The Bakery Under the Sea

Tessa has a bakery under the sea. It is a round glass room on the sea floor. It is in a small town of glass houses. Every morning, she bakes bread. The smell goes out of a small door. It fills the street.

Her bakery has one big window. Outside it, the water is green and calm. Every evening at six o'clock, something special happens. The fish come.

They are small and bright, orange and blue and silver. They come in a big group. They look at the warm yellow lights. Tessa gives them one small crumb of bread each. The children in town love to watch.

Nolan is eleven years old. He helps Tessa after school. His job is to sweep and count the fish. He has a notebook and a pencil.

"Yesterday there were forty-two," he says.

"And today?" asks Tessa.

"Let us see."

At six o'clock, they stand at the window. Nolan holds his pencil. Tessa holds a bowl of crumbs. They wait.

The water is empty. Nobody comes.

"Are they late?" Nolan asks.

"Maybe," says Tessa.

They wait ten more minutes. The street lamps come on one by one. Still there are no fish. Nolan puts his pencil down. His face gets long.

"Where are they?" he asks.

"I do not know," says Tessa. She puts the bowl on the shelf. "But we can find out."

She puts on her coat. Nolan puts on his boots. They go out into the street. The water outside is cold and dark. They walk past the school and the post office. The new street lamps shine on every corner.

"Look," says Nolan. "The lamps are different."

Tessa stops. She looks up. The old lamps were yellow. The new lamps are a hard, bright blue.

"They put them in last week," says Nolan.

"The fish like the yellow light," says Tessa. "It is warm. Maybe the blue is too strong."

She goes to the end of the street. There is a small office with a light on. A man is inside, eating a sandwich. Tessa knocks.

"Hello," she says. "I have a question about the lamps."

The man listens. He looks at Nolan's notebook. Nolan shows him the numbers for last month. Forty. Forty-two. Thirty-eight.

"Every night, at six," says Nolan. "Until today."

The man puts down his sandwich. "I did not know," he says. "I changed the lamps for the new building. But I can change them back. I have yellow glass in the back room."

"Can you do it tonight?" asks Tessa.

"Yes. It is easy," he says.

He takes a ladder. Tessa and Nolan hold it. One by one, he puts yellow glass on the lamps. The street turns warm and gold.

The next evening at six, Nolan stands at the window. He has his notebook. He does not say anything. The water outside is green. Then a small orange fish comes. Then a blue one. Then twenty more, and then fifty.

"Fifty-one!" Nolan shouts.

Tessa gives out the crumbs. The children come and watch. Nobody talks. She feels light and happy. So does Nolan.