My brother has always been a good storyteller, especially when it comes to telling jokes. One day, my friend Auzzie, my brother, Alec, and I were sitting on the back porch telling funny stories to each other when Alec raised his hand for silence. He immediately recieved it as he opened his mouth to speak,

"This is a clever one I heard the other day"

Auzzie and I leaned forward in anticipation because we both were aware of my brother's comedic abilities. He made sure we were both listening intently before beginning his joke:

"Once upon a time, there was a small fish named Alfred swimming in the vast ocean. He had been swimming for days and was starting to get a little weary so he began his search for a place to stay for the night. He noticed a majestic coral reef several feet ahead and made his way towards it. As he approached it, a large catfish darted out and blocked his entry, informing him that there was a hefty price to pay if he wanted to stay at this particularly elegant reef. When Alfred revealed to the catfish that he was just a poor wanderer, the catfish scoffed and asked him to leave. Alfred begged to be given a bed because his wife was pregnant and she was due within the next couple days. He had gone on a mission to find some nourishment for his lady in waiting because she had already gobbled up the stores he had been gathering for months. But the catfish felt no pity and sent him on his way. By the time he returned to his wife, she had already given birth to five-hundred little fishies....

At this point my brother stopped talking, looked at our faces, and started cracking up laughing. Auzzie and i just stared at Alec in bewilderment, waiting for the punchline and our cue to start laughing with him, but it never came. Just his incessant tittering.

Eventually he calmed down enough to get a couple words out that were barely understandeable.

"Made....it...up.... hehhahwhhahwh"

Then it dawned on us. My brother had made the whole thing up, creating it as he went and we were sucked right into it.

The only thing we could do was start laughing with my brother until all of us had aching ribs and tears streaming down our faces.