Freda’s Frown

Gets

Turned Around

By

Janice B. Moss

  It was a beautiful day as Ana bounced down the street clutching the plastic bag with her new friend in it Freeda, the goldfish. “My great grandmas name was Freeda and now it’s yours”, Ana announced to the goldfish. She had been hounding her mother for months to let her get one, and this was the glorious day. Ana took a deep breath as the sun shone down warmly on her brown skin. Ana’s neatly done pigtails bounced along with her and the beads in her hair made a wonderful melodic sound.

  When Ana got home she released Freeda into the fishbowl she had prepared. Freeda darted around the bowl checking out the new space. Her tailed flowed through the water rippling and swaying as Ana flattened her nose against the bowl and watched Freeda’s fluid motion. Ana sprinkled some food flakes in the bowl and watched Freeda dart up to the top to snatch some then dart back to the bottom and hid behind the water grass.

 As the days passed on and the water in the fish bowl got cloudy and dirty, Freeda began to look mopey. Ana changed the water in the bowl but all Freeda did was stare back at her with droopy eyes with her nose bumping the sides of the bowl.  Ana thought what Freeda needed was an outing.” Outings always cheer me up, maybe it will do the same for you Freeda”,  Ana thought out loud, as she scooped up the fishbowl into her arms and marched down to the park.

  The park was huge with green rolling hills that sloped down to a lake in the center. In the middle of the lake was a little island with a huge droopy willow tree. The lake was home to ducks, swans, geese, turtles, frogs and fish and as the wind blew the cherry trees white blossoms onto the lake, it made it look like a winter wonderland.

 As Ana sat down on the bench by the lake she set the fishbowl down beside her and noticed for the first time in weeks Freeda was once again energetic. She darted around the bowl and stopped to stare out onto the lake. Ana could swear that she could see a smile in Freedas’ eyes.