The Magic Fish

Tiền comes home from school and hears his mom’s voice. He leaps to hug her. She asks him about the meeting Mrs. Flynn wants to have with her, and Tiền is silent. She suggests starting another book.

The fairytale begins with a sea kingdom deep in the ocean. It is ruled by a king with six daughters, each of whom journeys to the surface when coming of age. Each recounts her experience to her younger sisters. The youngest is most fascinated with the life in the world above. On her birthday, she swims upward, seeing all of the things her sisters had described: planes, cities, boats, and a man standing at the bow of a ship. She immediately falls in love with this man and begins to sing, accidentally upending the boat with her voice. She rescues him and returns him to the surface. Bertie, the man’s friend, sees her briefly.

She continues to think about the man—Brandon—and asks help from a witch. The witch takes a bit of her tongue, rendering her mute. The witch tells her that she must attain the man’s love, or she will die, and gives her a potion.