Go Fish

Oh! Watch where you're going.

- Sorry! -Ugh. Kids.

Come on, Dad!

- - Yeah, Jeff. Keep up, slowpoke.

I'm going as fast as I can.

Give me a break. I'm pregnant.

You're...

It's true. It's the seahorse life cycle.

Oh, well, how does it feel?

Like a superhero.

A really tired, weak superhero

that has no powers and wants to eat all the time.

Hi, Eelanor.

Oh, what do you want?

Just saying hi. Wow!

-Hey. -I'm just looking.

Looking at what?

-What you got in there? -Just my home.

Oh. I thought you might have something amazing in there.

-Why? -You spend so much time in there.

Well, I like it in here.

It seems very nice.

And dark. And, um, small.

And a little spooky...

What's it to you?

Hmm, I don't know.

I just figured it must be awfully nice in there if you never come out, is all.

I come out... when I have to.

Do you want to come and play? Or we could go sightseeing. Or play hide and seek.

I bet you're super good at hiding.

Eh, I don't know.

Okay, well, what do you like to do?

Stay in my cave.

Sleep.

Watch the fish go by.

Uh-huh. Do you want to go watch the fish in New Coralton?

No thanks. I'm good.

I know you're good, silly.

But why not be great?

There's so much to see and do out here.

I get that.

I'd just rather stay here.

Yeah?

Ooh, you're right.

This is a great spot for fish watching.

-Do you mind? -Nope.

-No, I mean-- -Christine?

Where did you swim off to?

Just talking with my friend, Eelanor.

Well, leave her be. I can't have you wandering off.

But, Mom!

Don't "But, Mom" me.

I invented "But, Mom." Now come on.

Fine.

Bye-bye, Eelanor. Have a nice day.

See ya.

Don't give me that. You put off your cleaning for ages.

Sorry about that.

Yes, well, "sorry" doesn't fight gingivitis.

Let's take a look.

Uh, Mary?

Can you bring those remoras in, please?

Coming, Doctor. Go, go, go!

Please schedule your next visit on the way out.

Thank you, Alex.

Not a problem.

I love my job. Have a happy day!

You're going to come back in six months for your next cleaning, aren't you?

-Oh... -You're not going to skip again, are you?

Say thank you.

Thank you.

-Hi, Alex. -Oh, hi, Christine.

-How are you today? -Oh, fine. Fine.

Christine, you come away from there. Don't bother that fish while he's working.

I'm talking to my friend, Mom.

-Hello, Doris. -See, Mom?

-We're friends. So, there. -Hmm.

Maybe she didn't hear you?

Oh, it's okay. People tend to ignore me most of the time anyway.

Don't worry about it.

You really never get tired of chewing on the reef?

Keeps my teeth sharp. And besides, it's an important job.

Oh.

-What's that? - Don't know.

Looks like it could be some sea kelp.

Oh, he should "seek help," all right.

Honey.

That's not funny.

Hmm. Definitely sea kelp. Save that for later.

You're gonna... eat that?

My goodness, no.

But you never know when a bit of rotting sea kelp could come in handy.

- Hmm... -It could happen.

You are so weird.

-I am? -Kinda.

I never thought about it. It's just me.

That's what I like about you.

Aww, thanks.

Christine Tabitha Seahorse, you come over here right now.

What is it, Mom?

How often do I have to tell you to keep up.

It's not polite to bother that fish while he's working.

I really don't mind. I can multitask.

And it's really nice to have the company.

See?

Well...

Mom, can I please hang out with Alex for just a little while?

He said I'm not in the way.

Oh, yeah! She's totally welcome to hang with me while I make the rounds.

You, um... You still have sea kelp on your face.

Oh, I know. I'm just saving it for later.

Everything all right, dear?

Your daughter was trying to sneak away to play with her friend here.

How come whenever she's in trouble she's my daughter?

Oh, she's no trouble at all, ma'am.

I'll be glad for the company.

And strictly speaking, it's not playing. I'm doing my job.

See, Mom? He's doing his job.

See?

We could always use a little quiet time, honestly.

That girl's always been a fin-ful.

Tell me about it.

If you promise to behave yourself.

Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. See you guys later. Bye-bye.

You be sure and have her home at a reasonable hour.

Will do, Mrs. S.

Hmm.

It worked! Thank you, thank you!

No problem. Come on.

Uh, where are we going?

I've told you. I've got rounds to make.

I always wanted to ask you. Why do you eat so much coral?

I mean, it can't taste very good.

Come here. Let me show you something.

See that?

It's just coral.

Yeah, but it's alive. And stuff grows on it.

Stuff like what?

Oh, a bit of algae, a bit of bacteria.

Most of it's good, but some of it's bad.

So, my job is to keep an eye out for the bad stuff.

Oh, and make sure the good stuff doesn't get overgrown too.

-By chewing on it. -Yup.

But rocks aren't alive.

Yeah, but coral isn't made of rocks.

It's just very, very hard. And coral is definitely alive.

Parrotfish like me get to...

scrape it clean with our beaks.

-See? -And that's good?

Yeah, it's good.

A clean reef is a healthy reef.

Doesn't all that chewing hurt your mouth?

Not at all.

My teeth keep growing, just like the coral.

We help each other out.

Neat.

So, is that all?

-All of what? -All you do?

You say it like it's some small thing.

Cleaning the reef is super important.

How cranky do your parents get if you don't clean your room?

Ooh, super-duper cranky.

Uh-huh, well, my job's like that.

The folks in charge would be super-duper cranky

if fish like me didn't keep it neat.

You ever wonder what it would be like doing something else?

Going off and having adventures, like a superhero?

Sure, I do. What fish doesn't?

I know it's not glamorous. But keeping the reef clean is important.

I feel good doing it.

At school, they asked us what we want to be when we grow up.

-Oh, yeah? -Uh-huh.

A lot of fish said they want to go on adventures

and see the whole ocean and stuff.

Sounds pretty cool, if you ask me.

But my job's cool too. I help the reef grow.

I wish my folks would let me grow.

You think about that a lot, don't you?

Uh-huh. Mom and Dad don't let me do anything.

Not by myself.

-That's rough. -It is.

You know, they won't even let me swim to school on my own.

Have you talked to them about doing stuff on your own?

I tried.

But my mom still thinks I'm just a baby.

Maybe you should ask her if you can help out sometime.

What do you mean?

Well, remember how I said some of the stuff growing is good,

-and some of it's bad? -Uh-huh.

The good bacteria starts to help the reef as it gets bigger.

That's how I know I can let it keep growing.

So, if I show Mom and Dad I can help out,

maybe they'll start letting me grow up?

-Uh-huh. -You know,

I don't think I ever would have thought of that.

What are friends for?

- Help me! Somebody help! -

-Breathe, breathe... -Watch where you're swimming.

Sorry.

I can't-- I can't see!