An imaginative fable about a koi who wants a garden of her own.
Kichi watched the garden above her pond change with the seasons. Flowers opened, leaves unfurled and visitors paused beside new growth. She wanted to make something worth pausing beside, too—something her fellow koi could explore.
One bright spring morning, Kichi woke up feeling inspired. She had an idea that would change the pond forever. She had noticed that the other koi in the pond often nibbled on the algae that grew on the rocks and sides of the pond. It occurred to her that if she could find a way to grow her own algae, she could create a garden of her own and share it with her fellow fish.
She searched until she found a sunny patch of stones near the pond’s edge. Then she gathered small fragments of the pond’s colorful algae. In Kichi’s story, they were the beginnings of an underwater garden.
Using her fins like tiny tools, Kichi arranged the fragments between the stones. Over the following weeks she tended the patch, cleared fallen material and rearranged anything that drifted. At least, she thought, watering was one job an underwater gardener could skip.
Her little patch began to fill out, with soft shapes and colors that looked different in the changing light. The other koi stopped to investigate. Some admired her work; others showed their appreciation by nibbling it.
Kichi's garden became a popular spot in the pond, and the other koi often gathered around it, admiring the colors and textures of the algae. Kichi was thrilled to see her fellow koi enjoying the fruits of her labor, and she continued to tend to her garden with love and care.
Over time, Kichi's garden grew larger and more diverse, with new species of algae appearing all the time. Kichi's gardening skills had become legendary in the pond, and she had inspired several other koi to start their gardens as well.
As Kichi looked out at her garden one day, she realized that her dream of having a garden of her own had come true. She had created something beautiful and unique, and in doing so, she had brought joy and beauty to her fellow koi in the pond.
Whenever anyone asked who had made the little garden, the others pointed to Kichi. She was usually there already, trying to explain to an enthusiastic visitor that admiring a border and eating it were two different activities.
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