CHAPTER 2
Grandpa Carl loved to fish, and he loved the Lake Werner Fishing Tournament, too. He’d entered the event for more than forty years in a row, but he’d never won it. But every year, he was sure it was his turn.
“The tournament is this coming weekend,” Grandpa Carl told Daniel as they fished. “One of these years, I’ll pull Big Larry in. Then I’ll be the champ. Now that would be something.”
Later that morning, Grandpa let Daniel steer his prized boat toward shore.
Daniel said, “Grandpa, we’ve fished together for years. But I’ve never even seen Big Larry.” He paused. He wasn’t sure if his grandpa was just telling tall fishing tales, like he knew many fishermen did. “Why do you think that is?” Daniel asked.
Grandpa Carl chuckled. “Now, you aren’t doubting your own grandpa, are you?” he asked, smiling. “Why, I saw Big Larry just a couple of months ago. I was out fishing one morning. You were at school. Sure enough, he swam right up next to the boat. Just like he was saying hello.”
Daniel smiled. “One of these times, I want to be there when you’re battling him,” he said.
Then Grandpa’s face really lit up. “Who knows?” he said. “Maybe you’ll be the one to catch him. Now that would be something.”
“That would be awesome,” Daniel said.
Suddenly, Grandpa Carl frowned. “Danny boy, you’ve got to promise me one thing,” he said. “If you ever do catch him, you have to let him go.”
“Okay, Grandpa, I will,” Daniel said. “We almost always let the fish we catch go anyway.”
“Yes, but Big Larry is extra special,” Grandpa Carl said. “A lot of people who fish this lake want to catch him. They’d like to mount him and hang him up on their walls.”
Grandpa shook his head, looking angry.
Then he added, “Big Larry is not someone’s trophy, and he’s definitely not someone’s dinner. He deserves to live out his final years here in Lake Werner.”
Daniel could tell that his grandpa was serious. He was also pretty sure that Big Larry was real.
Grandpa Carl liked to tell jokes, and he was known to take a good story and make it a little better by adding some untrue details. But he would never get so serious over something that wasn’t real.
Daniel carefully guided the boat up alongside the dock. Grandpa had taught him how to drive a boat.
Over the years, Grandpa Carl’s eyesight had started to get worse. He didn’t like to drive the boat anymore.
Daniel was happy to get the chance to drive the boat. He loved it.
They tied up the boat and walked up the dock. At a snack counter, they each grabbed a sandwich. Then they sat down to eat on the worn wooden benches.
“Grandpa, how will I know it’s Big Larry if I catch him?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, you’ll know,” Grandpa Carl said with a laugh. “For one thing, he’s huge! For another, Big Larry has a yellow stripe that goes halfway down his side. I’m telling you, he’s one special fish. He’s like an old friend to me.”
After they finished eating, it was time to go home. But Daniel noticed that something was different about Grandpa Carl.
Usually, they would spend the ride home retelling the stories from their day of fishing. But today, Grandpa Carl didn’t talk at all during the whole ride home.
Finally, when they arrived at Daniel’s house, Grandpa Carl turned and looked at him. “Daniel, you have to make me that promise,” he said. “Promise me you’ll let Big Larry go if you catch him.”
“I will, Grandpa,” Daniel said. “I swear.”