In the Amazing Aquarium, Cleckles the Clown Fish was pickled terribly.
"I have so many bills to pay," he bubbled, as a Goldfish swam past showing off his terrific wealth. "I don't know what to do; my head's all mixed up like a trifle."
"You silly turnip!" joked Jayden Jellyfish, wiggling his tentacles.
"You shouldn't sneak up like that, you could have scared me," bubbled Clown Fish.
"But I didn't," said Jayden. " Cleckles, I am here to help. I have an idea... "
Just as Jayden Jellyfish was about to offer Cleckles some advice, Crusty Crab floated into view with Percy Prawn and Sammy Shrimp giggling as they rode his shell. Crusty Crab was known as the underwater rollercoaster - but that's for another story.
"Faster! Faster!" giggled Sammy Shrimp.
"Do loop-the-loop!" thrilled Percy Prawn.
Crusty Crab swam on, winking at Cleckles cheekily.
"What's this idea of yours then?" Cleckles bubbled, impatiently. "I haven't got all day."
'You must juggle!" answered Jayden, his tentacles dancing as a Starfish blew off in the far corner.
"Juggle?" replied Cleckles.
"Yes, juggle. You're a clown fish, aren't you? "
Cleckles span round in the clear water, his orange tail waving in deep thought.
"But I can only juggle clubs or balls ," he bubbled after his spinning spree.
"You think you can. But if you believe hard enough, you can juggle other things too," replied Jayden Jellyfish .
"Like what?"
"Like your troubles!"
Just as Cleckles was about to reply, Garry Guppy swam past revealing his multi-coloured scales. "They're following me again," he grumbubbled, " but I've told them - there's no pot of gold at the end of my rainbow!"
A gang of grinning goldfish followed Garry Guppy the Rainbow Fish excitedly as Cleckles finally bubbled his response.
"If I juggle my troubles it'll have to be inside. In my head."
"Many things in this world - and the bigger lands outside this aquarium - are in the head."
Cleckles bubbled so many bubbles that Jayden Jellyfish coughed. "I must be off now," he said after his cough. "But think about what I said and most importantly - always believe in yourself!"
Away Jayden drifted leisurely as Cleckles thought amongst his bubble cloud. "Juggle my troubles... Juggle my troubles... Hmmmm."
* * * *
Many moons passed as life in the Amazing Aquarium continued as normal for all residents - apart from one...
Cleckles the Clown Fish was chilling beside Surrinder Starfish wearing a great big grin.
"What's made you so happy?" Surrinder Starfish asked.
Cleckles' grin grew grinnier!
"Well..." added Surrinder, impatiently .
"I learned how to juggle new things."
Surrinder Starfish burped. " Sorry, " he said.
"All my troubles and problems. I juggled them too."
Surrinder burped once more.
"And it helped me to deal with them more easily - one at a time!"
"Ahhh, " replied Surrinder Starfish, twitching bizarrely. "That's brilliant. I suppose we can all learn new things from others, especially when we least expect it." Then he burped again, which set his twitch free!
At that moment, Samantha Seahorse rocked by, grumbling "am I strange looking, am I weird?"
"Neeeeeeigh, neeeeeigh you're not, " Cleckles called after Samantha Seahorse, which made her smile.
* * * *
As the handles on life's clock rotated: the filter filtered and the heater heated. The ornaments glistened as the lighting lit up the Amazing Aquarium and the residents resided in their H2O wonderland.
