As the sun rose over the tranquil pond, the koi fish swam leisurely, enjoying the cool water and the peaceful morning. For years, the koi had called this pond home, and it knew every inch of its watery world.
One day, an old man appeared by the pond, sitting on a bench near the water's edge. The koi watched him carefully, curious about the newcomer. Day after day, the old man returned, and the koi grew bolder, swimming closer and closer to him.
At first, the old man didn't seem to notice the koi, lost in his own thoughts. But as time passed, he began to watch the fish as they swam around him. He even started to bring them food, tossing small pieces of bread into the water.
Before long, the koi and the old man had formed a bond. The fish would eagerly swim up to the old man, splashing and playfully nipping at his fingers as he fed them. The old man would sit for hours by the pond, talking to the koi as if they were his closest friends.
As the years passed, the old man grew frail, and his visits to the pond became less frequent. But the koi never forgot their friend, and they continued to wait for him, hoping that he would return.
One day, the old man didn't come back. The koi swam around the pond, searching for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Days turned into weeks, and the koi grew sad and listless, missing their friend.
Then, one day, the old man's son appeared by the pond. He sat on the bench where his father had sat, and the koi swam up to him, eager for attention. The old man's son watched the fish for a while, smiling at their playful antics.
And then, something amazing happened. The koi fish began to swim in a circle, forming a pattern in the water. The son realized that it was the same pattern that his father used to make, a secret message that only he and the koi knew.
With tears in his eyes, the son realized that his father's spirit still lived on in the pond and in the koi fish that he had loved so much. From that day on, the son visited the pond regularly, and the koi fish continued to swim around him, their playful nips a reminder of the bond between a man and his fish.
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