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It was a bright morning, and Little Sunny Sunfish felt very good as he swam around in the clear water of the lake, just outside of the garden of water lilies and fine weeds where he lived. The little ripples and waves on the surface of the water over his head sparkled in the sun.
Tiny bugs, that you would hardly be able to see, looked pretty big to Sunny Sunfish, because he was only half as long as your little finger. He had a good deal of fun chasing these bugs in and out of the weeds. Once in a while he caught one, and that made him feel all the better.
Playing around this way, Sunny found he was quite a ways from home. He was up in the bay, where there was a beach of sand and pebbles, but no weeds to hide in.
Swimming along in the shallow water near the shore, all of a sudden he saw something big and white, lying very still, half in half out of the water on the sand. Very carefully, looking around, Sunny swam toward the white thing. "Oh, oh!," Sunny said, "something has happened to that old fish. I'll bet Old Man Turtle would like it for dinner."
So Sunny Sunfish started off to look for Old Man Turtle. He looked along the shore and the weed beds. Then he swam out to some stumps. This was a bad place for Sunny, because Mr. Bigmouth Bass and Mr. Wise Pike hung out there too, and they would swallow him in a hurry for sure. Once in a while, he had to hide, but he kept looking. Finally, he came to a stump with the top just out of the water, and there on top, fast asleep was Old Man Turtle. His funny little tail was hanging in the water. Sunny tried to wake him, but he couldn't. So Sunny swam up and bit Old Man Turtle's tail.
"Wrow-oo! Gr-rr!" howled Old Man Turtle in his deep voice. "Whoever that is, I'll cut them in half. I'll eat 'em alive!" Sunny slipped back under a lily pad. "Mr. Turtle," he called, "there is a big fish lying very still on the shore." "Where is it? Where is it?" demanded Old Man Turtle. "Follow me. I'll show you," answered Sunny. Old Mr. Turtle went ker-plop off the stump. He swam along behind Sunny to the bay shore.
When Mr. Turtle saw the white thing on the shore, he gave no more attention to Sunny, and set out to enjoy his dinner.
Sunny started swimming for home. On the way home, Sunny had to swim through some open water and, all of a sudden, he remembered Old Doggie Dogfish. Mother Sunfish had warned him about Old Doggie Dogfish several times. He had never seen him, but Mother said he was mean and rough. Look out for a long smooth, brown-yellow looking fish with a round tail, and a long fin on his back that always looks like it was moving toward his tail.
The sun went behind a cloud and the surface of the water over Sunny's head turned dark and cold looking. All of a sudden, he remembered that he was a long way from home. He started back along the edge of the weeds, stopping once in a while for something to eat. Then, out of one eye he saw a yellow flash. he looked around and there was big Old Doggie Dogfish, coming straight at him, very fast, with his mouth wide open!
Little Sunny Sunfish did not stop to look back again. Darting zig-zag, this way and that, he set off for home as fast as his little fins could wiggle. But Old Doggie Dogfish kept gaining on Sunny, until he felt those great big jaws were just behind him.
"Oh," cried Sunny. "If I had only minded Mama! If I ever get away, I'll never do anything again until Mama says it's alright. But, this time, I'm not going to get away. This is the end of me!" Just as Sunny gave his last wiggle, something happened.
Behind him, the water swirled and splashed. There was Old Doggie Dogfish, his fins and tail beating the water like a mud hen's feet and wings, but he wasn't moving an inch. What could be the matter with him?
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by Grandpa Dick
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