‘You worry too much’, said the black fish. ‘One shouldn’t worry all the time. Let’s start out and our fears will vanish completely’.

Li Bla Fi – 5

or

The Little Black Fish

By famed fabulist Samad Behrangi

The final part to Li Bla Fi…

The little fish looked up at the moon and said, ‘Hello, my lovely moon!’

‘Hello, Little Black Fish. What brings you here?’

‘I’m traveling around the world’.

‘The world is very big’, said the moon. ‘You can’t travel everywhere’.

‘That’s okay’, said the fish. ‘I’ll go everywhere I can’.

‘I’d like to stay with you till morning’, said the moon, ‘but a big black cloud is coming toward me to block out my light’.

‘Beautiful moon! I like your light so much. I wish you’d always shine on me’.

‘My dear fish, the truth is, I don’t have any light of my own. The sun gives me light and I reflect it to the earth. Tell me, have you heard that humans want to fly up and land on me in a few years?’

‘That’s impossible’, exclaimed the fish.

‘It’s a difficult task’, said the moon, ‘but whatever they want, humans can ...’

The moon couldn’t finish her sentence. The dark cloud approached and covered her face.

The night became dark again, and the black fish was alone. The fish looked at the darkness in surprise and amazement for several seconds, then crept under a rock and fell asleep.

The fish woke up early in the morning and saw overhead several tiny fish chattering. When they saw that the black fish was awake, they said in one voice:

‘Good morning!’

The black fish recognized them right away and said, ‘Good morning! You followed me after all!’

‘Yes’, answered one of the tiny fish, ‘but we’re still afraid’.

‘The thought of the seagull just won’t go away,’ said another.

‘You worry too much’, said the black fish. ‘One shouldn’t worry all the time. Let’s start out and our fears will vanish completely’.

But as they were about to set out, they felt the water all around them rise up and a lid was placed over them. It was dark everywhere and there was no way to escape. The black fish immediately realized that they had been caught in the seagull’s pouch.

‘My friends’, said the little black fish, ‘we’ve been caught in the seagull’s pouch, but there’s a chance to escape’.

All the tiny fish began to cry. On of them said, ‘There’s no way to escape! It’s your fault since you influenced us and led us astray’.

‘Now he’s going to swallow us all, and then we’ll die’, said another.

Suddenly the sound of frightening laughter twisted through the water. It was the seagull. He kept on laughing and said, ‘What tiny fish I’ve caught! Ha. Ha. Truly, my heart bleeds for you. I don’t want to swallow you! Ha, Ha ...’

The tiny fish began pleading, ‘Your Excellency, Mr. Seagull! We’ve been hearing about you for a long time. If you’d be so kind as to open your distinguished beak a little so that we might go out, we’ll always be grateful to you’.

‘I don’t want to swallow you right now,’ said the seagull. ‘I’ve some fish stored. Look below’.

Several large and tiny fish were scattered on the bottom of the pouch.

‘Your Excellency, Mr. Seagull!’ cried the tiny fish, ‘we haven’t done anything. We’re innocent. This little black fish led us astray ...’

‘Cowards!’ exclaimed the little black fish, ‘are you crying like this because you think this dishonest bird is merciful?’

‘You don’t know what you’re saying’, said the tiny fish. ‘Just wait and see ... His Excellency, Mr. Seagull, will pardon us and swallow you!’

‘Of course I’ll pardon you’, said the seagull. ‘But on one condition’.

‘Your condition, please, sir!’ begged the tiny fish.

‘Strangle that meddlesome fish, and then you’ll get your freedom’.

The little black fish moved aside and said to the tiny fish,

‘Don’t agree! This deceitful bird wants to turn us against each other. I have a plan ...’

But the tiny fish were so intent on saving themselves that they couldn’t think of anything else. They advanced towards the little black fish who was sitting near the back of the pouch and talking slowly.

‘Cowards! Whatever happens, you’ve been caught and don’t have a way to escape. And you’re not strong enough to hurt me’.

‘We must strangle you’, said the tiny fish.

‘We want freedom!’

‘You’ve lost your senses’, said the black fish. ‘Even if you strangle me, you won’t escape. Don’t fall for his tricks...’

‘You’re talking like this just to save yourself,’ said the tiny fish. ‘Otherwise you wouldn’t think of us at all’.

‘Just listen’, said the black fish, ‘and I’ll explain. I’ll pretend I’m dead. Then, we’ll see whether or not the seagull will free you. If you don’t agree to this, I’ll kill all of you with this dagger or rip open the pouch and escape while you ...’ ‘Enough!’ interrupted one of the fish. ‘I can’t stand this talk. Oh, wee ...oh, wee ...oh wee ...’

‘Why did you ever bring along this crybaby?’ demanded the black fish upon seeing him cry. Then the fish took out the dagger and held it in front of the tiny fish.

Helpless, they agreed to the little fish’s suggestion. They pretended to be fighting together. The black fish pretended to be dead. The others went forward and said,

‘Your Excellency, Mr. Seagull, we strangled the meddlesome black fish ...’

‘Good work!’ laughed the seagull. ‘Now, as a reward, I’m going to swallow all of you alive so that you can have a nice stroll in my stomach!’

The tiny fish never had a chance. Quick as lightening they passed through the seagull’s throat and were gone. But, at that very instant, the black fish drew the dagger, split open the wall of the pouch with one blow and fled. The seagull cried out in pain and smashed his head on the water but he couldn’t follow after the little fish.

The black fish went on and on and still farther on until it was noon. The river had passed through the mountains and valleys and now was flowing across a level plain. Several other smaller rivers had joined it from the right and the left, increasing its water greatly. The black fish was enjoying the immensity of the water.

Soon the fish realized the water had no bottom. The fish swam this way and that way and didn’t touch anywhere. There was so much water that the little fish got lost in it! No matter how far the fish swam, still the water was endless. Suddenly, the fish noticed a large, long creature charging forward like lightening. There was a two-edged sword in front of its mouth. The little fish thought, ‘The swordfish! He’s going to cut me to pieces this very instant!’

Quickly the fish jumped out of the way and swam to the surface. After a while the fish went under the water again to look for the bottom. On the way the fish met a school of fish-thousands and thousands of fish.

‘Friend’, said the fish to one of them, ‘I’m a stranger. I’ve come from far away. Where is this place?’

The fish called his friends and said, ‘Look! Another ...’ Then replied to the black fish, ‘Friend, welcome to the sea’.

Another said, ‘All rivers and streams flow here, except some which flow into swamps’.

‘You can join our group anytime you wish’, said one of the fish.

The little black fish was happy to have reached the sea and said, ‘I’d like to travel around first, then I’ll come join your group. I’d like to be with you the next time you pull down the fisherman’s net’.

‘You’ll get your wish soon’, answered one of the fish. ‘Now go explore. But if you swim to the surface, watch our for the heron who isn’t afraid of anyone these days. She doesn’t stop bothering us till she’s caught four or five fish a day’.

The black fish then left the group of sea fish and began swimming. A little later the fish came to the surface of the sea. A warm sun was shining. The little black fish enjoyed feeling the sun’s bright rays on its back. Calm and happy, the fish was swimming on the surface of the sea and thinking, ‘Death could come upon me very easily now. But as long as I’m able to live, I shouldn’t go out to meet death. Of course, if someday I should be forced to face death-as I shall-it doesn’t matter. What does matter is the influence that my life or death will have on the lives of others . . .’

The little black fish wasn’t able to pursue these thoughts. A heron dived down, swooped up the fish, and carried it off. Caught in the heron’s long beak, the little fish kicked and waved but couldn’t get free. The heron had grabbed the fish’s waist so tightly that its life was ebbing away. After all, how long can a little fish stay alive out of water?

‘If only the heron would swallow me this very instant’, thought the fish, ‘then the water and moisture inside her stomach would prevent my death at least for a few minutes’.

The fish addressed the heron with this thought in mind. ‘Why don’t you swallow me alive? I’m one of those fish whose body becomes full of poison after death.’

The heron didn’t reply. She thought, ‘Oh, a tricky one! What are you up to? You want to get me talking so you can escape!’

Dry land was visible in the distance. It got closer and closer.

‘If we reach dry land’, thought the fish, ‘all is finished’.

‘I know you want to take me to your children’, said the fish, ‘but by the time we reach land, I’ll be dead, and my body will become a sack full of poison. Why don’t you have pity for your children?’

‘Precaution is also a virtue!’ thought the heron. ‘I can eat you myself and catch another fish for my children. . . but let’s see . . . could this be a trick? No, you can’t do anything’.

As the heron thought she noticed that the black fish’s body was limp and motionless. ‘Does this mean you’re dead,’ thought the heron. ‘Now I can’t even eat you! I’ve ruined such a soft and delicate fish for no reason at all!’

‘Hey little one!’ she called to the black fish. ‘Are you still half alive so that I can eat you?’

But she didn’t finish speaking because the moment she opened her beak, the black fish jumped and fell down.

The heron realized how badly she’d been tricked and dived after the little black fish. The fish streaked through the air like lightening.

The fish had lost its senses from thirst for sea water and thrust its dry mouth into the moist wind of the sea. But as soon as the fish splashed into the water and took a new breath, the heron caught up and this time swallowed the fish so fast that the fish didn’t understand what had happened.

The fish only sensed that everywhere was wet and dark. There was no way out. The sound of crying could be heard. When the fish’s eyes had become accustomed to the dark, it saw a tiny fish crouched in a corner, crying. He wanted his mother. The black fish approached and said:

‘Little one! . . .Get up! Think about what we should do. What are you crying for? Why do you want your mother?’

‘You there . . .Who are you?’ responded the tiny fish. ‘Can’t you see? ...I’m ...dy...ing. O, me ...oh, my ...oh, oh ...mama ...I ...I can’t come with you to pull the fisherman’s net to the bottom of the sea any more ...oh, oh ...oh, oh!’

‘Enough, there!’ said the little fish. ‘You’ll disgrace all fish’.

After the tiny fish had controlled his crying, the little fish continued, ‘I want to kill the heron and find peace of mind to all fish. But first, I must send you outside so that you don’t ruin everything’.

‘You’re dying yourself’, replied the tiny fish. ‘How can you kill the heron?’

The little fish showed the dagger. ‘From right inside here, I’m going to rip open her stomach. Now listen to what I say. I’m going to start tossing back and forth in order to tickle the heron. As soon as she opens her mouth and begins to laugh, you jump out’.

‘Then what about you?’ asked the tiny fish.

‘Don’t worry about me. I’m not coming out until I’ve killed this good-for-nothing’.

The black fish stopped talking and began tossing back and forth and tickling the heron’s stomach. The tiny fish was standing ready at the entrance of the heron’s stomach. As soon as the heron opened her mouth and began to laugh, the tiny fish jumped out and fell into the water. But no matter how long he waited, there wasn’t any sign of the black fish. Suddenly, he saw the heron twist and turn and cry out. Then she began to beat her wings and fell down. She splashed into the water. She beat her wings again, then all movement stopped. But there was no sign of Little Black Fish, and since that time, nothing has been heard.

The old fish finished her tale and said to her 12,000 children and grandchildren, ‘Now it’s time to sleep, children. Go to bed’.

‘Grandmother!’ exclaimed the children and grand-children, ‘You didn’t say what happened to that tiny fish’.

‘We’ll leave that for tomorrow night’, said the old fish. ‘Now, it’s time for bed. Goodnight’.

Eleven thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine little fish said goodnight and went to sleep. The grandmother fell asleep too. But try as she might, a little red fish couldn’t get to sleep. All night long she thought about the sea ...

The Fable of Li Bla Fi Ends

image: mirrorswindowsdoorsdotorg