Stories From The Old Attic | Page 7

such an event would be a miracle, and science has nothing to

do with miracles."
"Then perhaps science is the poorer for it," said the traveler, sitting
down to watch his television, which just then happened to be showing a
dove flying silently across the sky.

A Fish Story
The bright sun and the gentle wind had made the little fish almost bold
that summer day, enough so that they were swimming all over the pond,
from their home in the reeds at one end to the rocky beach at the other.
Or at least they swam very near to the rocky beach--as near as they
dared--for all the older fish constantly warned them to stay away. Some
of the dangers were clear enough, such as the wading birds who
stepped into the shallow water, hoping to pluck out a little fish and
swallow him right down, and the foxes, whose gigantic teeth were too
awful even to think about. But there were other evils that were not so
distinct. Hideous and unimaginable these were, with tales of fish
swimming into the area and never to be heard from again, vague reports
of sudden disappearances, and some hysterical tales, impossible to
make sense of, of leaping shadows, wild splashings, worms flying
through the water, and such like.
The dangers of the rocky beach could not quite be isolated in the minds
of the little fish, so that they felt a general sense of impending doom
whenever they swam more than a few feet from home. That is why, one
day when three little fish met each other suddenly among the reeds,
they were all momentarily startled. But soon they began talking and
relaxed a little. "This is a wonderful pond," said one. "It's so big. But
I've never been this far away from home before."
"Me either," said another. "I just hope we're safe here in these reeds."
"I do too," agreed the third. "You never know where an enemy may
come from."
"And you can't be too careful," added the first.

"By the way," said one, "my name is Swimmy Fish. What's yours?"
"Finny Fish," said another.
"I'm Chirpy Bird," said the third.
Swimmy Fish and Finny Fish gave a start, looked at each other with
surprise and terror, and then swam off in opposite directions as fast as
they could. "Wait!" cried Chirpy Bird. "What's wrong? Come back!"
He looked around anxiously, himself frightened by their fright, though
he could see no sign of danger anywhere. But their fear hung over the
area, so he decided to swim toward home, at more than his usual speed.
He had not gone very far when he saw several adult fish swimming
toward him with serious and half-frightened expressions on their faces.
When they saw him, they stopped at a distance. "Stop there," one of
them demanded, so Chirpy Bird stopped. The big fish seemed to be
engaged in a solemn discussion. Every once in awhile one of them
waved a fin or glanced in his direction. Finally, two of the largest fish
approached a little nearer. "Don't make any sudden moves," the largest
one, whose name was Glubber Fish, said with a mixture of command
and pleading.
"I don't understand," the little fish said, bewildered.
"Are you Chirpy Bird?" asked Glubber Fish.
"Yes. I--"
"You must leave the pond." It was a tone of finality.
"But why?" asked Chirpy Bird.
"Because you'll soon be eating us and our children. Besides, birds don't
live under water."
"But I'm not a bird," Chirpy Bird protested.
"What's your name?" demanded the other, who was called Spotted

Fish.
"Chirpy Bird. But--"
"There you are," he said, with a tone of satisfaction.
"My name is Chirpy Bird," said the little one, "but I'm a fish."
"Nonsense," grumped Spotted Fish. "Whoever heard of a fish named
Chirpy Bird?"
"Whether you've heard of me or not, here I am," said Chirpy Bird, not
knowing what else to say.
"Totally illogical," interrupted Whisker Fish, who had just come near.
"As well as disrespectful and impudent," added Glubber fish.
"You must listen to reason," said Whisker Fish, self-importantly
brushing himself in preparation. "And here it is: You are Chirpy Bird;
granted. Birds eat fish; granted. Therefore, you eat fish."
"But--" Chirpy Bird tried to explain.
"There is no 'but.' It's a syllogism, and cannot be answered. The
conclusion follows necessarily," said Whisker Fish. "It's pure logic."
"And it also follows," said Glubber fish, "that you must leave the
pond."
"I'll die if I leave the pond," said Chirpy Bird.
"That's not our problem," said Glubber Fish.
"And it's an irrelevant objection," added Whisker Fish. The rest of the
adult fish had gradually been easing forward during this conversation
and now, at the direction of Glubber Fish, the whole group escorted
Chirpy