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THREE FABLES
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THE WISH FISH
After the third rock she throws sinks, Princess stands up to wait.
“That’s it?” Steven asks.
“Yup.”
The large lumpy gray fish rises to the surface of the water.
“Princess?” the fish asks.
“I wish for strawberries,” she says.
The fish sighs. The strawberries appear.
“Not world peace?” asks the fish.
“Maybe next time.” She waves bye-bye and smiles.
The fish sinks back under the water.
“Why not wish for world peace?” asks Steven.
“I only get one wish a day,” she says. “I can’t ask for more wishes.”
“But you could have world peace.”
“And miss my fresh strawberries?”
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HORNETS
The young hornet found a patch of bare skin.
The girl’s scream satisfied him.
He circled and watched the girl run crying home.
“Now they’ll stay away.”
The old Queen felt sad when she heard the young hornet had stung unprovoked.
“We’ve seen the last of her,” bragged the young hornet. “She’ll tell the others to stay away.”
The old Queen shook her head. She’d liked this place. She gathered all those who would follow. The swarm rose.
“I’ve made it safe with my sting,” called the young hornet. “Anyone who wants can stay.”
At dusk the poison sprayers arrived.
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ONE DROP OR TWO
“One drop or two?” asks the seagull when he lands.
Clam’s polite and friendly.
“Do I have to pick first?” the clam asks. He thinks of tea and sugar lumps. He likes tea sweet.
“Yup,” says the seagull. He picks up the clam in his beak.
“Two, then.”
The gull flies high above the estuary. The tide’s out.
The clam has vertigo but wants to remain polite. Polite and friendly.
“Perhaps only one drop,” he says. “I don’t wish to appear greedy.”
The gull flaps higher still.
“Not so high,” says the clam.
“Not for long.”
The gull lets go.
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Thanks for reading.
Alice.
I like this short pieces a lot. I can’t decide which one is my favorite.
Bless you for getting up and reading my short fables so early in the morning.
I meant like “these.”
Maybe I need some coffee. . . .
I knew you meant that. I read right past typos. I make a lot.:-) Good morning.
I like your story and also the story written in response by Stephen Kellogg. So I wrote one as well.
Thanks very much. There is no greater complement than a response piece.