Longfin Eel

For years, she had lived in the cool, shadowed waters of the river, growing strong and wise among the twisting roots and shifting currents. But now, something deeper than hunger stirred within her. A pull, ancient and undeniable, called her upstream—toward a home she had never seen but somehow always known.

She was a longfin eel, her sleek body dark as river stone, her fins trailing behind her like ribbons in the current. She had spent decades in these waters, but her time was running short. Soon, the great migration would begin—the impossible journey back to the faraway sea, to the warm currents of the sub-tropical Pacific, where her life would end, and new life would begin.

But first, she needed a home. A place to rest. A place where she might find a mate before the long journey claimed her.

The river was not kind to travelers. The water, once gentle, now rushed against her as she forced her way upstream. Rocks slick with moss threatened to trap her. Birds watched from the trees, their sharp eyes searching for movement beneath the surface. A great trout lunged from the shadows, forcing her to twist and fight for space.

Still, she pushed on.

Days turned to weeks, and she wound her way through deep pools and narrow streams, passing others like her—old eels with the same restless glint in their eyes. Some had already found shelter beneath sunken logs or among the roots of ancient trees. Others continued their journey, searching, searching.

At last, she reached a place where the river widened, where the water was slow and deep, where the reeds whispered secrets to the wind. Here, the scent of others lingered—eels that had come before her, eels that had chosen this place as their final home before the great journey.

She slipped into the shadows, letting the current carry her into the hidden depths.

Maybe, just maybe, she would not make the journey alone.

And when the time came—when the moon and tide called her back to the ocean—she would leave this place behind, her body silvering, her hunger fading, her mind focused only on the great distance ahead.

A journey that would end her.

A journey that would bring life anew.