One day an otter was making his way up a stream when he chanced upon a very large fish who was too big for the otter to eat. The otter asked the fish for directions to a lake that fed the river. The fish didn’t know about the lake, having never visited it. But the two got to talking about their respective experiences in the world.
For his part the fish told the otter about the wonders of life on this stretch of the river. He described his swimming hole with its sandy bottom on one side and gravel bar on the other. He spoke of the rapids and the little eddies that formed as the current slipped and slowed around the large rocks. He told of the overhanging branches and the places where he used to hide and play as a minnow. He told of the best spot to find breakfast in the early morning when the grasshoppers slipped off the dew-soaked grass on the cut bank at the edge of the swimming hole.
The otter was curious about the fish’s world and asked many questions. It was a lively and engaging conversation, but it was repeatedly interrupted since the otter had to continually return to the surface to take a breath of air.
