Short story: The Adventures of Mr. Perch

Mr. Perch has lived in this pond for a very long time. None of the small fish and crabs here know his age. Even he has probably forgotten his own birthday. His whole life has been tied to this small pond, knowing every blade of algae, every pebble by heart. Now, he wants to try stepping out into the wider world.
Everyone strongly objected, because this adventure was too dangerous, but when they saw that Mr. Perch had made up his mind, they all agreed to help because, besides him, no one else in the pond had the courage to do so.
The catfish remembered that in the corner of the pond there was a chipped glass fish tank that someone had thrown in, which could be used to hold water. The three catfish brothers spent half a day digging to pull out the tank, which was half buried in the mud. Moss clung to the glass walls, making it difficult for the tank cleaners to clean it completely. Mr. Tilapia swam around the tank, looking very pleased.
Golden Dog, who often went to the pond to drink water, was very familiar with everyone there and eagerly volunteered to be the guide. He even managed to find an old children's walker, put the fish tank on it, and could pull it around everywhere. To be on the safe side, the people of the Pond area also enlisted the help of Sparrow to accompany them as an escort.
The weather on the day of departure was beautiful, the air was mild and cool, the sky was clear, and a gentle breeze rustled the reeds along the bank. Yellow Dog wheeled the fish tank onto the cart, and the frogs croaked, scooping water into taro leaves to fill the tank. Finally, White Heron used her long beak to pick up the perch and drop it into the tank, not forgetting to add a few sprigs of dogtail weed.
Mr. Perch swam a circle around the tank, checked the food he had prepared, and then confidently waved his fins goodbye to everyone. Golden Dog barked, "We're leaving!"

***

The distance from the swamp to the field was very far. The sunlight caused the water in the pond to evaporate and dry up. Mr. Perch looked quite tired but didn't complain. He said that once they reached a pond, he could just add more water and everything would be fine. But Yellow Dog was still very worried; if things continued like this, Mr. Perch would be in danger.
Mr. Perch told Sparrow to fly ahead and scout for water, then return to report back, while Yellow Dog pushed himself into the shade to avoid losing water. He looked at the cloudless sky, sighed, and thought it would probably be a long time before it rained; he still had to rely on Sparrow.
The sparrow went away for a long time before returning and announcing, "There's a pond nearby. I'll lead the way. Follow me!"
Golden Dog hurriedly pulled the cart noisily behind Sparrow. Only a few lotus blossoms remained scattered across the pond at the end of the season. The residents of Lotus Pond listened to Sparrow's story about the Perch, their mouths agape in astonishment. Snail stretched out his long antennae as if wanting to get a better look at the Perch: "He's truly brave!"
While everyone gathered around to inquire, a group of rats helped pour water into the pond. By the time they finished, it was already getting dark, so the Golden Dogs stayed by the Lotus Pond for the night. That evening, the people of Lotus Pond treated them to a lavish meal under the twinkling light of fireflies and the chorus of insects.
Bidding farewell to Lotus Pond, Mr. Carp's carp set off again. The three "people" crossed green hills and white sandy beaches. Amidst the breathtaking scenery and peaceful atmosphere, Sparrow sighed: "I heard that humans have something called a camera that can record images like this. If only we had one, we could have brought it back for everyone at Pond Pond to see."
Mr. Rooster said, "I have captured this moment and will tell them about it. Imagination surpasses all machines in the world."
That afternoon, the group arrived at a vast expanse of rice paddies; a carpet of golden ripe rice stretched as far as the eye could see. Golden Dog exclaimed joyfully, "This year's harvest is bountiful, everyone will be well-fed and prosperous. Hey, where are you going, Sparrow?"
The sparrow chirped, seemingly understanding.
Rice grains were a favorite food of the sparrow family. With countless grains scattered before them, the sparrow suddenly felt ravenously hungry and flapped its wings to gather them. Mr. Perch smiled kindly, wagging his tail as if to say, "That's just childish." The Golden Dog, seeing the sparrow's greedy and hasty eating, also chuckled, "Woof woof."
The setting sun shining on the fish tank suddenly dimmed as if obscured by something. A dark gray shadow swooped down from the sky, crashing straight into the tank. Before Golden Dog and Mr. Perch could understand what was happening, Mr. Perch was pulled up into the air. At this moment, Golden Dog realized it was a heron. It must have been observing from afar, seeing that its prey had no escape route, and had calmly attacked. Golden Dog barked frantically, but the heron had already flown high into the air. On the ground, Golden Dog might be a mighty warrior, but against an opponent that could fly in the sky, he was no match; he could only bark below, unable to even touch a single hair of his enemy. In his panic, he yelled, calling for Sparrow.
Mr. Perch, suddenly pulled out of the water, was also extremely frightened, but he quickly calmed down. "It's rare for a perch to get to fly up into the sky like this," he thought to himself. "I must take advantage of this opportunity to admire the scenery from above. Anyway, I'm getting old; being eaten now wouldn't matter much, I'd just regret not having the chance to tell stories to the children at home."
The Crane flew across the fields, and the Perch also glided swiftly on the wind. He looked down at his beautiful, fertile homeland, at the farmers diligently working, at the clear sky and fluffy white clouds. A gentle happiness crept into his heart; he felt his life was complete.
"Swish!" The sparrow flapped its wings forcefully, intending to stab the heron to force it to release the perch, but the heron was too quick and easily dodged the sparrow's desperate attack. The sparrow flapped its small wings in front of the heron, taunting, "You look so big, yet you don't dare take a blow from me?"
The proud Crane, disdainful of insignificant birds like the Sparrow, was about to fly away, but the Sparrow blocked its path, taunting, "Coward! If you're so brave, let's fight hand-to-hand. Being as silent as a clam, you must be scared, right?"
Hearing this, Cốc couldn't hold back any longer and roared, "You're finished, you little brat!"
As soon as it opened its beak, the perch fell straight into the irrigation ditch in the rice field below. The sparrow, seeing the perch hit the water, didn't bother arguing with the heron anymore and darted into the rice paddies. The small sparrow was no match for the heron; running away was the best option. The heron realized it had been tricked, but it was too late. It fumbled around for a while before leaving.
The sparrow guided the perch back to the bank where the anxious dog was waiting. After getting the perch into the tank, the dog carefully picked some rice stalks to cover the tank's opening, to prevent another attack from a toad.

***

"So this time we got to travel by both land and air," Mr. Rohu chuckled, blowing out large bubbles as he recounted his adventure. His children and grandchildren listened intently, their eyes wide with admiration, all praising his courage. From then on, in the Ao Dam area, Mr. Rohu was known by the nickname "Mr. Tendoned Fish," a name that has been passed down through generations.

Dinh Phuong Ly