Deep, deep in the ocean—where the water is inky black and sunlight is just a dream—lived a little fish named Max. But Max wasn’t like the other gloomy deep-sea creatures. No way! Max was a burst of joy with shiny, rainbow-colored scales and a smile as bright as moonlight on the waves.
Though he had never seen the sky, the sun, or even felt the breeze, Max always wondered, “What’s it really like up there?”
One day, he asked his wise crab friend, who was chilling on a rock.
“It’s bright, warm, and full of humans,” the crab warned. “And humans aren’t friendly—they catch us in nets!”
A nearby jellyfish jiggled nervously. “Humans scare me!”
And a swordfish swished his fin. “I once got tangled in a net! It was a mess!”
But Max just swirled with excitement. “It sounds magical! I want to see the sunshine and maybe even meet a kind human!”
“Too risky!” the crab grumbled.
But Max couldn’t stop dreaming. So one day, he wiggled his fins and swam…
up…
up…
UP!
The water sparkled more the higher he went. Then—SPLASH!—he broke through the surface and gasped in wonder. The sky was a giant blue blanket, the breeze tickled his fins, and the golden sunlight made him shine like a treasure.
On a nearby boat, a little girl saw him and squealed, “Look! A magical fish!”
Her brother grinned. “Let’s catch it!” Their dad nodded and tossed a line toward Max.
Max tilted his head. “What’s that stringy thing?” He floated closer…
But then the girl shouted, “Swim away, shiny fish! Don’t get caught!”
With a swirl of his tail, Max zipped away just in time. He gave the girl one last sparkly smile—and she beamed back at him.
Max dove back into the deep sea, heart full of joy. This time, the darkness didn’t seem so dark.
When he reached home, his friends surrounded him, cheering.
“How’d you escape?” asked the crab.
Max grinned. “A human girl saved me. She didn’t want to catch me—she just wanted to be my friend.”
And from that day on, whenever anyone said humans were scary, Max would flip his fins and say,
“Some might be—but some are just waiting to smile back.”
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