Leo and the Pearl

              There once was a gold fish that lived in a bowl. He had never been to the sea for the fish had always lived in the pet store from which he was purchased. The fish had taken its haven to memory. For over a week it had explored its surroundings. Pebbles covered the bottom of the glass bowl. They were white with black speckles like pepper, and were the only lively possession the fish had to adore. By now, each one of the pebbles had been given their own precious name.
         “…and you shall be Gloria…and you Ethel. Oh Henry, you are such a stud…and Virgil you need to get some self-a-steam so your not treated like dirt…” The gold fish swam in circles over the pebbles as if like a God. Suddenly, the tank appeared smaller. Could it be that Leo the gold fish had gotten larger from producing so much love and care?
         “No,” bubbled Leo in his bowl “there is just an oyster in my tank now. Where it is sitting it's likely to suspect that the pebbles beneath the oyster are suffocating because of its large behind.” Curiously, Leo swam near the oyster wondering of how to move the large creature from its spot in his tank “Oh, dear.”
         With a tap of Leo’s fin, the oyster opened its mouth to reveal a pearl. “How beautiful you are,” Leo bubbled to the oyster.
         “How delightful it is to make your acquaintance, Leo,” the pearl replied. “I am a magic pearl, Leo. I am able to give my holder three wishes.”
         Leo didn’t know about this magic pearl. He was happy being in his glass bowl and having pebbles that were such good friends. What more could a fish ask for?
         Like most magical items, the pearl hadn’t any patients for the wish maker “Why aren’t you wishing, Leo? I need you to make a decision. What is it that you want?”
         “Truly, my dear pearl, I am pleased with my current settings, except your presence here has made it impossible for me to see my friends on the bottom of this bowl,” with a flapping of his fins, he bubbled at the pearl again “…and it has become cramped in my bowl. I can barely move with you in my home, although I cheerfully enjoy guests at any time.”
         The pearl was white and its surface smooth. Its thoughts were a mystery to Leo as were its emotions that staid hidden with the pearl’s egg like shell.
         “I am deeply sorry, but I would like you to kindly leave my home for you are the one thing that doesn’t belong.”
         “If you are so squished in this glass bowl, why not live in the sea?” the pearl asked with a hypnotic voice that contained no tone of being blissful or upset.
         There’s an option, thought Leo, to live in the sea. He had heard many stories about the sea and how it had many other fish he would be able to meet.
         “Yes, that sounds nice. The sea…” Leo swayed as he picked up the pearl. “Pearl, I wish to live in the sea.”
         Instantly, the bowl became non-existent. Up above was the sky instead of a ceiling. When looking down, Leo could not see his pebble friends. He swam through what he thought was called sea weed and paddled into an underwater canyon. In minutes he had found a friend, “Hello friend!”
         Without warning, the shark swallowed him whole and Leo was gone from sight. “Pearl! Pearl, you deceived me. You said that I would like the sea.”
         “I said no such thing!” exclaimed the Pearl. The pearl returned its voice back to a soft mono-tone “If you would like to get out of the shark you only have to wish it, Leo,”
         “I wish to be out of this shark pearl and back in my bowl.” It was dark out. Leo had been removed from the shark and was in the bowl blowing bubbles to his pebble friends.
         “Leo, you have one more wish to use.”
         Leo looked at the pearl “Yes, I know I do.”
         The pearl questioned Leo about another wish “If this bowl is to your dislike of size, may I recommend you becoming twice as small as you are now? Perhaps making the glass bowl twice as big?”
         “No,” bubbled Leo “I would like to make my own wish. I had thought of a wish when in the stomach of the shark. It is a tremendous wish!” Leo bubbled with a sly smile “If this glass bowl is too small, why am I in it at all.” Not having a second thought. “I wish to walk on land like humans do!”
         The pearl granted Leo his wish.
         “Yes, I can walk.” Leo stood on two legs looking into the glass bowl with his pebble friends inside. The pearl, exempted of any more wishing, had departed, leaving its oyster shell in the glass bowl. “Look Gloria, Michelle, Danny, and June…” were the names of his four closest pebbles “I can walk. I can take care of you. I can-“ Leo fell to the floor and tossed like the fish he was. When asking to walk on land like a human, he forgot to ask the pearl for a nose.