THE TOWN DAILY
RESIDENT INTERVIEW · No. 2
Old Ben
Fisherman
"The fish aren't in a hurry. Why would I be?"
He's been on the dock longer than the dock has, by his own arithmetic. Old Ben knows every current in the bay and every rumor in town, and has strong opinions about exactly one of those things. We interviewed him at dawn. He did not stop fishing.
The Town Daily: You know everything that happens in this town. How?
Old Ben: I stand still in a place where everyone eventually walks past. That's the whole trick. People tell a fisherman things they wouldn't tell a priest, because the fisherman is looking at the water and it feels like telling no one. Then they're surprised I know things. I'm a very informed piece of furniture.
The Town Daily: You co-signed Kiko's smoked-fish stall. That surprised people.
Old Ben: Surprised me too. That boy talked at me for two days straight. On the third day I did the math on what I throw back that a smoker could turn into money, and signed. Don't let him tell you it was his charm. It was his spreadsheet. The charm is why I only checked the spreadsheet twice.
The Town Daily: Any advice for the new mayor?
Old Ben: Towns are like fishing. The pulling-hard part matters less than people think, and the waiting part matters more. Set the lines right and let the thing come to you. Also: whatever Marta says the fair price is — that's the fair price. Saves everyone a week.
Resident file
- Temperament
- Unhurried, wry, immovable. The town's unofficial archive and its slowest walker.
- Obsession
- The bay. He has named individual fish and holds grudges against two of them.
- Relationships
- Everyone trusts him; he trusts the tide. Business partner to Kiko, permanent peace treaty with Marta, informal counselor to half the town.
As seen in the Town Daily
- OLD BEN PREDICTS STORM; STORM ARRIVES ON SCHEDULE, TOWN STOPS DOUBTING HIM
- SMOKED-FISH STALL SELLS OUT IN A DAY; BEN CREDITS "THE FISH, MOSTLY"
- LOST FARMHAND FOUND AT DOCK RECEIVING LIFE ADVICE, REPORTS FEELING BETTER
Old Ben will remember you
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