By Giovanni Galavotti, translated into English by Ruth Stephens
Chapter 5 – A Solution?
It’s Saturday and Michele doesn’t have to go to school because he’s in the last year of elementary school. His brother and sister are already at middle school, so they have lessons even on Saturdays.
His dad is at work and when his mum goes out to do the shopping Michele breaks open his money box and takes all his savings. Then he goes to the local pet shop. He comes home with a big bag of fish food and puts it into the goldfish bowl. Now perhaps the fish will grow bigger!
But the fish doesn’t grow. Instead, the next day Michele awakes to find it floating belly-up in the glass bowl: it’s dead.
Michele is desperate. Poor little fish…… and poor Michele!




