Chapter 1: Rico the Curious

In a bright corner of a twisting river, where sunlight wiggled like golden worms through the water, lived a small fish named Rico.

Rico was a Rummy Nose Tetra—tiny, silvery, and fast. But what made him special was the shiny red nose on his face.

It glowed like a firefly in the sun. It twinkled when he was excited. It sparkled when he was scared.

The other fish would swim circles around him and ask,

“Why is your nose so red?”

“I don’t know,” Rico would giggle, “I think it means I’m meant for something big!”

Rico wasn’t the strongest fish in the riverbed. He wasn’t the loudest or the fastest either.

But he was curious.

Rico has always been curious — about bubbles, shadows, and especially old stories.

He dreams of distant riverbeds and secret places, shimmering with magic.

While small in size, Rico has the heart of an explorer.

He believes that wonder is real, and that bravery often starts with a question.

He loved to explore the edges of the plants, peek into tiny caves, and follow glowing bugs until they zipped away.

Most of all, Rico loved stories and his nose glows brighter when he’s excited — or when adventure is near.

At night, when the water got still and the stars blinked up above, the elder fish would gather the young ones and tell tales.

 

There were stories of singing turtles, whispering currents, and rainbow storms.

But Rico had a favorite.

It was the story of the Lost Lagoon.

 

“They say it’s a place hidden far upstream,” whispered Granny Cory Catfish one night.

“A magical lagoon where the water is so clear, you can see your dreams float in it, where the plants glow blue and gold. Where the river begins again.”

“Has anyone ever seen it?” Rico asked, his eyes wide.

“No one we know,” Granny said with a swish of her tail. “But the river remembers.”

Most fish said it was just a tale.

But not Rico.

He believed the Lost Lagoon was real.

And one day… he’d find it.

He swam in circles that night, nose glowing bright, as the river sang him to sleep.

Chapter 2: Trouble in the Water

The next morning, Rico woke up to a strange stillness.

The water didn’t swirl and sparkle like it usually did.

It was thick and cloudy, like soup with too much mud.

“Yuck!” Rico coughed, flicking his fins. “What happened?”

He swam past his favorite patch of green plants — the leaves were drooping.

A few baby fish floated near the bottom, not playing like usual.

Even the snails were barely moving.

Something was wrong.

Rico zipped to the rock where Granny Cory Catfish napped.

She was wide awake, her whiskers twitching.

“The current’s gone soft,” she muttered. “The river’s sick.”

 

“Sick?” Rico blinked.

Granny nodded. “Sometimes, when the water slows down or gets blocked, the riverbed can’t breathe right. We need the flow to bring us clean water.”

Rico’s red nose pulsed. His fins tingled.

He remembered her story—the one about the Lost Lagoon.

“They say the lagoon helps the river stay healthy,” Rico whispered.

“Maybe… maybe it’s calling us now.”

Granny gave him a look — not a scolding look, but a long, thoughtful one.

“It’s just a story,” she said quietly. “But sometimes, little fish are braver than big ones.”

 

Rico swam to the edge of the riverbed and looked out at the hazy water beyond.

His heart beat faster. His nose started to glow brighter.

“I’ll find the Lost Lagoon,” he said to the river. “I’ll bring back help.”

Then he took one deep gulp of water, turned his tail toward home…

…and began to swim upstream.