"The Red Fish and the Children" Mimei Ogawa
In a river, fish lived quietly, their joyless lives occasionally brightened by the flowers that bloomed on the banks in spring. The trees stretched their branches over the water, reflecting red and pink blossoms on the river’s surface. The fish marveled at this beauty and longed for the world above the water. They dreamed of being reborn into such a world one day. The fish children, especially, were captivated, leaping toward the unreachable blossoms.
One day, the fish children begged their mother for the flowers. “Mother, we want those beautiful flowers!” they said. But their mother warned them, “Those flowers are meant to be admired from afar. Even if they fall into the water, you must never eat them.”
Curiosity filled the children. “Why, Mother? Why can’t we eat the petals if they fall?” one asked. The mother, thoughtful and serious, replied, “It has always been said that eating the flowers will change your body. It is best to avoid what should not be eaten.” But the children could not understand why such beautiful flowers should be forbidden.
As time passed, the fish children eagerly watched the flowers above, hoping for the day they would fall into the water. Their mother, however, worried deeply that her children would disobey her warnings. “I hope they don’t eat the flowers while I’m not looking,” she muttered to herself.
One day, as the wind blew, the flowers began to fall into the river. The fish were amazed by the sight. But the mother fish grew anxious, fearing her children might be tempted. As the petals floated down, three of the fish children couldn’t resist and swallowed the flowers.
The next day, their mother wept when she saw her children. The once black fish had turned bright red, and one had become spotted with red and white. The mother’s sorrow was understandable, for these three fish had become the most striking in the entire river. The water was so clear that they could easily be seen from above, making them vulnerable.
“Humans will surely catch you if they see you,” the mother warned, “So never rise to the surface.”
Children from the town started visiting the river every day to play, and one of them spotted red fish swimming in the water. “There’s a goldfish in the river!” exclaimed one of the children. Another child doubted, “How can a goldfish live in this river? It must be a carp.” Yet another suggested, “It’s not a carp, it’s a ghost!”
Despite their guesses, the children became determined to catch the mysterious red fish, returning to the river day after day. Meanwhile, their mothers grew concerned. “Why do you keep going to the river every day?” they scolded. “Because there are red fish!” the children replied.
The mothers warned them, “Those red fish have always lived in the river, but catching them is said to bring bad luck. You mustn’t go near the river.” Yet, the children paid no heed to the warnings and continued to linger by the riverbank, eager to catch the fish.
One day, the children finally managed to catch all three of the red fish and brought them home. “Mom, we caught the red fish!” they excitedly announced. Their mother looked at the small, delicate fish and said, “Oh, what sweet little fish! How sad their mother must be right now, worrying about them.”
“Do these fish have a mother too?” one of the children asked. “Of course,” their mother replied. “She must be very worried, wondering where her children have gone.”
Hearing this, the children felt sorry for the fish. “Should we let them go?” one of them suggested. “Yes, let’s release them into the big river outside town so no one else catches them,” another agreed. The children freed the three beautiful red fish in a larger river, but afterward, they began to wonder, “Will those red fish ever find their mother again?”
No one knew the answer. The children later returned to the river where they had caught the fish, but they never saw the red fish again.
As summer evenings came, red, fish-shaped clouds often drifted over the pointed tower of the town. Every time the children saw them, they felt a tinge of sadness.