Big Fish

You may think that seeing all these movies is just like buttering pancakes, but it isn’t always like that. It was really crowded at the video store on a Friday night, and the new DVDs were flying fast and furious from the walls. From across the room, I spotted a lone copy of “Big Fish” on the shelf, just waiting for that last lucky customer. As I began to walk toward my prize, I caught the eye of the meanest looking man who ever graced the stiffly carpeted floor of the video store. I could tell by the line of his sight he was headed for the very same rack I was. My walk turned into a trot, and then quickly into a run. He didn’t look like the type who would like “Big Fish”… maybe he’d just noticed there was only one copy left. Maybe that made him think it was worth seein’, or maybe he was just out to ruin my day. In any case, he sure looked determined to grab it first. And you know, there aren’t really any laws governing the video store, it’s every man for himself, finder’s keeper’s, you got it, you own it… So, we reached the video at exactly the same time, and grabbed the video at exactly the same time, and lifted it off the shelf together. “It’s mine”, he said forcefully to me. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the video store clerk put another movie onto the shelf behind the man. “Oh my!”, I exclaimed, ” ‘From Justin to Kelly’ is back in stock – there’s only one copy!”. Naturally, he turned his head, and in an attempt to ruin my day further, dropped “Big Fish” in favor of the other film. Now, I haven’t seen “From Justin to Kelly”, and for all I know, it is a fine piece of cinema. But that night I did see a real big fish, and he fell hook line and sinker for the oldest trick in the book.