Dear Squirrel-Fish

The story of the "Dear Squirrel-Fish" is a surreal tale, blending reality and fantasy. It tells the story of a twelveyear- old girl named Nina, whose father drowned in a lake, and no trace of him was ever found. She has a squirrel that seems to live in her hair, yet it is always with her, everywhere. The young girl is very imaginative, and in her childlike sorrow, she believes her father has turned into a fish and is living in the lake. She lives with her mother, and they are not financially well off. Her school performance has declined, and she constantly thinks about her father. She writes letters to him and throws them into the lake. The story begins when the girl finds a letter in response to the ones she had previously thrown into the lake. The writer of the letters knows everything. Throughout their correspondence, the writer teaches the girl that the big realities in life stem from smaller things: choices and decisions.

The girl, unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality, dreams one night that she has become a fish and believes this to be an invitation from her father. She cuts her hair and attempts to drown herself in the lake, but she is saved.