Here’s a short story of a little fish. Written by Jeen Cha.
The little fish lived in a great big ocean. From a very young age she learned to battle sharks and escape fishing nets. Although she was a very young fish, she had been through many experiences other, much older fish would never go through. This made the fish very knowledgeable about the world around her, and many other fish respected her for that.
During her life she met many other fish, but most of these fish were from small ponds in the backyards of humans. These fish would often seek guidance from this intelligent, young fish about how to face their fears, from the unknown dirt at the bottom of the pond to the great cats that would roam the edges. Although the young fish would listen, understand, and give council, she was often frustrated at how little other fish knew about the great big ocean world and at how little other fish would be able to understand her as she could understand them.
Then one day, this young fish met another young fish. They would talk to each other about their great adventures until she realized that the other young fish was just like her. He was not from a pond, since a pond fish’s greatest worry was about the giant cat that would roam the edges. He was not from a lake because a lake fish’s greatest worry was about the giant boats that would cause waves and try to catch the fish living in the lake. She realized that this fish was also from an ocean. They had both escaped from battles with sharks and they both boasted battle wounds. They had both escaped from human divers that would come to take their friends away. And they both had seen the marvelous beauty on the ocean floors that were painted with different sea plants and reefs. The young fish knew her ocean very well because in her short life, she had explored it all. Yet she realized that although the other fish was from an ocean as well, the sharks he had battled were different. The beauty he described were nowhere to be seen. Although he was from an ocean, it was a different ocean. She grew intrigued, and wanted to know more about the world outside. She wanted to know more about where he was from, and more about what his life was like living in that different ocean.
She was in love.
She dreamed of what it was like living in that other ocean. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, exploring the vast oceans and sharing adventures.
But the other fish didn’t feel the same way. He had lived in an ocean for far too long and would rather live in a pond. He didn’t want to know about the other ocean with its great dangers, and didn’t want to hear any of her many adventures. He told the young fish that he wished he could move to a little pond where danger was nowhere to be found, and live out the rest of his days there.
The young fish was heartbroken. Although she loved him, she couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life living cooped up in a tiny pond with no danger, adventure, and beauty. Although she loved him and couldn’t bear to part with him, she decided it was best to leave him to go and face the perils of the great oceans. She had grown up living in the dangerous waters alone, and she knew she could face them alone again. She was ready for her next adventure, and perhaps, someday, she would find another young fish like her that was ready to travel through those waters together.
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