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It was quiet under the sea. Bubbles
of air floated to the surface, as did pieces of seaweed. The school of
fish swam about moving through the water in a tight group. They seemed to
be facing the same direction as they circled about, all except one fish.
His name was Archibald and he never seemed to get it right. If the school
were swimming to the left, Archibald would swim to the right. If they
headed up toward the surface, Archibald swam down to the dark depths
below.
"Why are you always swimming the
wrong direction?" Timothy Fish asked. "If you don’t stay with the school,
you’ll be eaten by a shark, or an octopus."
Archibald blew an air bubble and
watched as it made its way to the surface. "It’s crowded. Why should I
always do everything the same as the rest of you? I like being different."
He blew another bubble and giggled.
"One day, Archibald, you’re going to
find yourself in big trouble. You’ve got to stay with the school," Timothy
warned and swam away with the others.
Archibald swam over to the oyster
bed. He started poking at them with his fins. "Wake up, sleepy heads," he
teased. The oysters weren’t happy. Archibald was so busy teasing the
oysters that he didn’t see the long tentacle as it reached to grab him.
Suddenly he felt it wrap around his body. "Help! Help!" he shouted. He
looked into the octopus’s eyes. "Don’t eat me!"
"Why not? You’re not with your
school. You like to swim alone. I’ve been watching you for some time now,
waiting for a chance to grab you and eat you for supper," Oliver Octopus
sneered. "When the school of fish goes to the right, you go to the left.
When they head down to the bottom, you swim up to the surface. You’re
different, and different tastes good. Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Oliver pulled the fish towards his
mouth. Archibald was just about to be eaten when the entire school of fish
swarmed around the octopus. "Let go of him!" Timothy said, hitting the
octopus with his tail. The other fish did the same and soon Oliver let go
of Archibald. "Quick, Archibald. Follow us!"
Archibald didn’t hesitate. He swam
with the school until they were far away from danger. From that moment on
Archibald stayed close to the others. If they swam to the left, he swam to
the left. If they swam to the right, he swam to the right. It was much
safer in a school than being alone! |
