of anything worth thinking about, which is said to be the best way to go to sleep. An empty mind is one capable of dreams. And dreams I had.

I dreamed that I was far away from this place. I was in a city that was made of gold. The streets, the sidewalks, even the picket fences. No one cared about how people looked or acted, everyone got along, and it never rained a single drop save at night so everyone could fall asleep soundly. There was no hate, no arguing, no fighting of any kind. Those in political power were honest and truthful and, above all, they delivered. A wonderful utopia soiled by nothing.

It felt too real to be a dream, but unfortunately it was. And I awoke with the feeling of being alone. The closest thing I had to comfort was the pillow I had next to me, which was as big as a person. I couldn't sleep again. I knew that I would never see that place in my dreams again no matter how hard I tried.

I got up feeling hungry and went to grab something to eat. My aunt told me that she finished watching Big Fish, so I decided to go ahead and watch what I knew would be the greatest story ever told.

The thing is, apparently, I had to work in order to see it. The player on the computer didn't want to play. It's funny, because for the first time in my life I didn't know what to do. I used to know a lot about computers and all their workings, but when it came time to actually do something, nothing felt natural. I didn't have the damnest idea as to how to go about fixing the problem. I guess that's what happens when you go off to college to learn how to make it in your chosen profession. You end up forgetting that which you've learned in order to make room for new knowledge.

I decided to invade the bedroom of my parents, mostly due to the fact that is the only other place that has a working DVD player. I popped in the movie and began watching it.

Now, I won't spoil the movie, but let me tell you this much. The stories in it are that only a Southern Grandmother could tell you. And, by God, they were classical. The very things that make up the worlds of Atlantis and even creatures from Mars. The kind of stories that feel so real that there is just no way they could be false. A charming and beautiful story. A masterpiece in cinema.

When the movie ended, I started to feel very regrettable. Not because of the fact that the stories had to end. Stories like that never really end. They keep on going. No, I felt regrettable for the fact that I don't have a Southern grandparent that could spin balls of yarn so big they could knit a sweater for everyone in the world twice over. Three times if only "swests" were made. Another thing that I feel I am missing in my life, but sadly can live without it.

One thing has been bothering me though. Lately, as I sit here typing, I can't seem to get the image of Michelle crying over my final project because of how moving it is. It's making me rethink if I should tap into that part of myself more often. Maybe I can make the whole world cry if they knew what I know. Of course, if I made them feel the pain I feel and made the world cry, we wouldn't need the ice caps to melt to cause a flood able to sink most of the land that's still above sea level.

I don't know. I don't think I'm any good at spinning yarn. So much for trying to be a big fish.