He stared at the new construction. It must’ve been a thousand feet tall. Actually, he amended to himself, it wasn’t that big. The castle, which had mysteriously arrived in the wee hours of the morning, was at least ten times as tall as he was, and big enough that he would never have problems living in it, no matter how much he grew!

Since he was the only one in the area, the castle had to be for him. He circled it a few times, exhilarated by the ideas of what he could do with it, but baffled by its appearance. How had the materials gotten past the barriers? It was confusing. He circled it again, and then a third time for good measure, before actually entering it.

It was as big as it looked from the outside. If he lived for a hundred years, he’d never outgrow it. Giddy with excitement at the new building, he exited to ponder. It was even more brilliant and beautiful than the tree that had grown a few weeks before!

He liked the tree. It provided shade from the bright white, cylindrical sun that always seemed to shine down on him. Of course, with the addition of the castle to his kingdom, he wouldn’t have so much use for the tree. Maybe he would use it on occasion, when the walls of the castle got confining and he needed a trip out.

He still couldn’t figure either out. The tree had sprung into being, the same as the castle, while he slept. The tree didn’t look entirely natural, and he knew that the castle wasn’t made from the stone he knew and loved so much. It was a conundrum, and a bothersome one at that.

The answers to his questions, he knew, were beyond the great barrier. He hadn’t even known about them at first, but on one of his many trips he literally ran into them. They were invisible, but hard as stone.

Soon, the goldfish thought as he swam away, he would know everything.

Read the Counterstory.
Back to main.