A fictional fable about a storm, recovery and the help of a community.
Sora’s orange scales were usually the first flash of color her friends saw in the morning. She liked being first to explore a corner of the pond and first to greet a visitor. On the day the storm arrived, she was first to notice the water changing.
One day, a storm swept through the area, and the pond water became turbulent and murky. Sora and her fellow fish struggled to swim against the current, and many of them were injured or swept away by the powerful waves.
Sora fought bravely against the storm, but she was eventually tossed onto the shore by a wave. She lay there, gasping for air, as the other fish swam frantically around her. Sora's once bright scales were now dull and scratched, and she could feel the pain in her fins and tail.
Despite the hardships she had endured, Sora refused to give up. She knew that she had to keep fighting, to find a way back to the safety of the pond. With a burst of energy, Sora flopped her way back into the water and swam towards the shelter of the pond plants.
Recovery was slow. Sora rested among the plants while the garden’s keeper repaired the damage and cared for the injured fish. Her friends stayed nearby. Little by little, she began making short journeys beyond the shelter again.
Sora remembered both the struggle to return to the water and the company that helped her afterward. When another fish faced a difficult day, she did not promise that determination would fix everything. She swam beside them and helped them find a quieter place.
Years later, Sora still explored the pond. Sometimes she was first to set out; sometimes she waited for a slower friend. The storm remained part of her story, but it was no longer the whole of it.
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