Deep, deep in the oceanâwhere the water is inky black and sunlight is just a dreamâlived a little fish named Max. But Max wasnât 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, âWhatâs it really like up there?â
One day, he asked his wise crab friend, who was chilling on a rock.
âItâs bright, warm, and full of humans,â the crab warned. âAnd humans arenât friendlyâthey catch us in nets!â
A nearby jellyfish jiggled nervously. âHumans scare me!â
And a swordfish swished his fin. âI once got tangled in a net! It was a mess!â
But Max just swirled with excitement. âIt sounds magical! I want to see the sunshine and maybe even meet a kind human!â
âToo risky!â the crab grumbled.
But Max couldnât stop dreaming. So one day, he wiggled his fins and swamâŚ
upâŚ
upâŚ
UP!
The water sparkled more the higher he went. ThenâSPLASH!âhe 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, âLook! A magical fish!â
Her brother grinned. âLetâs catch it!â Their dad nodded and tossed a line toward Max.
Max tilted his head. âWhatâs that stringy thing?â He floated closerâŚ
But then the girl shouted, âSwim away, shiny fish! Donât get caught!â
With a swirl of his tail, Max zipped away just in time. He gave the girl one last sparkly smileâand she beamed back at him.
Max dove back into the deep sea, heart full of joy. This time, the darkness didnât seem so dark.
When he reached home, his friends surrounded him, cheering.
âHowâd you escape?â asked the crab.
Max grinned. âA human girl saved me. She didnât want to catch meâshe just wanted to be my friend.â
And from that day on, whenever anyone said humans were scary, Max would flip his fins and say,
âSome might beâbut some are just waiting to smile back.â