Shelby the Nervous Fish
© 2005 Familyman
As you know from the title of this book, Shelby was a nervous fish. When at school, he was worried about what he was going to do after school. When he was home, he was worried what would happen the next day at school. To be honest, Shelby found all of this worrying exhausting, but he didn’t know how to go about living any other way. So, each morning, he tried to put on his best smile and make it through another day.
One morning, Shelby woke up to find himself pressed up against the smooth scales of dozens of other goldfish. It seemed like he was swimming in fish, not water. A large goldfish bumped into Shelby.
“Oooff!”
“Sorry about that, young fry,” said the old fish. “There’s just not enough elbow room in here for a big old carp like me,” he added with a smile.
Shelby cleared his throat. “Excuse me, sir,” Shelby said, rather sheepishly. “Do you know what is going to happen next?”
“Next? What about right now, my boy? You should think about finding your own thimbleful of water with all of these fish about. We’ll know soon enough what we’re in for.”
The old fish’s answer did not make Shelby feel much better, but at least he now had someone to talk to who was going through the same thing. Shelby made sure to stick close to the old fish.
After a time, he did not know how long, for fish do not have wrists to hold watches, a panic broke out among the fish above them. In a flash, dozens of fish were frantically flailing their fins trying to squeeze past them.
“What’s happening?” yelped Shelby.
Before the old fish could reply, he was snared in a net and dragged away toward the surface.
“Be brave, young lad!” bellowed the old fish. “We’ll make it through this together!”
A thousand worried thoughts raced through Shelby’s head, and his tummy felt like it would explode with butterflies.
“How can he help me if I’m in here and he’s out there?” wondered Shelby.
This question no longer mattered when a giant pink hand closed around Shelby’s body.
“Help! I’m going to be eaten!” screamed Shelby, as the water slipped out of the hand holding him. Shelby’s mouth opened wide. He was gasping for water.
“Don’t worry,” yelled the old fish from somewhere below him.
“Where are you, I can’t see you,” pleaded Shelby.
“Down here in my own pond. You’ll be fine, just hold on a little longer!”
Shelby peeked out between two enormous fingers to see row after row of small fishbowls. Without warning, the hand unceremoniously plopped him into the bowl next to the old fish.
Shelby felt much better now that he was back in deliciously wet water.
“Finally, some space!” exclaimed the old fish, as he swam in a lazy circle.
“Why are we here?” asked Shelby
“Good question, but I don’t think we’re going to be lunch. There was an old legend about people swallowing us whole, but that was well before I was born. People don’t have a taste for us,” replied the old fish. “I hear they like to look at us. It calms them down.”
Shelby noticed a large group of young humans staring and pointing at him. All of a sudden a large white something was being thrown his way.
“They’re throwing stones at us!” he screamed, as he dove to the bottom of the bowl. The round rock broke the surface of the water, but instead of smashing into Shelby, it floated back to the top.
Another rock plopped into the old fish’s pond. He laughed. He was delighted. “It’s some sort of game! They’re not trying to hurt us.”
A little girl peered into the side of Shelby’s bowl, her face stretched wide by the curve of the glass. Shelby shrank back as far as he could. Then he saw her big smile that was missing a few teeth on the top and many on the bottom. Shelby, despite being scared, started to giggle. He couldn’t help it. Then he started to laugh—loudly. Not a mean laugh—but, truth be told, the girl’s sweet smile and missing teeth were just plain funny. And before you knew it, the old fish caught a glimpse of what was going on and was howling, too.
Shelby and the old fish were too busy laughing to notice that they were both poured into the same plastic bag. They settled down when they noticed the earth moving below them, as their blob of water swayed back and forth in the air. Shelby had never before seen so many new things — animals, trees, buildings, cars, trucks, buses, and people of all shapes, sizes, and colors — and was so amazed at what he was seeing that he forgot to be nervous. And he wasn’t thinking about what was coming next. He was simply living in the now, and he was happy.
Shelby and the old fish ended up in a well-kept tank belonging to the girl named Finny. Like everyone, Shelby had his good days and bad days, when he’d hide in the plants that looked like they were dancing in slow motion. But the good days far outweighed the bad, and Shelby, with help from his good friend the old fish (whose name was Harry) lived, as they say in the storybooks, happily ever after.
As you know from the title of this book, Shelby was a nervous fish. When at school, he was worried about what he was going to do after school. When he was home, he was worried what would happen the next day at school. To be honest, Shelby found all of this worrying exhausting, but he didn’t know how to go about living any other way. So, each morning, he tried to put on his best smile and make it through another day.
One morning, Shelby woke up to find himself pressed up against the smooth scales of dozens of other goldfish. It seemed like he was swimming in fish, not water. A large goldfish bumped into Shelby.
“Oooff!”
“Sorry about that, young fry,” said the old fish. “There’s just not enough elbow room in here for a big old carp like me,” he added with a smile.
Shelby cleared his throat. “Excuse me, sir,” Shelby said, rather sheepishly. “Do you know what is going to happen next?”
“Next? What about right now, my boy? You should think about finding your own thimbleful of water with all of these fish about. We’ll know soon enough what we’re in for.”
The old fish’s answer did not make Shelby feel much better, but at least he now had someone to talk to who was going through the same thing. Shelby made sure to stick close to the old fish.
After a time, he did not know how long, for fish do not have wrists to hold watches, a panic broke out among the fish above them. In a flash, dozens of fish were frantically flailing their fins trying to squeeze past them.
“What’s happening?” yelped Shelby.
Before the old fish could reply, he was snared in a net and dragged away toward the surface.
“Be brave, young lad!” bellowed the old fish. “We’ll make it through this together!”
A thousand worried thoughts raced through Shelby’s head, and his tummy felt like it would explode with butterflies.
“How can he help me if I’m in here and he’s out there?” wondered Shelby.
This question no longer mattered when a giant pink hand closed around Shelby’s body.
“Help! I’m going to be eaten!” screamed Shelby, as the water slipped out of the hand holding him. Shelby’s mouth opened wide. He was gasping for water.
“Don’t worry,” yelled the old fish from somewhere below him.
“Where are you, I can’t see you,” pleaded Shelby.
“Down here in my own pond. You’ll be fine, just hold on a little longer!”
Shelby peeked out between two enormous fingers to see row after row of small fishbowls. Without warning, the hand unceremoniously plopped him into the bowl next to the old fish.
Shelby felt much better now that he was back in deliciously wet water.
“Finally, some space!” exclaimed the old fish, as he swam in a lazy circle.
“Why are we here?” asked Shelby
“Good question, but I don’t think we’re going to be lunch. There was an old legend about people swallowing us whole, but that was well before I was born. People don’t have a taste for us,” replied the old fish. “I hear they like to look at us. It calms them down.”
Shelby noticed a large group of young humans staring and pointing at him. All of a sudden a large white something was being thrown his way.
“They’re throwing stones at us!” he screamed, as he dove to the bottom of the bowl. The round rock broke the surface of the water, but instead of smashing into Shelby, it floated back to the top.
Another rock plopped into the old fish’s pond. He laughed. He was delighted. “It’s some sort of game! They’re not trying to hurt us.”
A little girl peered into the side of Shelby’s bowl, her face stretched wide by the curve of the glass. Shelby shrank back as far as he could. Then he saw her big smile that was missing a few teeth on the top and many on the bottom. Shelby, despite being scared, started to giggle. He couldn’t help it. Then he started to laugh—loudly. Not a mean laugh—but, truth be told, the girl’s sweet smile and missing teeth were just plain funny. And before you knew it, the old fish caught a glimpse of what was going on and was howling, too.
Shelby and the old fish were too busy laughing to notice that they were both poured into the same plastic bag. They settled down when they noticed the earth moving below them, as their blob of water swayed back and forth in the air. Shelby had never before seen so many new things — animals, trees, buildings, cars, trucks, buses, and people of all shapes, sizes, and colors — and was so amazed at what he was seeing that he forgot to be nervous. And he wasn’t thinking about what was coming next. He was simply living in the now, and he was happy.
Shelby and the old fish ended up in a well-kept tank belonging to the girl named Finny. Like everyone, Shelby had his good days and bad days, when he’d hide in the plants that looked like they were dancing in slow motion. But the good days far outweighed the bad, and Shelby, with help from his good friend the old fish (whose name was Harry) lived, as they say in the storybooks, happily ever after.
posted by Steve from Moon at 7:11 PM
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