TERRY THE DELINQUENT SCHOOL FISH

TERRY, THE DELINQUENT SCHOOL FISH

Terry Tetra was a curious baby schooling fish. He lived in the deep blue sea with his four brothers and mother. Terry didn’t like schooling. He thought it was a waste of time to be swimming around all day in a large school with the other fish. He imagined there was much more excitement and things to see out there in the amazing deep blue sea yet to be discovered. One morning when Mama Tetra woke Terry up for school Terry found it bothersome and yelled,‘’But I don’t wanna go to school.’ Pouting and flapping his fins while looking at Momma and his four brothers. “ But we are schooling fish, that’s what we do his mother said. Even I go to school,” Terry frowned and said, “ I will never get out of school. “ Momma Tetra gave Terry an understanding look but announced they would be leaving soon. “ The school is the safest place for a little fry like you, “ Mama said. She hurried the boys along and off to school they all went.

On the way to the fish stop Mama Tetra was the leader of the pack. Terry lagged far behind his four brothers feeling horrible about spending another long , boring and hated day schooling. He wanted some excitement. At the fish stop there were other fish families waiting. When the large school of fish arrived, Terry’s mom and four brothers and the other fish families joined the school and swam off. All except Terry , who gleefully swam unnoticed in the other direction. Delighted to be alone for the first time in the deep blue sea, and unhurried Terry began to look around. The sea was a spectacular place to be. So many wonderful sea creatures with brilliant colors . Terry saw a beautiful mandarinfish with stunning colors of orange, bright blue and yellow. She was swimming alone. Terry wondered why she was not in school. Terry went up to the mandarinfish and introduced himself “ hello I’m Terry, why aren’t you in school? He curiously asked. The mandarinfish looked surprised. “ I don’t go to school, who are you the school police?” She replied. “ Oh no worries, your secrets safe with me’” The mandarinfish looked puzzled. “Wanna hang out?” Terry asked. “If you promise not to be a pest, I’m Mandy” said the mandarinfish. Terry promised Mandy and the two swam away together.

It wasn’t long before Terry and Mandy came across an emperor angel fish. Terry couldn’t believe his eyes. Another splendid fish. Its colors were dark blue with white rings around his body. Terry swam ahead of Mandy. Approaching the emperor angel fish, Terry again introduced himself. “ Hi I’m Terry , why aren’t you in school, “ he asked? The emperor angel fish looked up. He was surprised to be asked such a question. “I am not a schooling fish, who are you the school police? ‘ Then Mandy spoke up and said , “ No but I think he thinks he is , “ she said rolling her eyes. “ Not so, said Terry, but no worries your secret is safe with me. “ Terry invited the emperor angel fish ; whose name was Saint to hang out with him and Mandy. Terry told him he could expect a day of fun and adventure . Saint was bored and said why not so deciding to accept the worthwhile offer and the three of them swam off together.

Terry was having a great day away from school. The deep blue sea was dazzling. And for the first time in his life he had met other fish that was not in his school. Terry, Saint, and Mandy were swimming along having the time of their lives. When suddenly Terry looked up and saw a clown trigger fish. Her polka dots were fascinating. Terry stopped swimming and went up to the clown trigger fish and invited her to join in their play. “ Why aren’t you in school, Terry asked the clown trigger fish . She looked up and said, “ Why aren’t you in school? Terri was shocked. This was the first time he had been asked that question. So he replied like the others” I don’t go to school, Terry said. The clown trigger fish found that surprising. He looked just like the other school of fish she had seen. Why just seconds earlier she had passed a large school of them. And they had all looked like Terry. Except Terry looked quite small to be swimming alone in the deep blue sea. The clown trigger fish repeated what he said” You don’t go to school?” ‘Well, I don’t anymore, said Terry. Suddenly that huge school of fish swam by. Terry saw his mom and four brothers swimming among the other fish in the school. Quickly Terry hid behind his three new friends. When the school had passed by, Terry looked smug and asked, “What’s your name?

“I’m Dotty, “ the clown fish replied. Terry invited Dotty to join in a day of fun. And so Dotty,Saint, Mandy and Terry swam off to have a good time. They swam in and out of the beautiful coral reefs. They played games of tag and of chase. Terry got so excited during a game of chase and not looking where he was going collided right into a rainbow fish. What phenomenal color it had. Why it must have been every color in the deep blue sea . Catching the rainbow fish by surprise it turned around and abruptly said, “Hey watch were you going? That’s when Saint shouted out and said, “ Who do you think you are , the police of the Sea? “ No, the rainbow fish replied , just the police of me.” Terry apologized for the trespass. “What’s your name, he asked?” “I’m Beau, no offense meant,” Beau said. “ None taken,” replied Terry. Beau too was invited and joined the dandy quad. That’s when Saint suggested a game of hide and seek. They would all hide and Terry would go seek and find. Terry had been having a glorious adventure out of school in the deep blue Sea with his new friends. It was everything he had imagined so far. Never once thinking of the danger that existed just around the corner. Terry closed his eyes and began to count,” One, two, three, four…” his eyes wide shut, didn’t see the atrocious great white shark coming in his direction. The others panicked, Mandy, Saint, Dotty and Beau seeing the impending danger and took no time to warn Terry; all split up in different directions. In the mean time…

It was the end of the day, the school returned to the fish stop,Momma Tetra Found only four of her juveniles instead of five. She had not noticed that Terry was missing in the school of fish. Instantly She gathered her other young fish and returned them to the bubble nest for safekeeping and went in search of Terry. Somewhere out in the deep blue…

“Five, six, seven,” Terry went on before feeling a sense of foreboding and opening his eyes in the nick of time. And catching sight of the open mouth of the great white sharks teeth closing down on his tail was horrifying! SNAP! The sound of the great white sharks jaws. Terry, swam in lightening speed taking cover under a coral rock just barely escaping the danger. Today had been spectacular till now. For the first time in the deep blue sea, Terry was feeling a case of the heebie-jeebies. Now realizing the trouble that he had gotten himself in outside of the school in this big ocean. Where were his new friends? Had the great white shark eaten Mandy, Saint, Dotty, and Beau? The game of fun had suddenly come to an end. Mandy from her hiding spot saw the coral that Terry had hid underneath. She waited till the tense moment of uncertainty had passed before coming out. “Terry, shouted Mandy, are you okay?” The terrified Terry was shaking in his fins. He answered back,”I think so,” as he swam from his hiding place. “That was a close call,” Mandy said. The jittery Terry asked,” Yes it was, where are are the others?’ Just then Saint, Dotty and Beau showed up. Coming together again and grateful to see all his friends alive and well, Saint said, Just another ordinary day of trying to survive in the deep blue sea.” Ordinary day Terry thought to himself. It had been the scariest thing ever. “This is a dangerous part of the deep blue, we had better get out of here,” said Dotty. “Good idea,” said Beau. So they all left the area in search of safer waters.

Terry’s mother searched everywhere for her juvenile. She asked a crab and a octopus if they had seen Terry. “No,” they both replied. She asked a lion fish. The lion fish said he had seen a little juvenile earlier that day with a mandarinfish. He told momma tetra they had headed out further in the deep blue sea. Feeling anxious but less distressed she headed out further into the deep blue sea. It wasn’t long before she swam into Terry, Saint, Mandy, Dotty and Beau. So happy to find her juvenile, she covered him with fishes kisses. The uneasiness left, and Terry was overjoyed to see his mama. “ I thought he was too small to be out here in the deep blue sea all alone,” said Dotty as she watched the blissful reunion. It had been an exhilarating day. Terry said goodbye to all his new friends, realizing he wasn’t ready for an ordinary day alone in the deep blue sea. They were sad to see him go. But Terry was happy to be headed home with mama and to his four brothers. Mama hoped Terry had learned the importance of listening. He had and never complained about another day of schooling again. After all , at school he was still in the beautiful deep blue sea. And when he would pass Mandy, Saint, Dotty and Beau out in the deep blue sea while in school, they would always wave.

The end