Socrates’ Wild Ocean Adventure

On the second day of the storm, in a private conversation, Poker asked Socrates what kind of cod he was. “What do you mean, ‘what kind’? I’m a cod.” “C’mon,” pushed Poker. “Everyone knows there are different kinds of cod. Like Atlantic cod, True cod, Ling cod, Tomcod. You know—different kinds.” “Yep, that’s me,” Socrates replied. “Which one are you?” “I’m the ‘different kind’ of cod.” Poker thought about it for a few seconds, looked at Socrates quizzically, and then laughed. “You, my friend, are a ‘DK’ cod. Do you get it? You are a ‘different kind.’ Do you see how tough that sounds? If anyone asks, just say, in a deep voice, ‘I’m a DK cod.’ You have to look a bit defiant when you say it, but not necessarily all-out threatening.” “Wow, that’s not bad, Poker. Maybe that last confrontation with the boat corrected more than your eyesight. Thanks pal.” Poker did not quite know how to take the last boat reference, so he just dismissed it. He added, “And the name is our secret. No one will ever know what ‘DK’ really stands for.” They both looked at each other with that look that friends give each other when a secret is sealed. Socrates went over and over the name in his mind, even practicing aloud to get the hang of saying it. “I’m a DK cod,” he asserted repeatedly to no one in particular. He finally gave up when he realized that it was unlikely that anyone besides Poker would actually ask him what kind of cod he was. However, little did he know that Poker was already spreading the word of Socrates’ legacy among the other swordfish, telling them that Socrates was from the terrifying ‘DK cod’ species—and word spreads amazingly fast in the ocean.