The Flying Fish That Flew Farthest in the World
Biru the flying fish flew higher and farther than any other flying fish in the world. From the day he was born, his fins were unusually broad and firm, and he could soar up into the sky higher than other flying fish could ever dream of. On the day Biru first leapt above the surface of the water, his mother said with worry:
“A flying fish must, in the end, return to the water. I’m afraid you’ll climb too high and won’t be able to come back.”
But Biru gazed up at the sky and smiled. His heart longed for higher places, and the sea seemed to him like a confining prison.
Every day, from early morning until late evening, Biru practiced jumping. He leapt higher and farther, drawing ever closer to the clouds. The other flying fish envied him, and some even grew jealous. But Biru paid them no mind. He believed he became free only in proportion to how high he could soar.
One day, Biru made a tremendous resolution. He decided to leave the sea entirely and go to the world of the sky.
Biru hurled his body above the water with all his might. The wind brushed gently beneath his fins. At first, it was a moment as sweet as a dream. But soon Biru realized that he had come too high and too far. The sea that should have been beneath his feet had already vanished into the distance, and before his eyes there was nothing but an endless blue sky.
“Am I free right now, or have I lost my way?” For the first time, Biru felt fear.
As time passed, his fins dried out, and Biru gradually lost his strength. The sky that had been so free now felt like another prison, choking the very breath out of him.
In that moment, his mother’s voice came back to him in his memory.
“In the end, we all have a place we must return to.”
Biru slowly began to descend. His journey toward the sea was no longer a yearning for the sky, but a return to the place where his true self belonged.
At last, the moment he re-entered the sea, Biru felt a deep sense of relief. The sea he had so desperately wanted to escape was, in fact, the real world that had given him the strength to fly.
Now Biru swam down into the sea, which was deeper and wider than the sky. His fins came back to life, shining far stronger and more beautiful than before.
The paradox of the flying fish that flew farthest in the world was this: the farther he moved from the sea, the more he lost himself.
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