Once upon a time, there was a little Koi fish named Paz. He lived with his friends and family, in a giant school. The school of fish had made it’s home in Brazil years before, and that was where Paz had lived his entire life.

His family loved him, and did their best to give him everything that he wished for. Very quickly, Paz’s friends started to become jealous of him, and didn’t spend time with him anymore.

As the weeks passed, his friends not only didn’t spend time with him anymore, but they made fun of him as well. Poor Paz would be swimming by, minding his own business, when all of a sudden he would hear giggles from the Koi his age.

Paz was so upset, he would spend hours in his room crying, wondering what he had done wrong. He could not imagine why having things given to him by his parents had been twisted into such a bad thing. He had not rubbed the presents in his friends faces, or bragged every time he got a new one. No, Paz had been respectful, always offering to share.

Eventually, Paz became so upset that he saw no other option but to leave his school. He brought nothing with him, leaving all his beloved presents behind. Paz had no idea where he was going, or when he would return. He only knew that he could stay no longer.

For years, Paz went from place to place. He saw the shores of Africa, Japan, France, and Canada.

During his visit to Australia, Paz ran into another school of Koi fish. He was so tired of swimming, especially alone, that he decided to stop and rest there for a little while.

During his stay Paz made very good friends. They showed him what it was like to do things not by yourself, as Paz had been forced to do, but together as a group.

Paz began to miss his family, whom he loved dearly. He watched the families in the school of Koi from Australia, which only made him miss his family even more.

Sucking up his courage, Paz said good-bye to all his new friends and set out on the long swim home to Brazil. He traveled for days and days, until finally he could see his home in the distance.

Paz was nervous, because he didn’t know if the fish who had made fun of him and caused him to leave years before would still treat him the same way. He didn’t want to have to go through the same pain once again.

But he had not traveled thousands of miles to give up once he was so close, so Paz began to swim towards his home slowly but surely. He passed through the gate, and the other Koi fish began to recognize him.

Instead of teasing him, as Paz had expected, the other fish welcomed him back with cheers and hugs, excited to hear about his many thrilling stories. They accompanied him to his house, and once at the door they all stopped and turned to continue what they were doing before their hero had showed up.

Paz entered his house, and hugged his parents, excited to see his family once again. He went up to his room, and opened the door, taking in everything that had been so important to him before he had begun his journey.

He found that the presents were no longer important to him. It was the thought behind them that mattered most, and which he held close to his heart.