Shallow Water

Once upon a time two goblins, who were the very best of friends, sat on a
river bank wearing pointy hats and holding fishing rods. They had
been fishing for a fat trout for their supper when Biggy, the big
goblin, suddenly cried out that there was something glistening in the
water. Shorty, the short goblin, looked at the water, but he couldn't
see anything but reflections on the surface, because he was too
short.

Biggy jumped into the shallow water and started rummaging under the
surface, making the water all cloudy because he was disturbing the
mud on the river bed. Shorty, Biggy's very best friend, jumped into
the river too and gasped as the cold water reached right up to his
chest, because he was only short.

Suddenly, Biggy pulled his arm from under the surface of the water and held up
a large bar of gold which glinted in the sunlight. Shorty was so
excited that he suddenly disappeared under the water and was out of
sight for some considerable time. Biggy got a little anxious over the
welfare of his very best friend.

Ten whole minutes later, because goblins can hold their breath for ages,
Shorty emerged holding a gold bar in each hand. The two goblins
climbed back onto the bank and sat staring with glee at the three
bars of gold. All thoughts of catching a trout had now gone from the
minds of the two very best friendly goblins.

'With three bars of gold we can buy supper for the rest of our lives,' said
Biggy with a huge smile on his face.

'But you've only got one bar,' replied Shorty, 'so you might still have to
come fishing now and again.'

'We have three bars between us,' snapped Biggy feeling a little annoyed
at his short friend.

'Then I suggest you get back into the water and find another bar, so we
will then have four bars.'

Biggy stared at Shorty for a full ten seconds; then he unfriended him.

At that very moment a Dobber walked past, whistling a happy tune. Upon
seeing the two unfriended goblins he stopped whistling his happy tune
and sat down beside them. Dobbers were very intelligent and sensitive
creatures and could sense when things weren't right. He looked at the
two unfriends and then at the three gold bars lying beside them and
he knew immediately what the problem was. Friendship and trout and
shallow water were good, but friendship and gold and shallow water
were not. In his long long life, for Dobbers lived for centuries, he
knew that gold and silver and friendship required much deeper waters.

'Would you like me to resolve your problems?' enquired the Dobber.

'The only problem we have,' said Shorty, 'is that Biggy needs another gold
bar.'

'No I don't snapped Biggy, I just want half of the third bar so we're
equal.'

'It's mine,' shouted Shorty. 'I found it, not you and I've no....'

Before Shorty could finish his sentence, the Dobber snapped his fingers, the
two goblins froze like statues and the gold bars disappeared: Dobbers
were renowned for their magical fingers. He stood up, walked to the
river bank and snapped his fingers a second time.

At first, nothing seemed to have happened, but then slowly the river bed
began to disappear from view as the depth of the water magically
increased by the second. Very soon, the shallow stream had become a
deeper and much more meaningful river, full of mystery and intrigue.
A place where there was no place for avarice, but where rewards were
to be found by friends.

As the Dobber walked back along the river bank whistling his happy tune,
he snapped his fingers a third time and the two friends resumed their
fishing in the deep water. One of them would soon catch a fat trout
and they would share it for supper as they always did; friends for
life.