Chapter 1: Toy Fish Stamps

One cool Saturday in November 2018, I met my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri at their apartment in Shadyside, along with one of my other best friends, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Ready to learn some more art?" James asked. "Absolutely," I replied. "I even have some fish toys that I won at Dave and Buster's for us to share." We got our sketchbooks and began using the stamps. "Are you guys enjoying your new job so far?" Mrs. Shay asked. "Yes, we are," Mrs. Shay replied. "Basically, we make paintings at the Union Project in Highland Park and then sell them to the Toonseum downtown," Henri explained. "I have always wanted to do something like that," Mr. Benson stated. "Can I make a drawing right now?" Carly asked. "Of course," Sarah replied. "My old girlfriend, Phillis would have loved to be an artist," James admitted. "It's a shame that I never see her again." "Where did she go, James?" Mrs. Shay asked. "I don't know, Mrs. Shay," James replied. "Maybe, Phillis is up to something entirely different. After all, I was only her girlfriend for a short period of time." "Who are the fish right here, and where did they come from?" Carly asked. "The orange fish's name is Fish Stick and the blue fish's name is Blueberry," Sarah explained to Carly. "Your plush toy looks a lot like Fish Stick, Angel," Carly told me. "I know it does, Carly," I replied, "since they are both orange." "Our parents brought the fish back from Gettysburg," Sarah continued, "and they live with us now." "I remember when I wanted a goldfish my first year of high school," Carly remembered, "but it was just around Thanksgiving, and my parents said they wanted to save money for groceries." "Speaking of which, do you guys have plans for Thanksgiving?" I asked. "We are going to cook some very special dishes, like sweet potato and green bean casserole, and pecan pie," Sarah explained. "I have plans to stay with my grandparents at their house in Polish Hill," Carly explained. "You can come have dinner with us next Saturday, if you like." "We would love to," Sarah replied. Sarah, Carly, and I added letter stencils to spell out our names on our drawings. "The black fish's name is Blackie and the green fish's name is Honeydew," I explained. "Really?" Sarah asked. "Those are nice names," Carly remarked. After we cleaned up our art, there were snacks for us. Sarah, James, Henri, and I provided a dip with apple slices, carrot sticks, celery sticks, and Wheat Thins crackers, and Carly and her parents offered pepperoni and Cheddar cheese on crackers. Pretty soon, it was time for me to leave. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"