Ferris Fish's Day Off

There once was a little goldfish with no name, no home, no food, and no love. He spent his days in a plastic bag, one of many in a pail at the fair. "Sink a ball, win a fish!" And there the little fish sat, waiting, with no food, no air, and no light.

There once was a little boy who had many things. He had a name, he had a home, he had food, and he definitely had love. He also had a little sister who just loved rides. But the little boy had one other thing . . . a great fear of rides.

One sunny evening, the little boy went to the fair with his sister. His sister saw many rides and longed to go on them, but she was not yet tall enough to ride alone. She needed a companion. She begged and begged her fearful brother. At first, the little boy said no, he was too afraid. Then the little girl stopped him and asked again. They happened to stop in front of the little fish game.

Then they got an idea. He would go on the ride with her if she would then help him win a fish. So the brother and the sister went on the ride. The sister squealed and giggled with delight while her brother closed his eyes tight, held on even tighter, and waited for the ride to be over, thinking of the fish waiting for him.

After the ride, the boy and the girl hurried over to the fish game. They bought a whole pail of balls to throw, but they only needed just one, for first ball the boy threw went right in the empty fish bowl. He won his fish. How excited he was as he received the plastic bag containing a little water, a little air, and a little fish.

The boy named the fish, Ferris, and made him a very happy home in a bowl on the windowsill in the sunshine where he got lots of air, lots of food, and lots of love.

And Ferris and the little boy lived happily ever after.

























(That's my fish, Olive Oil, in the corner there; he's been living on my kitchen windowsill for a while now . . . we'll talk about him another day.)