Life ran along the river. The water reached up to her knees, and she held the hem of her long red skirt in her hands, though the edges were already damp. White foam swirled around her feet as Life disturbed the water. But she was not running alone. Schools of fish darted alongside her, avoiding her steps as they went about their usual migration.

As Life ran, aquatic plants and algae grew beneath her feet. Colorful fry hatched from their eggs and joined the shoal circling her legs. She smiled at them, feeling her strength fill their tiny bodies.

They rushed past deer coming to drink, past bushes, past weeping willows bending over the river. Then they reached the spot where the village girls washed their laundry. The fish swam close as Life paused, watching a girl scrubbing shirts in the clear river water. Life stopped just a few steps away, leaning toward her with a smile. Her dark eyes studied the girl while the youngest fish darted around Life's ankles.

"Why so sad, my beauty?" she asked, noticing the girl's red, tear-stained eyes