The Fisherman of Shanghai

A Shorter Story

Photo by Liam Brodentel

Long ago, there was a fisherman in Shanghai who never went to sea without a full bottle of wine. Whenever the wine ran empty, he rowed to shore, no matter how many or how few fish he caught.

Most days, he never caught a thing.

Each morning, he departed a fisherman with focus. But, as the sun got higher, the bottle got lighter, until his eyes…