บท 1: Flash Flood

On a riverbank, a boy was fishing with his flagship fishing rod. He sang as if wishing his voice could summon the fishes to eat the bait.

"Fish,

I'm going fishing at around seven in the morning.

For the sake of a good breakfast

I'm looking to tell you I'll have great luck.

All kinds of fish love me.

They will come and jump for me, hey.

I love all the fishes.

Come, come, say hello to your master--"

After singing for a few seconds, he saw his fishing rod suddenly move a little then bent down. Something was tugging at it from the end of the worm hook.

The boy quickly grabbed his fishing rod, and it excited him because it was heavy enough. "Haha, hey! Big fish come to me like the song I sing. Come, come, say hello to your master."

Without asking the fish for permission, the boy pulled his fishing rod with a broad smile. The expectation was carried high into the sky only to be dropped back to earth. Instead of a large fish as he expected, it was a frog.

The boy felt helpless to see his first catch. "Hello, Mr. Frog? What are you doing there? Don't you know that I sing a song to fishes, not frogs?"

"Croak." The frog uttered a deep hoarse cry, albeit its lips were still caught in the hook.

"Nay, don't ask me to eat you. You are not the kind of food I like. Now, go." The boy shook his head and freed the frog, then he fell into contemplation. 'Hmm... This river is a little too calm. Usually, some shadows of the fish were visible, but they couldn't be seen anywhere now. Whatever, let's look at the world underwater.'

After saying that in mind, the boy knelt down by the river, then dipped his head into the clear water. He looked to the right and left, trying to find the fishes around him. Yet, they were nowhere to be seen.

Failing to find what he was looking for, the boy lifted his head from the water and muttered in great astonishment. "Fuah! By the names of all things, where did all the fishes go? Are they celebrating a holiday, going to a fish wedding on the next river, or maybe on an excursion?"

"This can't be justified. The fishes are having fun without me. They don't know I haven't had breakfast." The boy put his hand on his chin at his accusation.

Based on that, he immediately grabbed his fishing gear and walked away from there. If that fishing spot didn't have fishes, he only had to go to the next location to join the fish party.

After half an hour of walking, he accidentally saw a stone dam in the distance. The stone dam blocked most of the water and only allowed about 20 percent of the water volume to pass. No wonder he felt suspicious that the river had shrunk quite significantly. If his assumption was correct, then most likely, the fish's sudden disappearance was because of it.

"What? For the sake of world justice and happiness, who would dare to build a dam there? With selfish thoughts and traits, therefore, no fishes will pass by. No wonder, no wonder..." The boy tightened his hand into a fist. He was annoyed because of the stone dam.

"Hum! In the name of righteousness and justice, I'll find out the truth." After saying that, the boy rushed towards the stone dam with significant strides. He wanted to do justice to his hungry stomach.

As he arrived near the dam, the difference was beyond obvious. The right side was a wider river with abundant fish, and the left side was a small river with a scarcity of fish.

"Wonderful, fishes paradise, fishes feast! Here, here, come to your master, hehe." The boy rubbed his hands together and licked his lips with sparkling eyes.

He went to the right spot and immediately started fishing again. His previous intention was no longer a problem, and he no longer cared about why the dam was there.

"Fish on, yeah!" The boy pulled his fishing rod for the fifth time in the last five minutes. He got another fish, and he was glad to know that his bucket had some decent fish in it.

Yet, when he was about to put the fifth fish into the bucket, a little furry creature was eating a fish from his bucket. Sad to say, the bucket was once again empty.

The beaver's eyes met the boy's eyes. The former felt it was okay, while the latter felt lost and shocked.

"Growl." The beaver greeted the boy.

"Dear sir beaver... Where did you come from, and how dare you plunder my catch? There are tons of fish in the river, and you still choose my poor bucket?" The corner of the boy's mouth twitched as he delivered a complaint.

"Wait, maybe you made this dam, huh? How selfish you are. Don't you know that I spent a long time fishing in vain in that river over there?" A sudden realization dawned on the boy's face. He stuck his fishing rod into the ground and pointed his finger at the beaver with an accusation.

"Grunt." The beaver immediately ran away because there were no more fish in the bucket.

"Wha- after looting and now running away. Come over here, let me teach your little head some common sense!" The boy exclaimed in annoyance and immediately went after the agile beaver. Feeling he was holding something, he immediately threw it before the beaver entered the river.

*Splat*

The fish bumped into the beaver and made them bounce slightly aside. However, the beaver immediately turned around and bit the attacking fish. It was food, after all.

"My last fish! Stay there, you little beaver!" The boy immediately ran towards the beaver with an annoyed expression, but the latter didn't want to wait for him. The beaver fled to the stone dam, but the boy pursued it anyway.

It was purely by chance, the boy slipped when his Taoist shoe stepped on a smooth stone. He fell to the left, towards the small river.

"Duh!" The boy swiftly grabbed a stepping stone so he wouldn't fall into the receding river. Yet, the stone wasn't a hope or a helper either.

*Plop*

The stone he used to climb up was dislodged from the dam's wall all of a sudden. "Eh?"

That was his last word before he fell, but it didn't stop there. The stone dam shook and suddenly collapsed, freeing up the immense volume of river water regardless of the causes and reasons.

"Bloop... Bloop-blub, blub, blub." The boy curled up, protecting himself from the stones. He drowned in a strong river current and washed away with the fishes and other water creatures.

Meanwhile, an old man had just arrived at the river about two kilometers from the former rock dam for some unknown reason.

"Hmm... The river is receding?" A moment after that, the old man heard a rumble from a distance. He looked sideways, and his eyes widened with surprise at the sight of the flash flood.

Without the need to grapple with his thoughts, the old man immediately jumped into the nearest tree. He watched the magnitude of the coming flood. It made the river appear to be about four to five times bigger than the previous one.

"What kind of feat has that boy pulled this time? Hm, it's not me to accuse him like that, but is this flash flood his doing?" The old man stroked his long beard in thought.

It didn't take long to come up with the answer. The old man got a glimpse of a boy who was swept away by the river's strong current.

"Hahh, as I thought." The old man let out a small giggle, but it sounded like a sigh.

On the other hand, the boy who was still swept away by the river could finally breathe on the surface of the water. He also got his fishing rod back somehow.

"Huh, huh, ha... I'm being swept away by the current. Jinx, it's because of that beaver. Never mind, I have to pull over." The boy struggled to stay on the surface. But it was hard for him to swim to the riverbank in a swift current like this.

Suddenly, he remembered that he had the ultimate fishing rod in his hand. It could also be used as a lifesaver. Delighted by the idea, he immediately took a stance to hook his fishing line to a nearby tree.

The boy twirled his fishing rod and swung it as if he were throwing bait into the river, but as far as possible. "Ha!"

It managed to get stuck onto a nearby tree branch in one try by a fool chance. However, it was unfortunate because it got tangled in the old man's leg.

The old man, who was getting ready to help the boy, suddenly felt one of his legs was pulled. He looked down and was surprised to see the boy's fishing line caught in his leg.

*Slip* *Splash*

The old man slipped and fell into the river. He swept away with the boy while cursing over the bad luck that befell him.