The net at first light

Original fiction extract.

By first light, the net occupied almost the whole quay. Arun knelt at its edge with a wooden needle, drawing broken squares back into order. Behind him, the boats rocked gently against their ropes. He had brought the net ashore in a dark heap; now the pale morning found every damaged place.

Across his knees lay a map of small disasters: a ragged mouth where a branch had caught, two threads hanging like loose teeth, a narrow tear that vanished whenever he stopped looking directly at it. His needle nosed patiently between the knots. Each pull tightened one square and sent a tiny shiver through the mesh, as if the whole net were listening for news of its repair. He worked without the large, confident movements I had expected. The thread travelled only an inch, then rested against his thumb.

A gull landed beside the float line. Arun moved it aside with his elbow, never looking up. By the time the fish market opened, the heap had become a measured spread of squares. He lifted one corner towards the light. The holes were still there, exactly where they ought to be.

Choose three powerful words or phrases from the extract above. Analyse how the writer uses language to present the fisher’s work on the net.

Write about 200 to 250 words.