1. Emily Butcher
Ylime woke up late one morning and noticed her once glowing orange-gold scales had
begun to lose their sparkle. She had lived alone in this fish bowl for too long. Of course, most
people when thinking of fish, do not think it matters if they have another fish with them or not.
Well, Ylime begs to differ.
When Ylime was bought from the pet store with four other fish, she was so eager to see
what was in store. Although, she was nervous, she thought she would have friends. When they
arrived at her new home, she was put in a separate bowl than the other fish. She thought at first
that it meant she was the most special one. But after weeks of watching the other fish laugh and
play from afar, she decided she could not take being alone any longer. She wanted friends too.
Ylime needed to get stronger. She got to the point she could do one hundred one-fin
push-ups. With her strength building, she knew what she had to do. Ylime swam to the very
bottom of the tank and took a deep, deep breath. When she was ready to exhale, she pushed
upward with all her might. All she had to do was get enough power to break out of the water and
land in the other fish bowl.
Her momentum was building. She broke through the water. She realized she was
naturally holding her breath because she knew she could not breathe regular air. As she was
descending, she noticed she was going to land a little short of the entrance at the top of the bowl.
The other fish gasped. They knew what they had to do. All four little fish swam to the side of the
bowl and pushed as hard as they could. They tilted the bowl just enough that Ylime safely landed
in the water. They all cheered and greeted her with open fins. Now Ylime could have fun with
them.