At the mall there was The Paradise Pet Shop.

Hannah and Nicky ran and looked at the puppies in the window.

"Can we go in?" Nicky asked. "Please, oh, please?"

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor nodded and Nicky and his older sister Hannah ran into the store. There were floppy-eared rabbits, tiny white mice, birds with many strange colors, and a bird that even said "hello". The little brown puppies were piled together taking naps. Tiny lizards were hiding under rocks. And tiny fish swam in a huge tank of water.

"Can we get a puppy?" Hannah asked, tugging at Mr. Taylor's arm.

"No," Mrs. Taylor said. "Puppies mess up the house and whine at night."

"Can we get a lizard?" Nicky asked. "They can't talk."

"No," Mrs. Taylor said. "They're so ugly! Why would you want a lizard?"

"Can we get a hamster?" Hannah asked.

"Mice in any other name," Mrs. Taylor said.

"Can we get a fish?" Nicky asked.

Mrs. Taylor looked at Mr. Taylor.

"What can possibly go wrong with a fish?" Mr. Taylor asked. "Alright. You may get a fish."

"If you promise to clean the tank and remember to feed it everyday," Mrs. Taylor said.

"Which fish do you want?" the owner of the pet store asked.

There were so many to choose from. Small ones, big ones, blue ones, gold ones. Some had huge wing-like fins, others had their eyes popping out.

"Let's get these!" Nicky said, pointing to a tank full of jumping fish.

"No," Mrs. Taylor said. "They'll jump right out of the tank and ruin the carpet!"

"I like this one," Hannah said, pointing to a fish with thick spikes all around its face.

"Oh, no, not that one," Mrs. Taylor said. "It's positively frightening!"

"We'll get that one," Mr. Taylor said, pointing to a puny silvery fish.

The owner of the pet store whipped the tiny fish out with a net and popped it in a little plastic bag full of water. Nicky took the bag, staring at the funny fish as it bopped inside the plastic bag.

©J.A. Pak