• Book 1

    So, young ones,
    You wish to know the tale?
    The tale of a slippery fish,
    And one man’s quest
    To find it?

    As you wish.
    Muse, speak through me,
    So that this tale be conveyed properly

    Book 2

    Back when this fish you eat was a rarity,
    Back when its scales were not used for healing,
    A man supported his family,
    His poor family, so like mice who scrambled to find
    Food and scraps of cloth.

    The wind carried a legend to him,
    Speaking of a magical fish.
    The fish, it said, would bring
    Fame and glory and riches!
    To those who trapped its beastly self

    The young man knew.
    The goddess of wind
    Speaks both fact and false,
    But he sensed an air of truth
    About these words.

    He reported to his chief,
    Who looked upon him in distaste.
    “A disgrace you are to this land!
    We need strong, useful men,
    Not weaklings like yourself.
    Go, be gone, unless you find this magic fish.
    Prove your worth!”

    So the quest began.
    The magic beast
    Would be caught in its lair.
    The fish would swim no more,
    And wealth would swim among the family.

    Nets, fishing poles and bait were gathered,
    But among the tools was a seed of greed,
    Planted in Jace’s mind.
    Merely and iota of an idea,
    But there, none the less.

    Book 3

    The sea was calm,
    And the paddle was the wind, makeshift and crude.
    It lead him to a clear-watered
    Section of shimmering sea.
    The rod was cast,
    Old, in its aged glory,
    And soon, a fish was caught.
    A struggling blue one,
    Enough to feed his family for 3 days.

    The seed of greed,
    Not forgotten, now grew
    And the young man thought
    To keep the fish for himself,
    To aid him on his quest.

    He casts his line again,
    But Hakona stirs her winds,
    And has the fish take him far.
    The young man was thrown from his boat,
    In an attempt to rid the
    Seed of greed from his mind.

    Hakona’s anger grows, blinding the man,
    As he hangs on and waits
    For death to approach.





    Book 4

    He wakes on an island,
    Blinking sand and salt from his tired eyes.
    His boat and nets gone,
    His seedling of greed tattered and torn.
    He wandered, sunburned and bearing a broken arm.
    Stumbling upon a rock,
    He gazed upon people riding dolphins.
    Playful dolphins with riders
    Jumped in the freshwater river.
    Was he dreaming?
    No, his sight was true.

    The chief dolphin rider
    Surfaced, flipping out of the water
    To land at Jace’s side.
    “What brings you here, wanderer?”
    Taiki, the chief, asked.

    “Did Hakona’s truthful wind
    Bring you to this island?”
    “Yes, I was brought here in a storm.
    A storm of great power,
    But if it leads me to or from my quest,
    I cannot say."

    The chief’s dolphin,
    Blue with yellow surrounding its eyes
    Chattered to Taiki.
    “A quest, you say?
    You have not been lead from, my friend,
    But rather to your quest.”

    A magic fish live here,
    But to snatch it,
    You need a magic net.

    The plant of greed grew taller,
    Hearing the news it craved.
    “And this net; what of it’s worth?”
    The young man asked the chief.
    “Why a thought like that
    Would cross your mind,
    I do not know, but it has no worth.
    Merely a purpose.

    But please! Take this dolphin.”
    A dolphin rose to his bidding,
    Sky blue with white belly,
    “It will lead you to the net.”

    Book 5

    The dolphin swam with paralyzing speed,
    Jumping over arches made
    Many long years ago.
    The water swirled,
    A black darker than night,
    While the wind whispered warnings
    Of danger to come.

    Glaring eyes pounced upon the dolphin,
    A mouth full of teeth
    Following close behind.
    The young man fought,
    But to no avail,
    As he was once more thrown off his ride.

    A rope formed of wind
    Clasped around his hand
    Leading him to air, safety,
    And a shining, sparkling net.

    Book 6

    The net, just out of reach,
    Hung from a flowery tree branch.
    Jace spent his morning shooting at the net,
    Trying to put it down.

    But out of reach it stayed,
    About to collapse, he heard a small voice
    Whispering “jump!”
    And so he did,
    Snatching the net as he was carried
    Further than the thought possible.
    He landed on the island,
    Net in hand, and goal in mind.

    Book 7

    He needed two arms to cast the net,
    But wait he could not.
    So, with an inhuman strength,
    He threw the net with one hand.
    The wind, teasing, in a way,
    Shot the net back to his head.
    Angry he shot again,
    With the same result.

    Nearing rage, he threw with both arms.
    His aim was true, and the net his the water,
    But pain clouded his brain.
    The pain, he knew, was punishment,
    A punishment he must endure.

    The fish was caught with little struggle,
    And was quickly sealed
    In a casket of reeds.

    To test the power, he ate a scale.
    His broken arm healed, and his mind
    Was cleared of all greed.
    It could not survive this hurricane of truth.

    He knew his time to leave was near,
    He family clearer in his mind,
    Called to him to come back—he was allowed.
    He bade farewell to the dolphin riders,
    And, with the casket strapped to his back,
    Jumped offshore and started to swim.

    Book 8

    Jake knew not the number of days he swam,
    But he arrived in good health and fortune.
    He knocks upon the door,
    “The magic fish is caught!”
    Only to find his child with a sickly cough.

    “What has happened?
    Why did I leave?
    I’ll give all for my child to be well again.”

    When his heart has calmed,
    The wind opens the casket
    And out flies a scale, right into
    The sickly child’s mouth.

    She falls into a deep sleep,
    Her status unknown,
    But, for now, he must go to the chief,
    And bring proof of his worth.

    The chief is lying, coughing, in his hut.
    He enters, showing the fish,
    Looking down in his humility.
    “The fish is caught, and its scales can cure your cough.
    Please, take one, and let me heal you.
    Let me heal the village, all the people.
    Let me back. I have proven my worth.”

    The old man takes the scale, and as he drifts off to sleep,
    Mutters, “Your name means healer; did you know?
    Please take your job and heal us all”
    And waves him out of the tent.

    A scale finds its way to every sick member,
    Curing all until only one remains.
    To sell it and make a fortune,
    Or use it to breed and keep disease at bay?
    What would he choose?

    He chose healing, young ones,
    And that’s why you’re here today.
    No more sickness will plague our village,
    For greed was overcome that day.