“Hello,” Sophia called out as she walked to get a better look at the fish.

“Please be careful.”

“Mom! There’s glass. I’m not gonna fall in.”

Sophia stared at all the bright colors of the fish behind the glass: red, blue, and gold. She loved the gold-colored ones. Sophia knelt down to get closer look at a blue and yellow stripped fish when something caught her eye. It looked like a tiny goldfish.

“Come on. Come over here. Come closer,” Sophia whispered to the fish.

Slowly, the goldfish swam closer, wiggling through the water.

The closer it came, the bigger it became. Bigger, bigger, bigger. By the time the goldfish reached the glass, Sophia realized that the fish was as big as she was: the size of a smallish 11-year-old girl.

Sophia could hardly control her excitement. All she could manage was a quiet “WOW!”

“You’re huge,” she said to the fish.

The large goldfish’s cheeks turned red from embarrassment. It started to turn to swim away.

“No, wait!” Sophia called out. “I wasn’t being mean. I’m just surprised.”

Then Sophia began to feel sorry for how she made the fish feel, so she asked, “Are you shy?”

The great fish began to nod its massive head.

“Me too,” said the girl. “I’m sorry if I made you feel sad. You see, I’m small in my family and sometimes people make fun of me for it. So, I’m usually pretty quiet.”

A small smile appeared across the face of the massive goldfish. Almost immediately, Sophia understood.

“You too? But they tease you because you’re so big?” the sweet girl asked.

Again, the fish began to nod.

Sophia knew she found a new friend. One who understood her. “I think you’re beautiful just the way you are,” Sophia declared to her new friend.

She suddenly realized that she wanted her new friend to have a name. Sophia thought and thought. Finally, it came to her.

“May I call you Goldie?” Sophia asked.

The large mouth of the fish grew in a big grin. Goldie. The fish liked that name.

“SOPHIAAAAAAA!” her mom called. “Time to go. Daddy’s going to be home soon.”

“Okaayyy,” Sophia answered but never looking away or smiling at Goldie.

Sophia took a deep breath and whispered, “I have to go now. But you’re my friend, and I’ll come back to see you soon. I promise.”

Goldie gave a small smile. He was sad his new human friend was leaving.

Sophia placed her hand on the glass of the aquarium tank and said, “Next time, I’ll come back with my Gigi and Papa. They’ll let me spend more time with you.”

She started to walk away when she turned back to the tank and whispered, “I love you, Goldie.”

With a smile as big as his head, Goldie nodded to his new friend and disappeared into the deep part of the aquarium.

Sophia skipped towards her mom.

“What were you doing over there?” Mom asked Sophia.

“Oh, nothing,” the little girl replied.

It was her little secret.