Underneath the lake’s deep blue, the little pretty fish missed her long talks. She missed what the Bird told her about the cheese lakes of the moon and the soft fluff of the clouds. He told her that once he had ridden straight in the eye of the storm and landed on a black cloud that poured water on its other end. The landing was mild but for long, the Bird was stuck on the cloud because his large wing was dotted with water beads.
The little fish also missed how the yellow beak of the Bird moved, as he shared his tales and described his nest, high up in the mountains. She noticed how his sharp eye moved a million times in a second. Every day, the little fish requested the Bird to fly over the lake’s parameter and tell her what lay on the other side of the water.
The Bird told her that vast green expanses peppered with bright colored flowers lay at the lake’s borders. Little boats also sailed on the far end of the lake. And when she inquired about the fishing nets, the bird waved them away, narrating about the area’s safety in the name of something called, ‘wild conservation.’
Through their talks, the little fish learned that her knowledge was indeed shallow, and she knew nothing about the beauty of the outside world. All her life, she had been scared to explore too. One day, however, she promised the Bird to travel to the other end of the lake. The Bird, in turn, promised to guarantee her safety just in case any fishing net came along their way.
As the icebergs weakened with the arrival of spring, the pretty fish hurried to the surface. The young ones were still afraid of the cold but this particular fish raced ahead, cutting through the surface. Her love and curiosity fueled her courage. At the water’s surface, the Bird and the fish’s friendship was restored and the conversations continued, all to the peace of the little fish.
Soon the fish also learned about the mutual feelings of love that the Bird harbored for her. Life was all too good, the fish thought and relished in the warmth of the fast-approaching summer. One day, while still traveling without her school, the little fish headed for the surface with her friend. She shied away but the little fish pushed her forward. The golden fish’s friend knew all about the Bird and vice versa.
The particular evening, the Bird excepted his lover to come with her friend. He was prepared to greet them but just as the fishes surfaced, something scooped them whole. Within a tiny, fortunate second, the golden fish’s friend slipped through the holes of the fishing net. She turned around to hold her friend before she fell back into the lake. Even before she landed in the water. However, the fish had been gripped by the Bird’s sharp beak.
In an instant, the pretty little fish realized that her friend was out of air, pushed to her death by the Bird she considered her friend and lover. She also realized that the big brown Bird had seen all that coming, he knew about the fishing net, yet he betrayed her. A small smile spread across the bird’s face, as the humans lowered the little golden fish into their small water container.
Through the thick glass layer of the container, the fish saw that there were no boats or greenery. Instead, there were brown fields of hay that surrounded the lake. There were no flowers and no colors. The big, brown Bird had lied to her, all to lure her to the surface and to fetch two fishes with one stone. He had only partially failed. But the little fish in her new cage grew paranoid of all the birds.
Instead of realizing that it was the eagles that were not to be fallen for, the fish lost all hope in love. In all her prisoner life, she never fell in love again.
