The current appeared just after sunrise: a silver ribbon winding between the roots. I had never seen it before. Naturally, I decided it would take me exactly where I wanted to go. Ten minutes later I was travelling sideways past the same crooked tree.
A heavy pearl spoon lay at the bottom of my box. I had never liked its clumsy wobble, but in that moving water it suddenly looked alive. I dropped it beside the boat and watched it disappear along the silver seam.
A silver seam in the current
The strike came underneath me. A thick bass surged toward the roots and pulled the bow round. I ducked a branch, lost my hat, and somehow kept the line out of the tangled wood. When the fish surfaced, it was wearing a leaf on its head like a tiny captain.
I brought it gently alongside, freed the spoon and let it swim. Finding my hat took longer than catching the bass. The shortcut added an hour to the trip, which is why I have marked it as essential on the map.
A detour can earn a permanent place in the diary.
