“Fish!” yelled Mary, as she ran toward the glass in the aquarium.

The fish looked at her, eyes as big as her cat at home, and then said “my name is not fish. It’s Gary”.

Mary was very surprised, not because the fish’ name sounded almost like her own, but because the fish could talk.

“You can talk” she said.

“Yes.” said Gary the fish. “What is your name, two-legged one?”

“I’m a human” said Mary, “I have two legs, but so does chickens”

“I don’t know what chickens are” said Gary “But what is your name?”

“Mary” the child said.

“And what are chickens?” asked Gary

“Birds that lay eggs. We have some in the back yard. We eat the eggs for breakfast on Sundays”

“I don’t know what birds are” said Gary, a little disappointed “but fishes lay eggs too. Do you not lay eggs, Mary the little human?”

“I don’t know… I will have to ask my mom. But I don’t think so.”

“Then how do you make babies?” said Gary the fish a little perplexed.

“I don’t know… I will have to ask my mom.”

But wait, Mary thought, and asked Gary “does that mean that… that chicken eggs can become chicken babies… do we eat babies!?”

Gary thought about and said “well… I don’t know what chickens are. But if the eggs are like mine, then I think so.”

“Oh no!” Said Mary the child, and Gary the fish looked sad too.

“Maybe you will have to ask your mom?” He said, and Mary said “yes… my mom will know.”

Then Gary said “do you want to play? You can ride on my back.”

“Yes!” Yelled Mary, and Gary the fish and Mary the child played all night long.

Then Mary woke up, and asked her mom “mom, do we eat chicken babies? Are eggs babies? How are babies made?”