There was a large pond in the Willow valley. Many fish lived there, mostly carp and catfish. One Sunday, a big event was to take place in the pond. The little carp were about to hatch.
The other fish couldn’t wait. They were looking forward to seeing the first eggs appear. Once the eggs swelled a bit and grew, they would become young carp. The fish would then show them the whole pond and play with them.
At last, the moment arrived. The eggs settled among the plants in the pond. Everyone was very happy. The frogs croaked welcome songs, the birds spread the news around the neighborhood, and the catfish congratulated the carp. Some time passed, and the eggs grew into young carp. They swam in the pond and loved learning everything new.
But one of them was especially curious. He was the smallest of them all, Bubblo the carp. He swam everywhere, exploring every corner of the pond, every stone, every weed. There was no place that Bubblo the carp did not explore.
One day, as Bubblo the carp was swimming in the pond, something suddenly appeared in front of him. It was hanging on a string, swaying in the water with the currents, and it looked very tasty. The young carp was just about to taste it when a threatening voice stopped him from behind: “Bubblo, don’t touch that! Stop!!!” It was his uncle, the catfish. He stopped him just in time.
Bubblo looked at his uncle in confusion and asked, “Uncle Catfish, why can’t I taste it? It’s in the pond, it can’t be poison. Look how beautiful it looks.” Uncle Catfish explained to the young carp that it was a trap set by a fisherman. If Bubblo tried to eat it, he would get stuck on the sharp hook and wouldn’t be able to free himself. The fisherman would pull him out of the pond, and he would be in big trouble. He also told Bubblo that fishing is prohibited here in the pond, so the fisherman who wants to lure and catch them has no business here. There is a large sign at the edge of the pond prohibiting fishing here.
“Do you know what we do to fishermen who want to fish despite the ban? Watch, you’ll laugh!” smiled Uncle Catfish. He found a tuft of green water plants in the pond and wrapped it in mud from the bottom of the pond. Then he swam up to the bait, carefully removed it, and replaced it with the green water plants and mud. After that, he tugged on the string. The fisherman thought he had caught a fish and he quickly began to reel in the fishing line. Bubblo and Uncle Catfish first heard the fisherman rejoicing, but a moment later, they heard him cursing at what he had actually caught, green water plants and mud.
The carp and Uncle Catfish laughed their heads off at how they had tricked the fisherman. Once in a while, they even repeated the trick. The fisherman, who kept fishing despite the ban, cast his line with bait and waited. Bubblo the carp and Uncle Catfish always gave him something for the bait. Once they hooked an old shoe on the line, another time a tin can they found at the bottom of the pond. This way, they also cleaned up the trash that people had thrown or forgotten in the pond. Uncle Catfish and Bubblo the carp cleaned up the pond together and taught the naughty fisherman that rules are meant to be obeyed.