Whisper of Stars

The fish and the hippopotamus met each evening where water touched air. Neither spoke. The hippo assumed the fish found him clumsy; the fish assumed the hippo would laugh at her tiny fins. Above them, a red balloon carried messages from the stars, but the writing was too small to read.

One night the wind lowered it between their noses. The message contained only four words: ASK BEFORE YOU GUESS. The hippopotamus swallowed hard. ‘Do you think I’m ridiculous?’ The fish blinked.

‘I thought you did.’ They began laughing so loudly the kite fell from the sky. Nothing about their bodies changed. Only the stories they had silently assigned each other dissolved, and the shore suddenly had enough room for both.