Billy Goatee's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Billy Goatee twisted copper wire around the hook, testing the balance in his palm. The lure needed to wobble just right to catch a trout's eye. He lived alone in his marsh for this exact reason—every fish species he needed swam within casting distance. His neighbors kept asking him to join their potluck dinners, but he always said no. Someone might spot his designs and steal them. One day, fishers everywhere would ask for his lures by name. But not yet. Not until he got it perfect. His fishing cabin sat right where the marsh met deeper water. Colorful flags fluttered from the roof posts, left behind by the previous owner. Flowers and vines climbed the walls in a riot of colors he'd never bothered to trim back. The cabin extended out over the water on thick wooden posts. Billy could stand on the planks and drop his test lures straight down into prime fishing spots. He'd caught bass, pike, and catfish all in one morning last week. Each species taught him something new about what worked and what didn't. The cabin kept his work private and his testing efficient. Perfect. But testing from the water's edge only showed him half the picture. Billy needed to see how fish reacted before they struck. He'd built a watch platform high up in a nearby tree with thick branches that held rainbow-colored bark. From up there, he could spot schools of fish moving through the shallows. He watched how they turned toward certain colors and ignored others. The platform swayed slightly in the wind, but it gave him a clear view of everything below. Up high, he could study the patterns that would make his lures impossible to resist. Down low, he could test his theories. Between the two spots, Billy had everything he needed to create something fishers would travel miles to buy. Inside the cabin, Billy kept his workbench stocked with materials. Bright feathers, shiny beads, and strips of reflective metal covered the surface. His tackle box sat open beside dozens of test lures in every color combination he could think of. This was where the real work happened. He'd sketch a design, build it at the bench, then test it in the water below. The fish told him what worked. He just had to listen. Billy picked up a half-finished lure with yellow and silver sides. Tomorrow he'd try it on the pike. One of these designs would be the one that made his name. He could feel it getting closer.