The Little Black Fish

Author: Samed Behrengi
Translation: Poe-Artificial Intelligence
Editing: Yahya Türkeli
Cover Illustration: Damla Tort
E-ısbn: 978-625-6020-39-9

No part of this work, in whole or in part, may be used without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

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The Little Black Fish

The old fish had gathered thousands of children and grandchildren around him, telling them a story.

“Once upon a time, there was a little black fish living in a river with its mother. Their home was behind a black stone under a roof of moss. At night, they would sleep here. It was impossible for them to see the moonlight from their home. The little black fish longed to see the moonlight from home at night.”

In the morning, the mother and her fry would wander together until evening. Occasionally, they would encounter other fish. To protect themselves from danger, they would retreat and swim in narrow spaces.

The little black fish was the only one that survived from the ten thousand eggs laid by its mother.

For a few days, the little black fish had been silent, speaking very little with its mother. It was reluctantly going back and forth from one side to the other. Most of the time, it lagged behind its mother. The mother thought her fry was suffering from a temporary illness…

One morning, the little black fish woke its mother early,

“Mother, I want to talk to you a little,” it said.

Its mother, sleepy, replied,

“My dear, can't you find another time to talk? Let's talk later. It's best if we go out for a bit now.”

The little black fish said,

“No, mother, I don't want to wander anymore. I want to leave here.”

The mother asked,

“Do you have to go?”

The little black fish insisted,

“Yes, mother, I want to go.”

The mother asked,

“Where do you want to go so early in the morning?”

The little black fish replied,

“I want to see the end of this river. You know, I've been thinking about it for a long time. Where does the end of the river lead? I couldn't sleep all night. I decided to go see the end of the river. In the meantime, I'm really curious about what's happening in other places.”

With a smile, the mother said,

“When I was little, I used to think like you. The river has no beginning or end. It keeps flowing and doesn’t go anywhere.”

The little black fish replied,

“But, mother, don't you say that everything has an end? The end of the night, the day, the week, the month, even the years...”

The mother, entering into the little black fish’s thoughts, said,

“Stop with these big words. Let's go out for a little walk. Now is the time for a stroll!”

The little black fish responded,

“No, mother, I'm tired of these strolls. I want to go see other places and learn what's happening. You might think someone taught these words to the little fish, but I want you to know that I've been thinking about this for a long time. However, I've learned many things from others.”

Meanwhile, a big fish approached their home,

“Neighbor, why are you arguing with your child? What's the matter? Surely you don't want to go out today?”

As soon as the mother fish heard the neighbor's voice, she came out of the house,

“How times have changed. Children are trying to teach their mothers,” she said.

Neighbor,

“What do you mean?”

Mother fish,

“Look at where this little one wants to go! He keeps insisting that he wants to see what's happening in the world! He's speaking big words for someone so small!”

Neighbor,

“When did the little one become so knowledgeable? We had no idea!”

Little Black Fish,

“Ma'am, I don't know who you're calling knowledgeable. I'm just tired of swimming in a narrow space. I don't want to waste my life growing old in one place like you. I don't want to remain ignorant.”

Neighbor,

“Wow, wow, wow!... Look at the words!”

Mother fish,

“I never thought my child would turn out like this. A foolish one has influenced my dear child's mind without my knowing.”

Little Black Fish,

“No one has influenced my mind. I have a mind; I think. I have eyes; I see what’s happening.”

The neighbor said to Little Black Fish's mother,

“Sister, do you remember that snail?”

Mother,

“Yes, I remember. That child never left you alone.”

Little Black Fish,

“Mom, that was my friend.”

Mother,

“I've never heard of a friendship between a fish and a snail.”

Little Black Fish,

“I've never heard or seen a rivalry between a fish and a snail either. Don’t blame him; he has no fault...”

Hearing their argument, other fish from the surroundings came over. One of the older fish said,

“Do you think we will pity you?”

Another fish,

“A little ear-pulling will be enough!”

Mother of Little Black Fish,

“Step aside! Step aside! No one touch my child!”

Another fish,

“Ma'am, you're not raising your child properly. You will bear the consequences of his mistakes.”

Neighbor,

“I'm ashamed to be your neighbor.”

Another fish,

“Before things get out of hand, let's send him to the old snail.”

When the big fish came to catch Little Black Fish, his friends protected him. Meanwhile, Little Black Fish slipped away.

His mother began to cry out in despair,

“Oh dear... my child is slipping away, what will I do now?”

Little Black Fish called from a distance,

“Mom! Don't cry for me; cry for the fate of these old fish!”

One of the fish shouted from afar,

“Little one, don’t insult us!”

Second fish,

“If you feel regret and want to come back, we won’t let you!”

Third fish,

“These are just youthful whims; don’t go!”

Fourth fish,

“You didn’t like this place, did you?”

Fifth fish,

“There’s no other world; this is the world, turn back!”

Sixth fish,

“If you regret and come back, I’ll understand that you’re a wise fish.”

Seventh fish,

“We got used to seeing you...”

His mother, with a sad and tearful voice,

“Don’t go... Please don’t go!”

Little Fish ignored the meaningless words spoken and left with a few friends. They accompanied him to the waterfall.

As his friends were about to part, Little

Black Fish said,

“Friends, goodbye! Don’t forget me.”

His friends replied,

“How could we forget you? You woke us from our slumber. You taught us things we couldn’t comprehend. Farewell, our smart and brave friend!”

Little Black Fish jumped from the waterfall and fell into a large lake. At first, he was scared, but after a while, he overcame his fear and started exploring the lake. Until that day, he had never seen a lake. In the lake, he saw thousands of frogs and their tadpoles. As soon as the frogs spotted Little Black Fish, they began to mock him,

“Look at you! What kind of