cmaxwell

Max is his current age but dressed in old-fashioned baby clothes -- a bonnet, a little blue gown, booties. He is sitting on a dock. His fishing line is a long candy cane. A multicolored line of yarn hangs down from it into the water. The water is pink and has the substance of cotton candy. Suddenly the line bends and Max yanks back on it. He struggles, but the pull is too heavy and he falls in.
Under the water he sees a fish with a face like his fathers in the coffin -- made up, peaceful, fake -- a corpses tricked-up countenance on the body of an ancient fish. The fish swims away and Max, still holding the line, is pulled along after him.
They come to an underwater cave. There, inside a grotto, are piles of multicolored eggs, varied in color and pattern like Easter eggs. There are hundreds of the eggs. The fish gestures to Max as if he is to choose one of the eggs. Max tentatively pokes at one and then the other, trying to discern which he should select. He touches one just a little too hard and it starts to crack. Maxs middle finger penetrates the egg....