Fish Tales

A fish story from a reliable source

Once upon a time in a kingdom not far from here, a beautiful little girl and her handsome father were invited to a Valentine’s Day dance. This wasn't their first father/daughter dance, for they had been attending the Valentine dance at a local establishment since the girl was quite young. This time, however, things would be different.

In years’ past, the dance had proven to be a disappointment for the little girl. For sure, she was never disappointed in her dress, because each February the girl’s mother bought her a new red dress for the special occasion. And she was never disappointed in her dancing, because her legs could dance all night. Of course, her father never disappointed her; she loved him with all her heart. No, she was disappointed, because she never won any of the contests. She and her father participated in all of them, but she never won—not once—not ever. This year, the little girl was determined that she and her father were going to win all the contests—or at least one of them.

Every afternoon for quite some days, the little girl hid away in the basement. She ran; she danced; she practiced quickly putting on a tutu and a tiara. She would be ready when the time came.

One night, her father came home from work a little early and asked his wife, “Where is my beautiful little girl?”

“Oh, she is in the basement,” replied his lovely wife. “She has her heart set on winning a contest at the dance.”

The handsome father tiptoed down the basement stairs and found his little girl working very hard.

“Daddy, come and watch me.”

The father considered the situation. Yes, it was time; time for the little girl to learn about competition.

“You see,” he explained carefully, “there are only two kinds of people—winners and losers. The winner gets the prize, and the losers get a ‘thanks for coming’.”

The little girl’s big blue eyes widened. This year the prize was a gold fish, and she wanted it. A ‘thanks for coming’ wouldn’t do at all.

For days, the little girl and her father practiced in the basement, and for days the little girl listened to her father explain competition and the difference between winners and losers. After all, he “wasn’t brought up in a family that believed everyone should get a trophy!”

The night of the Valentine’s Day Dance finally arrived. The little girl was ready. Her red dress fit perfectly and the big red bow held her hair back from her sweet face. Her father kissed her softly as they left home.

The beautiful little girl and her handsome father danced and danced. When it was time for the contests to begin, the little girl was ready. This year she wasn’t going home empty-handed; this year she was going home with the gold fish.

The announcer called for the girls to line up for the “Tutus and Tiaras” contest. He blew the whistle, and all the girls ran across the room. Well, not all. One stood very still, unable to move. The beautiful little girl, so intent on winning just moments before, burst into tears.

Later that evening, the little girl introduced her mother to her two new goldfish, Marina and Keeki, while her father set up her new pink aquarium. He was so glad the pet store had been open.

And they lived happily ever after.

March 15, 2013