"I know Mama said things would be alright, but I just can't see how. Daddy is gone, and he will not be back. Why did something like this happen to my Daddy? He was a good man, always there to talk to me. I miss my Daddy! I miss playing ball, and I really miss fishing from this very spot!" Johnny sat on the dock dripping tears into the pond. This dock kept memory after memory fresh in Johnny's mind. Now, he sat alone with his thoughts. Bright, sunny afternoons filled his mind. Bass and catfish swam in his daydreams.

As Johnny began to cry heavily, the salty tears splished and splashed in the calm water, the stillness of the water only briefly interrupted by the splash of tears, but it was these splashes that seemed to call something. A beautiful bass cruised to the shallows and stared up at Johnny. "What are you looking at you silly fish? Can't you see I am not very happy? Go away now!" Johnny hollered.

The bass inched closer and closer to the little boy. About two feet away, Johnny lay with his belly on the deck to get a closer look. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours.

"You don't listen too well. I said Go Away!" No movement from the bass. "Oh well, I guess I am glad you're here. How are you today?" asked Johnny. "I'm not doing too good. I just lost my Daddy, and I am really sad. I don't know what I can do to make myself feel better," Johnny told the fish.

At that, the little bass jumped out of the water and did a flip, an amazing back flip; his fin pointed in every direction, and Johnny noticed a little smirk on the fish's face. The loop-d-loop made Johnny laugh out loud, the first time he had laughed since his Daddy had gotten sick.

"Thank you Mr. Bass; I needed that. You're a pretty funny fish. When did you learn to do a trick like that? I can't jump that high. My Daddy was teaching me how to run real fast and jump real high before he got sick. You are pretty lucky, you must have a good Daddy," Johnny said getting sad again.

The fish kept leaping into the air and flipping from side to side. Johnny noticed a black spot on the fish's belly. "Where have I seen a spot like that before? I know I have, but when was it? I really wigh I could remember!" The bass' last landing splashed water on Johnny, waking him fom his daydream. He quickly stopped wondering about the spot and giggled as the bass played.

"Johnny, come on inside now!" Mama called.

"I'm comng," he hollered back. "I better get going. I don't want Mama to worry. She's upset enough right now. I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Bass."

Johnny waved good-bye, and the little bass swam off into the deep water.

As day turned to night, Johnny lay in bed thinking about his Daddy. Slowly, his eyes shut. Johnny dreamed of the day his Daddy took him fishing. They rowed out to the middle of the pond and set anchor. After just a few minutes they caught a tiny bass, much like his new friend. Johnny wanted to keep him but his Daddy told him to let him go so he could grow up with his family.

The next morning, at eight o'clock, Johnny begged his Mama to let him eat breakfast out on the boat dock. She said he could, so he ran out to the pond to look for his new friend. Johnny laid on the deck with his face right net to the pond water. "Mr. Bass, I brought you some breakfast,"Johnny hollered. He dropped some toast crumbs in the pond, and, sure enough, Mr. Bass swam right up to the shallow water.

The two stared at each other for a few seonds before Johnny started to talk. "You know, I had a bad dream about Daddy last night. It was the time we were fishing here at the pond, and we caught a tiny bass. Daddy said it was so small that it deserved a chance to grow up with his family. He was right. Everything deserves to grow up with their families, except me." A tear made ripples in the water.

Mr. Bass began jumping in and out of the ripples, and Johnny's face changed from tears of sadness to tears of joy. The fish seemed to know when to do his tricks. "You really are a crazy fish. Every time I get upset you start jumping and flipping around like you're trying to tell me something. I guess I will never know what you are trying to say. I'm glad you are here for me to talk to, but I really miss my Daddy. He would talk to me about making good choices, like doing the right thing no matter how hard it is. Sometimes it is hard to do right and people make fun of me, but Daddy was always here when I needed him, kinda like you right now, "Johnny sniffed.

Just then, Mr. Bass jumped in and out of the water so his belly faced Johnny. Suddenly, it all hit Johnny. He began to remember. "Hey, that black dot over your heart is just like the one on the fish in my dream. Was that you Mr. Bass? It couldn't have been you, could it? Could you be the same fish my Daddy and me caught? I wish you could answer me!"

"Johnny," his Mama called, "We have to leave for Grandma's house." Johnny said his goodbyes and promised to come by the pond tomorrow. The little bass jumped and disappeared into the deep water once more.

Johnny and his mother made the short trip to Grandma's house. She lived about an hour away. All the relatives were telling their stories of the great things Daddy did. After a few tears, everyone began laughing at the jokes Daddy used to tell. Johnny wondered what could be so funny at a time like this. His Daddy died, and he thought there would not be many more fun times for him and his family. He had to get out of the house for a few minutes.

Johnny came back in; it was his turn to tell a story. He was prepared. "Daddy liked to fish. He found a big bass floating in the pond one day. It was dead, so me and Daddy buried it on the shoreline. He said it was probably a daddy like him, so he wanted to take good care of it. I really thought that was a nice thing to do. I guess we kind of took care of Daddy at the funeral. Anyways, Daddy really like fishing." His Grandma and Mama were crying.