David Rudolph and Jacky Baker are a couple of the best commercial fishermen around the Oregon coast. The two men get lucky and sign aboard the two-hundred-twenty-foot fishing vessel, the Edmund Fitzgerald II.
Sailing with a crew of ten, the ship sails through radioactive waters in the Pacific that had been carried by currents from the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. Using the latest and most sensitive Geiger counters available for underwater use, the captain of the Fitzgerald II is determined that his catch will be safe for human consumption.
After a day full of good catches, however, the good ship and crew encounter something they didn’t expect.
Something in the water.
Something big.
Inspired by the hit song, this short story by T. M. Bilderback is full of pulse-pounding excitement!
Genre: FICTION / Short Stories (single author)This is my best-selling short story so far. It would work wonderfully translated into any language.
This story has already been translated into Croatian, Serbian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian.
“I can’t believe you talked me into sailing on this boat, Jacky,” said David Rudolph to his friend, Jacky Baker. “I mean, the owner has some serious guts naming a two-hundred-twenty-foot fishing boat the Edmund Fitzgerald II. That’s almost daring the sea gods to do their damndest to us.”
“I think it lends some prestige to our jobs,” replied Jacky. “I’ve seen some of the men that have sailed her. When they talk to women, they mention that they’re on the Fitzgerald. Most women have heard the name, but don’t realize that the first Fitzgerald sailed the Great Lakes…but they sure cozy up to them quickly! That might make sailing with this boat worth it all!”
The two young men walked down the Oregon coast pier toward their new fishing boat. They had both been working as commercial fishermen for seven years, and were well-regarded in the tight-knit fishing community. As good friends since their first sailing assignment, they had chosen to work together…and when the two positions came open on the Edmund Fitzgerald II, they jumped at the chance. The owners of the Fitzgerald II paid slightly higher shares on their catches, so the competition was intense, but David and Jacky had won out.
The captain of the boat, Dean Binkley, was considered a whiz in finding the best fishing spots in the Pacific. Almost every time he dropped his net, it was hauled into the boat full of commercially viable fish. The Fitzgerald II was seldom at sea for more than two weeks before its storage areas were full, and they had to head to shore for a final tally.
