A story about shrimp and fish in an afternoon at Fresh Corner

Today felt completely different to me. I had some free time in the morning, so I thought I would take a look around the market. There is a wonderful shop near our house called Fresh Corner. As the name suggests, just looking inside shows how clean and tidy everything is. Today I went there mainly with the intention of buying fish. But to be honest, I would not have understood that just looking at fish can be such a joy if I had not come here before. As soon as I entered the shop, a cool, light smell of fresh fish hit my nose.

No, not annoying, but a kind of smell that evokes memories of the village. When I was a child, when I used to bring freshly caught fish from the Man River, such a smell would fill the house. I looked around and saw that the fish arranged in large trays were like works of art. The shop employees had arranged all the fish very beautifully, first the catla fish, then various types of small fish. Again, in some rows, there was hilsa fish, and in some rows, there was shrimp fish. However, my eyes were most attracted to the shrimp fish. Oh, how beautifully arranged the big prawns are kept on the ice as if the kingdom of cold is sleeping. I stared at the prawns in fascination. I have had a special love for prawns since childhood. I still remember the smell of my mother cooking prawns.

I felt that the day would be incomplete if I did not buy some prawns. I asked a brother in the shop, how much are these prawns per kg? He smiled and said, "Sister, these are very fresh, they were brought this morning. 1499 taka per kg." The price seemed a little high, but seeing the fresh look of the fish, I wanted to, I thought, today I will cook something of my own choice after a long time, so why not buy something good. Even after buying the prawns, I started looking around the shop to see some colorful small fish arranged as if the beautiful birds of the river were playing underwater.

Although I don't recognize all the fish, seeing them filled my heart. An elderly man next to me was saying that the fish in this shop is really fresh and doesn't keep old fish in ice like other places, and hearing that made me feel more at peace. It was the right decision to buy from where I was. The fish were covered in ice, I just wanted to see them. I stared at the fish for a long time. The lights in the shop were set in such a way that the fish were shimmering. The shells of the shrimps were sparkling in the silver light. For a moment, it felt like I was standing in an art gallery rather than a market. Where artists were playing with fish. Finally, I bought some shrimps and filled them in a bag. I left the shop, but my mind remained there. As I walked along the road, I thought about when I was a child, I would go to the village market with my mother and arrange the fish there in such a way. But there wasn't so much light or modernity then. Now, coming to this fresh corner of the city, I realized that no matter how much technology advances, people's attraction to fresh fish never decreases.

Back home, I put the shrimps in the fridge, then sat on the balcony with a cup of tea. I started planning in my mind that I would cook gourd with shrimps this evening, as I used to. The smell of spices would spread in the kitchen and my little daughter would come playing and ask, "Mom, what are you cooking today?" Then I would say with a smile, "I cooked shrimp and fish, Mom."

I went to the fresh corner and not only bought fish, but also returned with a beautiful experience. The atmosphere of the shop, the behavior of the people and the decoration of the fish, everything touched my heart. Such small joys in the midst of the busyness of life make our day colorful. In the end, I would like to say that going to this ordinary market today was a special day for me. Because sometimes such small moments give the greatest joy in life. Like today's beautiful fish decoration at Fresh Corner, and a little childhood memory with my favorite shrimp.